Fruit flies are annoying, but once you find where they’re coming from they’re easy to beat.
Quick answer Find and remove where they breed: overripe produce, the trash and recycling bins, sticky spills, damp mops and rags, and gunky drains. Then catch the leftover adults with a cider-vinegar trap: a little vinegar, a drop of dish soap, and plastic wrap with small holes poked in it.
Tools & materials
- Apple cider vinegar
- Dish soap
- Small jar or glass, plastic wrap, rubber band
- Stiff drain brush
- Clear plastic bag or wrap (to test drains)
Steps
- Refrigerate ripe fruit, or toss anything overripe or damaged. Check potatoes and onions for a soft one.
- Empty and rinse the trash, compost and recycling (bottles and cans especially). Wipe up spills under appliances.
- Wash or replace damp mops, sponges and rags.
- Test the drains: tape clear plastic over each drain overnight. Flies stuck underneath in the morning mean that drain is a breeding spot.
- Scrub the inside of that drain with a stiff brush, then flush with hot water to clear the film they breed in.
- Trap the adults: pour about 1/2 inch of cider vinegar in a jar with a drop of dish soap. Cover with plastic wrap, poke a few small holes, and set it where they gather. Empty and refresh it every few days.
- Keep at it for a week or two. The point is to break their breeding cycle.
Bug spray won’t solve this. As long as the breeding spot is there, new flies keep hatching.
