DIY Easy and Effective Fruit Fly Trap

Wren’s Little Nest
by Wren’s Little Nest
5 Materials
$1
5 Minutes
Easy

Every year around the end of summer for some reason or another it seems that the fruit flies in my home become more and more apparent. Although fruit flies are tiny and for the most part harmless they are not pleasant to have flying around, especially in the kitchen.


Years ago when I was trying to find a natural solution to deal with these tiny things I stumbled upon a diy trap that used apple cider vinegar as bait. Apparently fruit flies love apple cider vinegar, and since I had it on hand I decided to give it a go.


This trap was so successful, I now make it every year when the fruit flies start to make themselves present. Here's how to get rid of fruit flies with a simple trap.

For this project you will need apple cider vinegar, a ziplock bag, a rubber band, a pair of scissors, and some type of jar. I prefer to use an opaque jar for this as its more discrete, but for demonstration purposes I used a mason jar this time.

Begin by cutting of the smallest tip from the corner of the ziplock bag.

Pour the apple cider vinegar into the jar of your choice. I filled mine about 1/3 of the way full. Place the cut corner of the bag into the jar, so that it resembles a funnel.

Flip the bag over the rim of the jar and secure it in place with a rubber band. I like to trim the excess bag around the outside for a neater appearance, but that is completely optional.


The way that the trap works is that the fruit flies will smell the vinegar, fly down through the funnel and once they are in it is extremely difficult for them to find the escape exit again.

A few hours later I went back to check the trap and it was already proving to be successful.


As I mentioned before I prefer to use an opaque jar for this as I leave it out on my kitchen counter by the fruit basket and its not appealing to look at, but it works wonderfully and I’m happy I don’t have to deal with the little flies anymore!


DIY Mason jar ideas

For more creative ways to repurpose empty glass jars, discover Hometalk's best DIY Mason jar crafts here.

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Frequently asked questions
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  • M Jane Olbricht M Jane Olbricht on Aug 29, 2023

    Do you know if this will work on Japanese Beetles. Currently using something very similar specifically made for Japanese Beetles.


  • AZ Stamper AZ Stamper on Aug 29, 2023

    Should the bag touch the liquid?

  • Noreen White Langley Noreen White Langley on Sep 01, 2023

    I saw someone use a Bundt cake pan for a planter. Could you place the jar in the center with real or faux plants to disguise it?

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