Fruit flies are pests that can overtake your kitchen and other rooms in your home. Read our step-by-step guide on how to create a fruit fly trap to keep them out of your space.

Fruit flies are small gnats that can quickly gather in your kitchen and typically appear in summer months. They’re attracted to overripe fruit, plant material, and other foods and can quickly become a nuisance. One of the best ways to keep fruit flies under control, or eliminate them entirely, is to put fruit fly traps in your kitchen. 

Learn how to make fruit fly traps with do-it-yourself (DIY) methods in our guide below, which includes tips on which materials make the best attractants, which materials make the best trapping elements, and where you can buy premade gnat traps.

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Causes of Fruit Fly Infestations

Fruit flies love warm weather and are most pervasive in the summer and fall. Read about some of the most common causes of fruit fly infestations below.

• Dirty sink or garbage disposal: Fruit flies love anything fermenting or slightly rotting. Food that lingers around your sink, drain, or garbage disposal’s flaps will attract fruit flies.
• Full trash cans: The smells generated by food, produce trimmings, and packages attract fruit flies. Be sure to empty your trash cans regularly and tightly shut the top of the bin.
• More overripe produce: Spring, summer, and fall diets include more fruit, and ripening fruit releases smells that attract fruit flies. Flies eat the surface of the fruit and also lay eggs there.
• Warm interior temperatures: Summery weather attracts fruit flies, which prefer an interior temperature of about 85° Fahrenheit.

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DIY Fruit Fly Trap Methods

Fruit flies lay eggs quickly and have a life cycle of about 50 days. Your best bet for eliminating them is to trap them and prevent reproduction as soon as you see them. 

You don’t need harsh chemicals or expensive traps to kill fruit flies. Instead, homeowners can make and use different DIY (and child- and pet-safe) fruit fly traps to eliminate pests. Experiment with the traps below until you find the most effective option. 

Method 1: Apple Cider Vinegar and Liquid Soap Trap

This trap is one of the easiest to construct and is especially popular and effective. It features ingredients and tools you probably already have at home.

Materials

• Apple cider vinegar
• Dish soap
• Mason jar, cup, or bowl
• Plastic wrap
• Rubberband

Follow these steps to make a trap:

1. Pour enough apple cider vinegar into the container to cover the bottom, or approximately 1/8 cup. The vinegar’s sweet smell will attract fruit flies. Some versions of this trap use yeast instead.
2. Add a drop of dish soap and mix the two together. The dish soap breaks the surface tension, so fruit flies will fall into the mixture. They won’t be able to fly out.
3. Cover the jar with plastic wrap, secure it with a rubber band, and poke holes with a pen or fork. The holes will allow fruit flies in.
4. Set the jar near an infestation site. Make multiple traps for your fruit bowl, trash can, sink, and kitchen table.  

Continue to use the traps until your infestation is gone. Double your efforts by cleaning your kitchen surfaces thoroughly, sanitizing your garbage disposal, and getting a trash can that shuts tightly.

Method 2: Plastic Bottle Trap

Use a plastic bottle for a more disposable and versatile trap. 

Materials

• Food sources, such as beer, sugar water, apple cider vinegar, or fruit juice
• Hole punch
• Marker
• Plastic bottle
• Scissors
• Wire or string

Follow these steps to make your traps:

1. Draw a ring around the bottle approximately one-third of the way down or right above the bottle’s label. Cut along the line until you have two separate parts.
2. Add your choice of bait to the bottom of the larger piece of the bottle. This can include fruit juice, bits of fruit, or anything that smells sweet and fruity. If you add liquid, couple it with a drop of dish soap to reduce the surface tension and trap the fruit flies more effectively.
3. Flip the top portion of the bottle upside down and remove the lid. Wedge it into the open trap to have a funnel into which fruit flies can travel. Flies will get in through the small opening, but they will struggle to get out.
4. Punch holes into the top walls of the trap where the two bottle halves overlap. Run string or wire across the holes and tie the ends in place. Hang the traps on a hook, handle, or faucet.

These traps work indoors or outdoors and are successful in grilling areas. 

Method 3: Paper Cone and Jar Trap

This trap aims to attract pests, force them through a small opening, and keep them contained in the trap. 

Materials

• Apple cider vinegar
• Dish soap
• Jar
• Paper, such as an 8.5-by-11-inch sheet

Follow the steps below to create a DIY trap from which fruit flies can’t escape: 

1. Add enough apple cider vinegar to fill the jar’s bottle, and add a drop of dish soap to create a slippery liquid from which flies can’t escape.
2. Roll the sheet of paper into a cone shape with a small hole at one end. Place it small side down into the jar. It will unfurl slightly to match the circumference of the jar. 
3. Put the cup of apple cider vinegar near an infestation site. Add multiple traps to eliminate the flies all at once.

Fruit flies will start flying into the trap within a few hours or a day and get stuck in the liquid. Pour boiling water down the sink’s drain to eliminate eggs and drain flies.

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Testing Criteria for DIY Fruit Fly Traps

The traps use the same principles of baiting the flies with fruity-smelling traps and then containing them within a bottle or jar they can’t escape. The traps are each slightly different, though, and might produce different results.

To find the best trap for you, try two different traps and set them next to each other. Monitor the traps and see which one attracts more flies and contains the most dead flies within 48 hours. Once you know which one works best, add more throughout the area.

DIY fruit fly traps containing apple cider vinegar can last up to 30 days before they need to be replaced. Traps containing other types of bait, such as beer or fruit, should be replaced more frequently.

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Purchasing Fruit Fly Traps

If you don’t want to make DIY fruit fly traps, you can purchase traps at Amazon or home improvement stores. Some fruit fly traps contain harsh ingredients, which may be dangerous to pets and children. They can be more effective and can last longer because they feature synthetic bait.

If your fruit fly traps aren’t working, you may have an infestation of drain flies. If that’s the case, purchase insecticides and cleaners that target drain flies and their eggs or contact a pest control company.

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Our Conclusion

Fruit flies are annoying pests that are tough to eliminate with cleaning methods alone. Creating and setting fruit fly traps will help you solve your fruit fly problem before the flies lay more eggs. The quicker you act, the smaller the infestation will be.

Start with simple DIY traps that use apple cider vinegar. If those don’t work, consider buying store-bought traps or look into the possibility that you’re dealing with a different kind of infestation.

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FAQ About DIY Fruit Fly Traps

What is the best homemade fruit fly trap?

The best homemade fruit fly trap is a mix of apple cider vinegar and a drop of dish soap. This creates a slippery bait that fruit flies can’t escape. Place the mix in a container and make a small opening at the top.

What is the fastest way to get rid of fruit flies DIY?

The fastest way to eliminate fruit flies DIY is to use multiple traps while thoroughly cleaning your kitchen. Scrub away fruit scraps, spills, and food that might attract the flies. This will eliminate the flies’ food supply and drive them toward the traps.

What is the best bait for a fruit fly trap?

A fruity, sweet-smelling liquid is the best bait for a fruit fly trap. Apple cider vinegar is popular, but you can also use red wine, juice, or sugar water. Add a bit of soap to the liquid to make it slippery, preventing flies from escaping.

Are fruit fly traps just vinegar?

Fruit fly traps are not just vinegar. They also need a drop of dish soap to break the surface tension.

Can I use bleach to kill fruit flies?

You can use bleach to kill fruit flies, but we don’t recommend it. Bleach will only kill adult flies, not eggs. It can also be hazardous to use in a kitchen or bathroom. We recommend using traps and gentler cleaning agents.

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