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There is nothing grosser than going to take a piece of fruit only to discover your fruit bowl is covered in flies, but there is a very easy way to keep these pests away from your kitchen.
Fruit flies are more common in the summer as they thrive in warm weather and this time of year there tends to be more ripening fruit in homes to attract them.
However, rather than reaching for a chemical-filled spray, there is a simple and natural way to get rid of fruit flies that will only take you five minutes.
Jennifer Howard, a household expert and founder of Cottage on Bunker Hill, has shared that the best way to kill fruit flies is by making a homemade trap out of apple cider vinegar and dish soap.
She said: “The fruit flies will be attracted to the vinegar, enter through the holes, and get trapped.”
It may seem strange but fruit flies are attracted to sweet and fermented smells such as apple cider vinegar as it mimics the scent of rotting fruit which is their main food source.
Normally, fruit flies can stand on top of the surface of liquid but adding dish soap to apple cider vinegar reduces the surface tension and will cause the fruit flies to drown.
How to make a homemade fruit fly trap
You will need:
- Dish soap
- Apply cider vinegar
- Glass mason jar
- Clingfilm
- Elastic band
- Toothpick
- Overripe banana or wine (alternative method)
Method
Fill a small glass jar with apple cider vinegar and then add a few drops of dish soap to the solution.
Cover the container with plastic clingfilm and secure it with a rubber elastic band.
Poke several tiny holes in the plastic wrap using a toothpick, then leave the jar near a window or fruit bowl to kill any pesky fruit flies.
If you do not have any apple cider vinegar in your kitchen you can also use an overripe piece of fruit such as a banana or peach to place in the jar as the fruit flies will also be attracted to the rotting sugary food.
Any leftover wine can also be used as an alternative as fruit flies love it as well.
Jennifer said: “That’s it! It’s a good idea to make a couple of bowls of the DIY fruit fly trap and place them around your kitchen to catch as many of the flies as you can”
