Fresh fruit is one of the highlights of summer in my household. Unfortunately, my family and I aren’t the only ones who enjoy feasting on the season’s bounty. So do fruit flies, which seem to magically appear as soon as the first piece of fruit hits the kitchen countertop. While these pests may be small, they sure are annoying.
But fruit flies aren’t just a hassle to deal with when they’re buzzing around the kitchen; they can also contaminate food with bacteria and other disease-producing organisms. And if you don’t take care of them quickly, they stay and breed – infesting everything from drains, garbage disposals, trash cans, and recycling bins to empty bottles and cans, mops, and cleaning rags. For something so tiny, they sure can be a pain in the neck!
If you’re like me and can’t stand the sight of little hordes of fruit flies hovering around your fruit bowl, I understand entirely, and I’m here to help. I’ll show you how to get rid of them the cheap and easy way, using supplies you already have at home. In fact, today’s post is packed with helpful tips to get rid of fruit flies, including instructions on how to make your own quick and easy DIY flypaper!
But before we get to that, I wanted to quickly share how to distinguish between fruit flies and another common household pest: gnats. (You want to know what you’re dealing with, after all!)
What’s The Difference Between Fruit Flies & Gnats?
While fruit flies and gnats are both tiny flying pests, they have a few key differences you can look out for. For starters, fruit flies range in color from light tan to brown, while gnats are usually gray or black.
And, as their name implies, fruit flies have a taste for overly ripe fruit and other sugary substances. Fungus gnats, on the other hand, live in soils and on plants.
These identifiers should help you determine which pest you’re dealing with to address the problem with the best solution. If you confirm that you’re dealing with fruit flies, I absolutely recommend trying out my homemade flypaper, which I show you how to make below. Here’s how to get rid of gnats if you have ruled out the pesky critters as fruit flies.
What Causes Fruit Fly Infestations
Fruit flies are attracted to ripe fruit, overripe fruit, decaying fruit, and rotten fruit and produce, as well as fermented goods like beer, liquor, and wine. If your household is like mine, most of these things are heavily present in the summertime.
Factor in the relatively short life cycle of fruit flies and that female fruit flies lay a whopping 500 eggs at a time, which can hatch in as little as 24 hours, and these small insects can become a big problem very quickly. It also makes these critters almost impossible to control. Notice, I said, “almost.” Keeping these pests at bay IS within your reach. It starts with prevention.
Eradicating Fruit Fly Infestations
If you’ve ever thought you’ve solved your fruit fly problem only to have the little buggers reappear the next day, you’re not alone. A permanent fix means locating and eliminating all possible breeding areas. After you’ve identified the food source or whatever else is attracting them, you can use a pyrethrum-based, aerosol insecticide to kill any remaining adult flies in the area.
If you’d rather use an effective and natural method that’s free of potentially harmful chemicals, I’ve got the perfect fix: my do-it-yourself fruit fly trap.
How to Get Rid Of Fruit Flies With DIY Fly Paper
You’ll need:
- Paper grocery bag
- Scissors
- Single hole punch
- Twine or string
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup honey (or corn syrup)
- 2 tablespoons of water
Step 1: Cut your paper bag into a few strips about 2–3 inches wide. No need to measure them or anything—this isn’t an exact science! :-)
Step 2: Use the hole punch to make small holes in one end of each strip, then thread a piece of twine or string through the hole and tie the ends together. (This forms the loop you’ll use to hang your flypaper once it’s done.)
Step 3: Next, add the sugar, honey (or corn syrup), and water to a small saucepan and stir. Cook the mixture over low heat on your stove just until the sugar dissolves.
Step 4: Pour the mixture into a shallow bowl, then drag each of your paper strips through the sticky mixture until they are coated well on both sides.
Step 5: Hang your homemade flypaper strips somewhere to dry, and place a towel underneath them to catch any sticky drips. Once they’re no longer dripping, you can move the strips to wherever they’re needed around your house!
Step 6: Replace your homemade fly strips with fresh ones as needed until the fruit flies are gone.
Where To Hang Your DIY Fly Paper
Hang your finished flypaper in one or more of the following areas to help get rid of fruit flies:
- Near produce
- Near houseplants
- In the bathroom
- Near your compost, if you compost
- Anywhere you see fruit flies hanging out!
Preventing Fruit Fly Infestations
Of course, the best way to avoid fruit fly infestations is to prevent them from happening in the first place. The following tips can help you significantly reduce fruit flies in your home:
- Eat fresh fruit when it’s ripe
- Throw out overripe produce or cut out cracked or damaged portions
- Store fruits and veggies in the fridge
- Wash produce as soon as you get home to remove any potential eggs or larvae
- Ensure that all containers are well-sealed (for those who can their own fruits, make their own beer, or cider)
- Clean up dirty dishes with dish soap — or, at the least, rinse them — immediately
- Cover your trash
- Take out the garbage regularly
- Clean up spills ASAP, especially fruit juice or alcohol
- Equip windows and doors with tight-fitting (16 mesh) screens to help prevent adult fruit flies from entering from outdoors
- Try a carnivorous plant, like a sundew plant that traps fruit flies on its sticky leaves and then eat them — this is an especially useful tip because its an ongoing process
- Clean out the drain with apple cider vinegar
- Try essential oils with strong scents, such as basil, lavender, lemongrass, and incense
- Keep humidity in check — inexpensive and easy-to-use moisture absorbers can help keep your kitchen as dry as possible
Summer is supposed to be blissful, but a fruit fly infestation can be a major buzzkill. Adopting best practices for preventing fruit flies, as well as using my DIY flypaper trap to eliminate them when they do appear, can help you keep your home free of these pesky pests.
Do you have a tip or method you use to get rid of fruit flies? If so, please share it with your fellow fruit fly haters!
How To Get Rid Of Fruit Flies
Equipment
-
Single hole punch
-
Scissors
Ingredients
- 1 grocery paper bag
- 1 foot twine or string
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup honey (or corn syrup)
- 2 tbsp water
Instructions
-
Cut your paper bag into a few strips about 2–3 inches wide. No need to measure them or anything—this isn’t an exact science!
-
Use the hole punch to make small holes in one end of each strip, then thread a piece of twine or string through the hole and tie the ends together.
-
Next, add the sugar, honey (or corn syrup), and water to a small saucepan and stir. Cook the mixture over low heat on your stove just until the sugar dissolves.
-
our the mixture into a shallow bowl, then drag each of your paper strips through the sticky mixture until they are coated well on both sides.
-
Hang your homemade flypaper strips somewhere to dry, and place a towel underneath them to catch any sticky drips. Once they’re no longer dripping, you can move the strips to wherever they’re needed around your house!
-
Replace your homemade fly strips with fresh ones as needed until the fruit flies are gone.
Notes
- Near produce
- Near houseplants
- In the bathroom
- Near your compost, if you compost
- Anywhere you see fruit flies hanging
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