Fruit Fly Trap: Homemade, Simple and Low Cost

Fruit fly trap

As the summer harvest of fruits and berries begins to come in, the onslaught of that dreaded nemesis the fruit fly swarms as well.    These little creatures seem to multiply exponentially overnight, and they especially love the kitchen.   I hate these little nuisance creatures and have tried many ways to get rid of them.

Recently, when I visited Irv and Kathy Huser at Environmentally Sound Products of Missouri, they shared a simple, low cost and very effective way to kill those little boogers.  Here’s all it takes:

• Cut the bottom off a 2-liter plastic soda bottle.
• Fill it up about two-thirds full with cheap apple cider vinegar (the flies love the vinegar smell).
• Put a couple of drops of dishwashing soap in the vinegar and give a little stir.

That’s it.  Place one or more of these traps around the kitchen or wherever the fruit flies live.  The flies will be attracted to the vinegar, and when they land to take a drink, the soap removes the liquid’s surface friction and they drown.   Problem solved!   You’ll soon see all the flies at the bottom of the trap.

Be careful to not let the little kids drink the trap.

Let me know how this simple trap works for you.  What other devices have you used to kill fruit flies?