How to get rid of fruit flies in 5 easy steps

It’s hard to get rid of any kind of bug once they enter your home. Fruit flies commonly sneak into homes through open windows, doors or on the produce you bring home during the summer. Once inside, they seek out fruit and other sweet, moist places to lay their eggs. If left untreated, a few fruit flies can quickly become a full-blown infestation.

That’s why it’s important to act quickly and use proven methods to get rid of fruit flies before they take over your kitchen or dining area. While fruit flies are annoying, you can rid your home of existing fruit flies and prevent them from returning with simple measures. Follow these five basic steps to help keep fruit flies away, once and for all.

1. Wipe down surfaces that are potential breeding grounds

Fruit flies are attracted to food residue and sticky surfaces. When cleaning, use a clean cloth with soapy water or a household disinfectant. Regularly cleaning and wiping these areas can help reduce the chance of fruit flies:

• Kitchen and cabinet surfaces — use a clean cloth with soapy water or a household disinfectant. Also clean not just the countertops but also the insides and handles of cabinets and drawers. Look for any hidden messes, especially around and under the sink area and food preparation zones.
• Interiors of trash cans — scrub them with soapy water or a vinegar solution and rinse them thoroughly. Always use a trash bag in your can.
• Fruits and vegetables — wipe down any fruit or vegetables ripening on your countertops. To wipe the fruit, use a clean towel that you have dipped in slightly soapy water. After wiping, rinse and dry the fruit. You can also use a combination of water and apple cider vinegar in place of soap to wipe the fruit (one cup water to one tablespoon of apple cider vinegar).

2. Clean the drains in your kitchen

Because this step is purely preventative, you can clean your kitchen drains even if you don’t see any evidence of fruit flies living there. Pick up a drain-friendly cleaner from your local supermarket that will remove all sludge, grime and bio-buildup from your drains. Bio-buildup attracts fruit flies and provides a place for them to lay over 500 eggs.

While bleach seems like it would fight fruit flies and kill their eggs, do not use it. Since bleach does not coat the pipes, it will not kill the flies. Undiluted bleach is not good for your pipes and is not eco-friendly.

3. Creating homemade fruit traps

One of the best ways to stop fruit flies is to use homemade traps. While you can buy fruit fly traps at the store (such as aerosol, special scents or hanging sticky traps), homemade traps often kill fruit flies naturally and without using harmful chemicals.

These remedies are usually easy to make with items you probably already have in your kitchen. Follow these steps to create your own homemade fruit fly trap:

Using apple cider vinegar

Apple cider vinegar is a favorite for trapping and killing fruit flies. Fruit flies are attracted to the smell of vinegar, making this trap highly effective.

• Pour 3 oz of unfiltered apple cider vinegar into a small bowl or a mason jar.
• Cover tightly with a thick layer of plastic wrap.
• Poke a tiny hole in the center of the plastic (no larger than a ball point pen).

Using sugar and soap

If you don’t have vinegar, you can still create an effective trap with sugar and dish soap.

• Fill a small glass with water.
• Stir in a tablespoon of sugar and a few drops of liquid dish soap.
• Leave the glass uncovered on your kitchen counter.

The sugar attracts the fruit flies, and the soap breaks the water’s surface tension. This forces the flies to sink and drown.

Using rotting fruit

Instead of tossing out that overripe or rotting fruit, use it to lure and trap fruit flies.

• Place a piece of rotting fruit at the bottom of a clean mason jar.
• Roll paper into a cone (funnel shape) and tape it so it holds its shape.
• Put the paper funnel into the jar so the narrow opening is just above the fruit — the funnel should cover the entire mouth of the jar.
• Set the trap near your fruit basket or trash can. Fruit flies will enter the jar for the fruit but won’t be able to escape.

Using alcohol

If you have leftover wine or beer, don’t pour it out! Fruit flies are attracted to the fermentation in these drinks.

• Pour an inch of leftover wine or beer into a small glass.
• Cover the glass with plastic wrap and poke a small hole in the top.
• Leave the trap out overnight on your counter.

Flies will find their way in and become trapped.

4. Monitor traps and drains

After thoroughly cleaning your drains, countertops, trash cans and any fruits left out, it’s important to keep monitoring your kitchen to ensure the fruit flies are really gone. Fruit flies can be persistent, but with a careful approach and consistent checks, your home can stay fruit fly-free. One of the easiest ways to see if your fruit fly problem is getting better is by monitoring the traps you’ve placed around your home. Check your traps every day by paying attention to these questions:

• Are you catching fewer fruit flies than you were before?
• Do you notice less activity around traps and drains?

If you see that fewer fruit flies are caught each day, your cleaning efforts are working. Soon, you should see the population drop to nearly zero, letting you know it’s time to switch to regular monitoring and maintenance. If the answer is no, repeat all the steps that are mentioned above. It also might be helpful to move on to natural or chemical-based insecticides, or fruit fly-decimating aerosols.

If you choose the latter option — aerosols or insecticides — be sure to use products that are safe for your home environment, including those safe for children, pets, pregnant women and those with allergies or asthma. Furthermore, it is important that you don’t use these products around food or on food preparation and eating areas.

5. Regular maintenance to help keep fruit flies away

As you work toward your goal of being fruit fly free, and then reach it, remember regular maintenance is key. Take a minute to utilize these measures to prevent potential fruit fly eggs from hatching in your home:

• Wash and dry fruit and produce, since they are likely a carrier of fruit fly eggs.
• If your fruit is pushing over-ripe, compost it, bake it or toss it.
• Store your fresh produce in the fridge.
• Clean your drains once a month to prevent fruit fly-friendly buildup.
• Try not to leave dirty dishes overnight.
• Use trash bags and trash cans with lids (if possible).
• When you pour the last drop of liquid from your beer bottles, beer cans, wine bottles, juice jugs or vinegar bottles, rinse them out before tossing them into your trash can or recycling container.
• When spills happen, clean them as fast as you can.
• Remove your trash from your kitchen often.

By combining all these habits — washing produce, storing food properly, cleaning drains, picking up spills and taking out the trash regularly — you greatly lower your chances of attracting fruit flies into your home. A few minutes each day can go a long way toward keeping your kitchen and living areas safe, clean and fruit fly-free.