The Duct Tape Hack That's Said To Trap Pesky Fruit Flies (And If It Actually Works)

Unfortunately, fruit flies can often go undetected until they're a larger problem in your kitchen and other parts of your home. Known for their tiny brownish-colored bodies, these flies tend to hang out indoors during the late summer and early fall months. Since they can multiply rather quickly, it's important to get a handle on fruit flies as soon as possible. One duct tape hack can help control fruit fly populations to some degree, but it's important to use it as part of an overall management plan rather than your sole solution to get rid of fruit flies once and for all.

While commercial fruit fly traps exist, making your own is easy and likely more affordable. Most homemade traps consist of jars or bottles that have a liquid to lure the flies and are designed in a way to prevent them from escaping. This includes the classic apple cider vinegar and dish soap trap, which features small holes in a plastic lid. Once the flies enter, they may get stuck in the sticky liquid and can no longer fly around your kitchen. In some cases, duct tape can be used alongside a DIY fruit fly trap, or perhaps in lieu of one. The idea behind using duct tape is that the flies might get stuck to the adhesive side of the material, similar to how the insects get stuck in the apple cider vinegar and dish soap trap or on store-bought fly paper. If you have a fruit fly problem, strategically using duct tape around your home could be one (but not the only) way you can get rid of them.

Before you start sticking pieces of duct tape around your home at random, it's first important to be strategic about the placement of this adhesive product. Consider pieces of duct tape near known breeding areas, such as your fruit basket, kitchen trash can, or recycling bins. You may even find that placing the duct tape next to a DIY fruit fly trap might help capture some of the insects on route to the apple cider vinegar you have in a jar. Always place the tape sticky-side up to effectively trap the flies and discard it as often as needed. You might be able to increase the efficacy of duct tape for fruit flies by applying thick honey or sugar water to the surface.

While duct tape might help trap some fruit flies around your kitchen, it should not be your only method of fruit fly control. The best strategy to help reduce these pesky flies is to eliminate spaces where they can feed and lay eggs. This includes ripe fruits and vegetables, as well as liquids such as fruit juices, wine, and soda. To that end, you can decrease the chances of a fruit fly problem by keeping produce in the fridge and not leaving liquids out. Fruit flies are not known to lay eggs on duct tape, so they are unlikely to be drawn to the adhesive substance alone — this is where the addition of honey might help, since fruit flies lay eggs in food. However, using honey to trap pesky flies can arguably create other issues in your home, like attracting other pests.