How To Remove Flies In Kitchen: Effective DIY Traps & Prevention

How To Remove Flies In Kitchen is a common concern, and flyermedia.net is here to help. Getting rid of fruit flies can be simple and inexpensive with the right techniques. We’ll explore various DIY fruit fly traps, store-bought solutions, and preventive measures to keep these pests away, ensuring a clean and pleasant kitchen. From understanding fruit fly behavior to utilizing the best lures and traps, you’ll gain the knowledge to effectively eliminate and prevent fruit fly infestations. Explore practical fly control and fly prevention tips on flyermedia.net.

1. What Exactly Are Fruit Flies?

Fruit flies are small, bothersome insects that gravitate toward ripe fruits and certain vegetables, hence their name. They also seek out sugary and fermented drinks like beer, wine, and juice. They can often be found swarming around fruit bowls, garbage cans, and kitchen drains. These pests are about the size of a rice grain and resemble small, tan, or brownish houseflies with distinct red eyes. They are most prevalent during the summer and late fall when many fruits are in season.

Your fruit fly problem may start with just a few bugs that hitch a ride home on a piece of fruit. However, a single female can lay hundreds of eggs in her short lifespan, and these eggs can hatch in as little as 12 hours. The flies can reach adulthood in just a few days, so a small number of pests can quickly turn into a large infestation. Therefore, it’s important to eliminate fruit flies as quickly as possible.

1.1 What Are the Differences Between Fruit Flies, Fungus Gnats, and Drain Flies?

Fruit flies are often confused with other common household pests, especially fungus gnats and drain flies. All three are small flying insects, but correctly identifying them will help you choose the right method for getting rid of them. The easiest way to tell them apart is by where you spot them and what larger insect they resemble.

• Fruit flies look like small flies. They are usually found near fruit bowls, trash cans, or other food sources.
• Drain flies look like small fuzzy moths. They are typically found near sinks and drains.
• Fungus gnats look like small mosquitos. They are usually found near houseplants, as they breed in damp soil.

If you’re unsure, you can try one of the traps described below. If it attracts the pests in your home, you’ve likely got fruit flies.

2. What DIY Fruit Fly Traps Can I Make?

Getting rid of fruit flies doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive. All you need are some household supplies and a little bit of patience. Each trap follows the same basic formula: attract the fruit fly + keep it from escaping. Here are four DIY methods:

1. Funnel Trap
2. Plastic Wrap Trap
3. Dish Soap Trap
4. Rotting Fruit Trap

I’ll share more details about each method below. Keep in mind that some traps work faster than others, and all techniques may take several days to fully eradicate your issue.

4 DIY Fruit Fly Traps Tested On Windowsill

2.1 How Do I Make a Funnel Fruit Fly Trap?

This trap attracts fruit flies into a container through a small hole at the bottom of a homemade paper funnel. The flies find their way in but have difficulty getting back out through the small hole.

Supplies needed:

• Small clear jar, cup, or container, preferably with a small or narrow opening
• Piece of paper or cardstock
• Tape
• Scissors
• Apple cider vinegar (ACV)

Instructions:

1. Choose your container. Find a small (preferably clear) container like an old food jar or plastic soda bottle. For this method, it’s easier if it has a small or narrow opening.
2. Add apple cider vinegar. Pour a little bit of apple cider vinegar, old beer, or wine into the bottom of the container. The smell will attract the fruit flies.
3. Make your funnel. Wrap a small piece of paper or cardstock into a cone shape with a very small opening at the tip. Secure the shape with tape. You can also cut this opening at the end if that’s easier. It only needs to be about the size of a grain of rice.
4. Set your funnel. Place your paper cone into the opening of your container. You may need to reshape your funnel so it’s wide enough to rest on top of the opening of your container without touching the ACV. Make sure it rests firmly against all edges of the opening, so flies can’t escape through any gaps.
5. (Optional) Outdoor ending. Bring the entire contraption outside carefully without moving the funnel (or they’ll all escape before you make it out the door), and then remove the funnel and let them fly away.

You can also try this method with a store-bought funnel. However, you may find that the opening at the bottom of store-bought funnels is too large and allows too many fruit flies to escape your trap.

2.2 How Do I Make a Plastic Wrap Fruit Fly Trap?

This trap attracts fruit flies with the scent of apple cider vinegar. They enter the trap through small holes in the plastic-wrapped top but have trouble finding their way back out.

Supplies needed:

• Small clear jar, cup, or container
• Rubber band
• Plastic wrap or plastic bag
• Toothpick
• Apple cider vinegar (ACV)

DIY Fruit Fly Trap With Apple Cider Vinegar And Plastic

Instructions:

1. Choose your container. Find a small clear jar, cup, or other glass container. Just about anything works, and it doesn’t need to be large. Using something clear makes it easier to see the flies you’re trapping, but an old soda or beer can works too.
2. Add apple cider vinegar. Pour apple cider vinegar into your container. The scent will attract the flies. Old beer or wine also works, but not regular white vinegar.
3. Cover with plastic. Wrap the opening tightly with plastic wrap and secure it with a rubber band. Saran wrap works, but you can also cut scraps from a plastic bag.
4. Poke small holes. Use a toothpick to poke a few small holes in the top of the plastic. You don’t need a lot, but make sure they are big enough for a fly to fit through.
5. (Optional) Outdoor ending. Bring the entire contraption outside carefully without removing the plastic wrap cover (or they’ll all escape before you make it out the door), and then remove the wrap and let them fly away.

This technique can also be done by poking a hole in the lid of a metal jar. You can use a mason jar or old food jar for this. Use a hammer and nail to puncture the top.

2.3 How Do I Make a Dish Soap Fruit Fly Trap?

Unlike the previous two methods, this fruit fly trap doesn’t require making any covers. Instead, it relies on a soapy surface to keep these pests from flying away. Note: this one doesn’t allow you to set them free outside, as they get coated in the soap.

Supplies needed:

• Small container, bowl, or dish
• Dish soap
• Apple cider vinegar (ACV)

Instructions:

• Put out some apple cider vinegar. Like the other traps, fill the bottom of a small container, bowl, or dish with apple cider vinegar. This scent will attract the fruit flies.
• Add dish soap & mix. Squirt several drops of dish soap into the ACV and mix to create a soapy solution. Flies will land on the mixture but then find it difficult to fly away.

This technique can also be combined with the plastic wrap and funnel methods. Just add some dish soap to the apple cider vinegar before you cover the top. This introduces another way the flies can get stuck in your contraption.

2.4 How Do I Make a Rotting Fruit Trap?

We also tested out some of these traps where we swapped out apple cider vinegar for what fruit flies love most: actual fruit.

Fruit Fly Entering Plastic Wrap On DIY Trap

Supplies needed:

• Small glass jar, cup, or container
• Plastic wrap or paper funnel, depending on your chosen trap mechanism
• A small fruit scrap like a banana peel or apple slice

Instructions:

To create a rotting fruit trap, just substitute apple cider vinegar for a piece of banana peel, apple slice, or peach in either the Plastic Wrap or Funnel trap. You can also add this fruit scrap to your ACV as well. Just be prepared to swap out your fruit scrap every day or two so you don’t introduce unwanted smells to your kitchen.

3. What Is The Best Fruit Fly Trap?

The best fruit fly trap varies depending on the specific situation and available resources. DIY traps using items like apple cider vinegar, dish soap, and plastic wrap can be highly effective and inexpensive. Store-bought traps are also a convenient option, especially for those who prefer a more discreet solution. Ultimately, the best approach is to experiment with different methods and determine what works best for your particular infestation.

The four homemade traps we tested were a combination of techniques:

1. Plastic Wrap Trap with banana peel
2. Funnel Trap with ACV + banana peel
3. Plastic Wrap Trap with ACV + soap
4. Dish Soap Trap with ACV

For us, the clear winner was less about what type of trap we used and more about the lure. Anything with banana peel performed MUCH better than apple cider vinegar. Our two Plastic Wrap Traps were nearly identical, but the one with the banana peel dramatically outperformed the one with the ACV + soap. Maybe ACV is less enticing when there’s real fruit nearby?

So our suggestion would be – no matter what trap you set up – add a fruit scrap to it. We had a slight preference for the plastic wrap trap because it was easier to make and less prone to disruption.

4. What Attracts Fruit Flies Best?

Fruit flies are most attracted to ripe, rotting, or fermented fruits and vegetables. The sweet and often pungent odors emitted by these items serve as powerful attractants. Therefore, using overripe fruit, fruit peels, or fruit-based liquids like apple cider vinegar can be highly effective in luring fruit flies into traps.

Since we had such good luck using fruit scraps, we wanted to test which kind of fruit was the best bait. We used three fruits we already had on hand: a banana peel, apple slices, and a strawberry. We put each in a Plastic Wrap Trap side-by-side on our countertop for 24 hours.

Fruit Fly Traps With Different Rotten Fruit Baits

Although the banana peel started off strong (it was the most rotten at the beginning), the fruit flies ended up being the most attracted to the strawberry. The banana peel still snagged several flies, but the longer the strawberry rotted, the more flies it caught. The apple slices didn’t catch a single one.

5. Are Store-Bought Fruit Fly Traps Effective?

If you’re not having any luck with these DIY solutions or don’t have the time or materials to make them, there are premade traps you can buy instead. All have thousands of positive reviews and cost less than $20. They might be worth considering if you want something that catches other types of flying insects, or if you want something more discreet than a DIY trap.

During our little experiment, I picked up a pack of Terro Traps to see if they performed better than my homemade methods. I left one out for 24 hours next to our banana & strawberry traps to see which of the three performed best.

Terro Fruit Fly Apple Trap With No Fruit Flies In It

Once again, our homemade strawberry trap did best, followed closely by the homemade banana peel trap. The store-bought trap caught only one. HOWEVER…

Just to be sure, we discarded both of our DIY traps and left the store-bought trap out for another 24 hours. That’s when it caught the collection you see above. So it definitely worked, just not as well or as fast as our homemade traps did. Our verdict? Use store-bought traps if you want something more discreet looking, especially if you plan to leave it out indefinitely… but there is nothing bad about the homemade ones.

6. How Can I Prevent Fruit Flies From Invading My Kitchen?

Preventing fruit flies involves maintaining a clean and sanitary kitchen environment, eliminating potential breeding sites, and taking proactive measures to keep these pests away. Regularly cleaning surfaces, properly storing food, and managing waste are crucial steps in preventing fruit fly infestations.

Getting rid of fruit flies is pretty simple, but the best-case scenario is to stop them from invading in the first place. Here are some simple ways you can prevent fruit flies from taking up residence in your home.

1. Clean kitchen surfaces. Wipe down kitchen counters, stovetops, tables, and any other surfaces that may collect food residue or spilled liquids. Fruit flies are especially attracted to fruit, sweet juices, and alcohol so don’t let those sit.
2. Take out your trash. Leaving food scraps in your garbage overnight can quickly turn your trash can into a fruit fly breeding ground.
3. Dispose of overripe fruit. Monitor your fruit bowl for browning or rotting apples, bananas, etc so you can get rid of them before they become a problem.
4. Wash your fruit as soon as you get it home. You can eliminate eggs or larvae that might come home from the store by washing produce right away (except for berries, which could rot faster from the moisture).
5. Store produce in the fridge when possible. Fruit flies won’t flourish in the cold, so when in doubt, try storing your fruit and vegetables in the refrigerator.
6. Clean your sink drain. Food scraps left in your drain can also attract fruit flies, so make sure you run your garbage disposal and/or flush the drain regularly.

7. What Are Some Additional Tips For Eliminating Fruit Flies in the Kitchen?

Besides using traps and preventive measures, several additional tips can help you effectively eliminate fruit flies in the kitchen. Identifying and eliminating breeding sites, maintaining good sanitation practices, and using natural repellents can all contribute to a fruit fly-free environment.

Lastly, don’t panic when you spot fruit flies in your home. Yes, you want to take action quickly to prevent the problem from getting worse. But the solutions in this post are easy, effective, and fast-acting.

8. How Long Does It Take To Get Rid of a Fruit Fly Infestation?

The time it takes to get rid of a fruit fly infestation varies depending on the severity of the problem and the methods used. With consistent effort and effective strategies, you can often eliminate a minor infestation within a week. However, larger or more established infestations may take longer to resolve, requiring a combination of traps, cleaning, and preventive measures to fully eradicate the pests.

9. Are There Any Natural Repellents That Can Help Keep Fruit Flies Away?

Yes, several natural repellents can help keep fruit flies away. Certain essential oils, such as peppermint, eucalyptus, and lavender, have been shown to repel fruit flies due to their strong scents. Placing cotton balls soaked in these oils around the kitchen or using a diffuser can help deter fruit flies. Additionally, herbs like basil, mint, and rosemary can also act as natural repellents.

10. When Should I Call a Professional Pest Control Service for Fruit Flies?

In most cases, fruit fly infestations can be managed effectively with DIY methods and preventive measures. However, if you have tried various strategies and the infestation persists or becomes overwhelming, it may be time to call a professional pest control service. Pest control professionals have the expertise and tools to identify the source of the infestation, implement targeted treatments, and provide long-term solutions to keep fruit flies away. This is especially important if the infestation is in a commercial setting or poses a health risk.

FAQ: How To Remove Flies In Kitchen

Here are some frequently asked questions about how to remove flies in kitchen:

1. What attracts fruit flies to my kitchen?

Fruit flies are attracted to ripe, rotting, or fermented fruits and vegetables, as well as sugary liquids and spills.

2. How can I identify a fruit fly infestation?

You’ll likely see small flies swarming around fruit bowls, garbage cans, and sink drains.

3. Are fruit flies harmful?

Fruit flies are generally considered a nuisance and don’t bite or transmit diseases, but they can contaminate food.

4. What’s the best DIY fruit fly trap?

A plastic wrap trap with a piece of rotting strawberry has proven very effective.

5. How do I make a plastic wrap fruit fly trap?

Cover a jar with apple cider vinegar and a piece of fruit, cover it with plastic wrap, poke small holes, and secure it with a rubber band.

6. Are store-bought fruit fly traps effective?

Yes, but homemade traps often work faster.

7. How can I prevent fruit flies in my kitchen?

Keep surfaces clean, dispose of overripe fruit, take out trash regularly, and clean sink drains.

8. Do essential oils repel fruit flies?

Yes, peppermint, eucalyptus, and lavender can act as natural repellents.

9. How long does it take to eliminate a fruit fly infestation?

With consistent effort, a minor infestation can be resolved within a week.

10. When should I call a pest control service?

If the infestation is severe or persistent despite your efforts, it’s time to call a professional.

Remember, flyermedia.net is your go-to source for information on all things aviation. While dealing with kitchen pests may not seem directly related, maintaining a clean and organized environment is essential in all aspects of life, including aviation.

Explore flyermedia.net for more aviation news, pilot training information, and career opportunities in the USA. Contact us at Address: 600 S Clyde Morris Blvd, Daytona Beach, FL 32114, United States. Phone: +1 (386) 226-6000. Visit our Website: flyermedia.net to learn more and take your first step toward an exciting career in aviation.