If you’ve ever stepped into the produce aisle at the supermarket or kept fruit on your counter for a decent amount of time, then we’re sure you’re familiar with fruit flies – those pesky little critters that circle above, and land on, your favorite fruits. But although they come around every season without skipping a beat, there has to be a way to keep them away so that you can actually enjoy your food, right? Of course there is! Here are a few tips to follow to prevent your home from becoming a breeding ground:
- Get rid of the fruit and vegetables that have gone bad. Keeping rotten fruit and vegetables around will only cause your fruit fly problem to grow, so as soon as you start to notice that things have gone sour, it’s time to get rid of it. However, that doesn’t mean you should toss your fruits and vegetables right into the garbage can in your kitchen – instead, dispose of it outdoors to keep the fruit flies out of your house.
- Check your cabinets for rotting produce. Not everyone keeps their produce in plain sight, so if you happen to keep some of yours in cabinets, don’t forget to check in regularly to make sure that nothing has started to rot. After all, it just takes one rotten item to keep fruit flies around!
- Change your sponges and dishrags regularly. Keeping your home clean is key for fighting off fruit flies. Specifically, replace your sponges and dishrags on a regular basis – did you know that fruit flies can breed on these common household items? The same goes for your kitchen mop and dishes too – you should never leave dirty dishes sitting for too long!
- Setup vinegar traps. Lucky for you, fruit flies aren’t smart enough to tell the difference between real fruit and something that smells like fermenting fruit. If you have fruit flies that just won’t seem to go away, setup cider vinegar traps in the areas of your home that need them the most (keep reading for instructions on how to make one).
- Keep your plumbing in check. How are the drains in your home? Do you feel like they’ve been working at a slower than normal pace lately? If so, there could be organic matter in your pipes, and that’s like winning the lotto to fruit flies. That said, you’ll want to keep up with your plumbing maintenance and make sure that your drains are always in good working order.
How to Make a Vinegar Trap for Fruit Flies
As promised in tip number four, we couldn’t leave without providing instructions on how to create a cider vinegar trap! Before you get started, you’ll need to collect the following items: a glass or cup, a rubber band, scissors, apple cider vinegar and a plastic bag that can fit over the glass you choose. Once you have all the necessary materials, follow these steps:
- Pour about an inch of apple cider vinegar into your cup or class.
- Cut off one of the corners of your plastic bag to create a hole for fruit flies to move through (keep in mind that you want it to be large enough for them to fit into, but small enough to prevent them from escaping afterwards).
- Place the bag over your cup or glass, with the hole you just made sitting nicely in the center.
- Take the corner you cut and push it down into the cup or glass – you want the bag to form a funnel within the cup or glass, but don’t push it to the point where it comes into contact with the vinegar.
- Using your rubber band, secure the bag to the cup or glass.
Now that you have your trap made, all you need to do is place it in the spot where you have the most trouble with fruit flies. If you have several problem areas, you’ll likely want to make more than one!
