How To Trap Fruit Flies With An Overlooked Solution From Your Pantry
Keeping fruit and vegetables free from fruit flies can be a real pain, especially during the warmer months. Fruit flies, scientifically known as Drosophila Melanogaster, are attracted to overripe and rotting fruit. You've probably noticed these small brown flies in your kitchen if you've kept some fruit or vegetables in your pantry for a little too long. The flies reproduce extremely quickly, and they lay hundreds of eggs at a time, which hatch in less than 24 hours and turn into fruit flies in a matter of days. But, did you know that there's an easy solution to get rid of fruit flies once and for all, which involves using apple cider vinegar for a cleaner home? It's a simple homemade mixture of apple cider vinegar and a few drops of standard dish soap.
All you're going to need for this easy DIY is an old mason jar with the lid, a hammer and nail, 1/4 cup of apple cider vinegar, and a squeeze of liquid dish soap. Fruit flies are tricky to exterminate on the spot as they are extremely small, so using a mixture like this to catch them will effectively get rid of them over the space of a few days.
How to best use this mixture to trap fruit flies
First, grab your mason jar -– a great way to reuse an old glass jar around the house — and then, using a hammer and a nail, punch some small holes into the lid. You'll be surprised how small these holes can be for the fruit flies to enter. Fill the jar with 1/4 cup of apple cider vinegar and a few drops of liquid dish soap. Leave next to your fruit bowl for a few days and discover a jar full of deceased fruit flies. This also makes for a discreet and contained trap, which is nicer to display in your kitchen or pantry.
You may be wondering if you can substitute apple cider vinegar with regular white or malt vinegar, as you are more likely to already have one of those in the cupboard, but the answer is no. The reason why apple cider vinegar is the key ingredient is because the scent is particularly sweet and strong, which is ultimately what attracts the fruit flies in the first place.