How to Trap and Get Rid of Fruit Flies

If you have fruit flies in your kitchen, the fastest homemade solution is a simple mixture of apple cider vinegar and one or two drops of dish soap. 

The vinegar attracts the fruit flies, while the dish soap breaks the surface tension so they sink instead of escaping. Most people begin seeing results within a few hours.

No chemicals. No special equipment. Just a quick fix that actually works.

The Best Homemade Fruit Fly Trap (Works in Hours)

Those pesky little buggers can often be brought into your home on the vegetables and fruit you buy. You don't have to put up with the annoyance. This homemade fruit fly trap is one I have been using for many years, and it works every time.

How to Get Rid of Fruit Flies Fast

• Pour 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar into a small bowl.
• Add 1–2 drops of dish soap (don’t stir).
• Leave it where you see fruit flies. The vinegar attracts them, and the soap traps them so they can’t escape.

Here's Why This Homemade Solution is the best. 

• Simple Ingredients. You have the ingredients in your kitchen now.  You need apple cider vinegar and a mild dishwashing liquid.
• It's non-toxic. It's a healthy, family-friendly solution.
• It works quickly because fruit flies are attracted to apple cider vinegar.  Then the soap in the solution traps the flies.

How This Fruit Fly Trap Works

Fruit flies are naturally attracted to the smell of fermenting fruit. Apple cider vinegar smells similar to overripe fruit, making it an excellent bait.

Normally, fruit flies can land on liquid and fly away. A drop or two of dish soap changes the surface tension of the vinegar so the flies sink instead of standing on the surface.

This simple combination is why the trap works so much better than vinegar alone.

The Fruit Fly Trap Results Speak for Themselves

One-Hour Results: 

Here's what my fruit fly trap looked like at my house after an hour.

Fruit Fly Trap After One Hour

The 12-Hour Results:

But wait!  It gets better.  

The next morning, my fruit fly trap had accumulated nearly all of the fruit flies. The reason this works so well is that the apple cider attracts the fruit flies, and the squirt of dish soap traps them so they can't fly away.

It's best not to use a highly scented dish detergent.  You want the fruit flies to seek out the apple cider. You don't want the scent of your soap to interfere with that.

Fruit Fly Trap After Twelve Hours

Remember to refresh your trap each day until your fruit fly problem is completely resolved.

You may need to repeat the process because fruit flies have a life cycle that may be several weeks long. The females lay as many as one hundred eggs a day and up to two thousand eggs in their lifetime.

If you’ve ever battled fruit flies, you know how satisfying it is to see them disappear this quickly.

What to Do if This Fruit Fly Trap Doesn't Work?

Assess your process.

1. Use less dish soap. Only use one or two drops. Adding more doesn't make the trap work better. In fact, a heavily scented soap can mask the smell of the vinegar and reduce the trap's effectiveness.

2. Use less fragrant dish soap. The flies need to smell the cider vinegar.

3. Make sure you are using apple cider vinegar.

4. Are you sure you have fruit flies?  There are little flies that resemble fruit flies called fungus gnats.  They reproduce in the soil around your house plants and are not attracted to this fruit fly trap solution.

Fruit Flies vs. Fungus Gnats

A surprising number of people mistake fungus gnats for fruit flies.  Here'show they differ:

Fruit flies:

• attracted to fruit
• attracted to vinegar
• gather near kitchens

Fungus gnats:

• live in houseplant soil
• ignore vinegar traps
• need a different treatment

What Attracts Fruit Flies?

While you can have fruit flies in your home any time of year, you may notice them most often in late summer or fall when you have an abundance of fresh fruit from local farmstands or your own garden.

According to the University of Kentucky's entomology department, those pesky bugs are attracted to the bounty of fruits and vegetables you may have on your kitchen counters.

They may also be attracted to your trash bin or drains if you have deposited parts of your fruits and vegetables there.

How to Keep Fruit Flies from Coming Back

Catching fruit flies is only half the battle. The little trap works great, but if you don't remove what's attracting them, new fruit flies will soon take their place.

Over the years, I've found that a few simple habits make all the difference.

Store Overripe Fruit Properly

Fruit flies are attracted to ripe and overripe fruits and vegetables. If bananas, peaches, tomatoes, or other produce are starting to get soft, use them quickly or move them to the refrigerator. 

Don't leave them sitting on the counter any longer than necessary.

Empty the Kitchen Trash Regularly

A banana peel, melon rind, or a few vegetable scraps in the trash can attract fruit flies surprisingly fast, especially during warm weather. 

Taking the trash out regularly helps eliminate one of their favorite breeding spots.

Keep Your Sink Drain Clean

Tiny bits of food can collect inside the kitchen drain and create the perfect environment for fruit flies. I make it a habit to flush my drain with very hot water every week to help wash away food residue before it becomes a problem.

Wipe Up Sticky Spills

A few drops of juice around the coffee maker or a sticky spot under the fruit bowl may not seem like much, but fruit flies can find them quickly. Wiping down countertops and cleaning up spills right away helps keep your kitchen less inviting to unwanted visitors.

Check Your Potatoes and Onions

One thing many people overlook is the potato and onion basket. If a potato or onion begins to spoil, it can attract fruit flies before you even realize there's a problem. I check mine every few days and remove anything that's starting to go bad.

A Little Prevention Goes a Long Way

This simple fruit fly trap is a handy solution when needed, but the real secret is preventing fruit flies from finding a reason to move into your kitchen in the first place.

By combining this easy trap with a few good kitchen habits, I rarely have fruit fly problems anymore.

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