Experts swear by apple cider vinegar traps as the best way to get rid of fruit flies. You can also use white vinegar in a pinch. Simply grab a bowl or glass, then fill it up with apple cider vinegar. Cover it up with a plastic wrap, then use a rubber band to secure it to the top of the bowl or glass.
Many fruit flies make themselves at home in moist and hidden areas, such as shower drains, sink drains, garbage disposals, toilets, and more. A great way to kill them is by pouring boiling white vinegar into those areas. You can also use boiling water!
If you don't have any whole fruit or alcohol, fruit juice can work in a pinch to cajole those fruit flies. We have had good results with orange juice. Some fruits, however, might mold if left out too long, so keep that in mind.
If fruit flies aren't going into the vinegar, make sure it's apple cider vinegar you're using in the trap. 'Plain white vinegar does will not attract fruit flies because it has no fruity scent,' says Diane Kuthy. And if it is the right sort of vinegar, don't use it cold.
Vinegar attracts, not repels flies; however, a container with vinegar and dish soap will function as an attractant trap as the vinegar lures flies to enter the trap and the dish soap will cause the flies to sink and die.
Take a jar and fill it 1/2 or 1/3 full of apple cider vinegar. Next, gently mix in a few squirts dish soap (maybe a teaspoon amount) so there are no bubbles. Then, leave it on your counter overnight near where you see them. In the morning there will be drowned fruit flies in the bottom of it!
Not only does hydrogen peroxide work to repel fruit flies, but it can eliminate them and keep them from coming back if used correctly and consistently.
Simply pour some distilled vinegar into a bowl and add a couple drops of dish soap. You can leave the bowl uncovered on your counter or any surface near where you tend to add fruit flies. The flies will be attracted to the vinegar, and the dish soap will cause them to sink so they can't escape.
If the fruit flies (or gnats) are attracted to the trap but are not going in (walking all over the top of the plastic wrap), it means your holes aren't big enough. After a few days the vinegar loses it's drawing power, toss out, wash the bowl and start over again. You'll be surprised at how many you catch!
Bowl and Soap Trap
Fill a microwave-safe bowl with apple cider vinegar and a few drops of dish soap. Microwave the bowl so the mixture becomes even more aromatic. Leave the bowl out uncovered as fruit fly bait. The soap will reduce the surface tension, causing any fruit fly that lands on the surface to drown.
Combine apple cider vinegar and a few drops of dish soap in a wide, shallow bowl and place it on the counter uncovered. The cider will lure the flies into the bowl and the soap will break the surface tension, causing the fruit flies to drown.
Begin your fruit fly battle by pouring just enough cider vinegar to cover the bottom of the jar. Next, add a drop of dish soap. This breaks the surface tension of the vinegar, so the fruit flies won't just float on top of it. Finally, cover the jar with plastic wrap and poke a few holes in the top.
Put a few drops any dishwashing liquid in a small dish of water and place it by the fruit on your counter. Fruit flies are attracted to it and will fly into the water and die. For an extra kick add a little bit of apple cider vinegar.
Fruit flies are looking for some yummy rotting fruit so they can lay their eggs in it, so use rotting fruit to lure them into your trap. Put a few drops of dish soap in the liquid. Mix it in well. Cover tightly with a piece of plastic wrap and poke a few holes in it with the bamboo skewer.
Spray them with rubbing alcohol.
Fill a fine-misting spray bottle with rubbing alcohol, and spray the fruit flies. The alcohol will kill them, and dead fruit flies can be cleaned up easily with a wet rag.
Mix a half cup of salt, half cup of baking soda, and one cup of vinegar, and pour the mixture down the drain. You can follow that with boiling water a few hours later.
Fruit flies especially think vinegar is good—particularly apple cider vinegar, says Hedges. But if you put a cup of apple cider vinegar out on your counter—a common trap tactic—you won't kill the pests. You will only make the problem worse, since fruit flies can actually breed in the cup.
Vinegar (or acetic acid) is the ultimate product of the fermentation process in fruit, which is why fruit flies are attracted to vinegar odor.
Fruit flies aren't super picky. They're attracted to various things, like overripe fruit, rotting food, and anything that smells like fermentation. They are especially drawn to apple cider vinegar and juicy, spoiling fruit scraps like pineapple rinds.
Fruit flies can't stand the smell of basil, peppermint, eucalyptus, lemongrass, lavender and clove. If you've had a fruit fly problem in the past, try placing these fragrant herbs in muslin sacks or tea bags and hanging them around the house.
Contrary to their name, fruit flies will infest any rotting material (not just fruit). They'll find any source of moisture or decaying material, including sponges, mops, or even puddles of water. This type of material is where adult fruit flies lay eggs. Kitchen sink drains commonly foster fruit fly infestations.
To create a DIY fruit fly trap, mix a quarter cup of either apple cider vinegar or white vinegar with a few drops of dish soap. The idea is that the irresistible vinegar attracts the fruit flies, while the soap breaks the vinegar's surface tension and drowns them.