Fruit flies and other flying insects are annoying pests that can easily enter your home. But, is there a solution for these pesky flies, and how to find the best fruit fly traps that are efficient and easy to use?
We have the solution and some of the most popular ways to capture fruit flies in your home.
In addition, we prepared tips and tricks that will help you not just with the fruit flies, but other persistent flying insects and have the beautiful bug-free home you want. So, let’s jump right in!
What are Fruit Flies?
Fruit fly or Drosophila Melanogaster is a small, flying insect that has a short lifespan and reproduces fast. These pests are common and annoying occurrences when the conditions are perfect and there is a moist environment they love such as garbage bins, drains, and disposals.
As the name suggests the fruit fly is mainly attracted by fruit and rotting food, but they don’t shy away from garbage and other places that have decaying products. They love the sugar produced in the rotten fruit and they can sense it from far away.
You can use these unique characteristics of fruit flies to attract and capture them with the proper tools.
What Causes Fruit Flies in the House?
While it might look like fruit flies came out of nowhere they are most likely attracted by some rotting fruit, liquor, or another source of sugar they love. Most of the time they can smell the waste from outside and find their way into your home, or you can bring them in with the produce on accident.
In some cases, you might bring fruit fly eggs, and notice the infestation after a few days.
Whatever caused the infestation it’s important to deal with it fast, considering one female fruit fly can lay up to 500 eggs. So, if you want to know the best ways for catching fruit flies, keep on reading.
How to Capture Fruit Flies?
Now that you are familiar with the pests invading your home you might be wondering “How do you trap fruit flies?” The good news is that these tiny insects are easy to capture if you use the right tools.
There are many options on the market, and some DIY solutions you can try.
Keep in mind that you need to be persistent and leave the fruit fly trap longer in case some of the eggs hatch later. Once you are sure all the fruit flies are dead you can remove the traps and clean your home once again.
Here are some of the best ways to catch fruit flies:
Window Fly Traps
If you are looking for an easy solution and a way to catch a fruit fly the window fly traps might be the best solution.
This simple and clear sticky surface will be unnoticeable on your windows and in the kitchen where flies love to hang out and in addition, it will capture all of the flying insects that are bothering you.
The window glue traps are very easy to use and dispose of, so you can be sure there are no pests in your home. Once the trap is filled with bugs simply remove it and stick another one in the same place.
Apple Cider Vinegar and Plastic Wrap
Apple cider vinegar is a time-tested solution to attract unwanted fruit flies in your home. It’s best to use the fruit apple cider vinegar instead of white vinegar because it’s sweeter and will lure more flies.
Simply take a small bowl or a cup and pour some vinegar in, and seal the container with a plastic wrap. Poke a few holes to catch fruit flys and leave the trap on the counter for best results.
Once you see a few bugs captured you can wash the container and repeat the process.
Keep in mind that apple cider might have a pungent smell, and this is one of the reasons why so many people prefer glue traps without any toxins and pesticides.
Sticky Fly Traps
Catching fruit fly and other flying insects is easy when you have the right tools. The best and most effective way to protect yourself indoors and outdoors is to place a few sticky fly traps.
The strong glue on these traps will carch fruit flies and all other bugs that might be flying around such as gnats, mosquitoes, and white flies.
Sticky fly traps are an eco-friendly and non-toxic solution that’s super easy to set up. All you have to do is plant them in the pot or hang them through the loop in places where you notice a lot of insects.
Once you notice the sticky fly trap is full of insects and dust you can replace it with a new one.
Apple Cider Vinegar and Dish Soap
Apple cider vinegar dish soap mixture is one of the homemade fruit fly traps that can help you eliminate pests fast.
To set up this simple trap all you need is a bowl of vinegar and a few drops of dish soap. Keep in mind that you shouldn’t mix the ingredients and place the bowl in a place where fruit flies hang around.
This trap will lure in the insects and drown them as they try to land on the surface because of added dish soap. Once the bowl has a few bugs captured you can clean it and set up the trap once more.
Rotting Fruit and Apple Cider Vinegar
The concept with this trap is the same, to lure the pesky fruit flies into a container such as a bottle or a jar. Considering they love decaying fruit it will attract more bugs, faster. But, keep in mind that you need to dispose of this trap fast, to prevent new infestations in your home.
The best thing you can do when dealing with any kind of pests in your home is to set multiple traps in different locations and increase their efficiency.
Prevent a Future Fruit Fly Infestation
Once you know how to trap fruit flys you should focus more on making your home permanently bug-free and managing the pests efficiently. You can easily do this by following our detailed guide and ensuring you have an immaculate and pest-free home.
Here is what you need to do:
Considering most of the fruit flies come into your home on the products you have purchased in the store, you need to wash them as soon as possible. Go through all products, see if anything is rotten and give it a quick rinse to prevent infestation.
Regular water will do the job just fine, but you can always add a teaspoon of white vinegar to ensure even better efficiency.
If you notice a lot of fruit flies in the section where you plan to purchase fruits and veggies, you might want to reconsider the location. Most of the time, the female fruit flies lay eggs in the surrounding produce so you could potentially bring the bugs with you.
The eggs laid by the fruit flies are very small, so you might notice a problem when the infestation is already severe.
Even if you don’t have an infestation in your home you can place a few sticky traps all around your home and garden. This way you will capture all the flying insects that are bothering you and enjoy a pests-free house in no time.
Flying insects are more active during spring and summer, so it’s a good idea to prevent infestations before they become severe problems.
Most people are capturing fruit flies in the kitchen because this is the most convenient place to find scraps, rotting food, and garbage the flies love. So, if you want to prevent the infestation you need to keep the surfaces clean, throw out old food and garbage, and clean the drains.
In addition, any bottles with just a few drops of liquor, wine, or beer can lure in more fruit flies and begin the cycle all over again.
So, if you want to keep the insects away from your home, clean everything regularly and lower the number of flies with specialized window fly traps.
This might not be the first idea you have once you face an infestation of fruit flies, but it’s a wise way to keep any food residue away. Less rotten food and dirty surfaces mean fewer chances of bug infestation.
Final Thoughts
Pests and flying insects are not pleasant to deal with but with our detailed guide, you know how to trap fruitflies and have that bug-free home you deserve. With the right tools, traps, and advice you can successfully manage an infestation and protect your home from bugs during all seasons.
Keep in mind that using multiple and different traps usually delivers the best results, so make sure to give one of the mentioned methods a try or combine a few traps to get rid of bugs faster.
