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Say goodbye to fruit flies with this easy and non-toxic tried and true method!
Homemade Fruit Fly Trap
I hate fruit flies. They are such pests! They have to be one of the most annoying insects because they multiply and can be hard to eradicate.
When a bout of these pesky bugs pop up, I immediately make a fruit fly trap, and within a few hours, they are all gone. I’m sharing my go-to trap in case you also need quick, easy, and natural pest control.
Ingredients
PREP TIME: 4 minutes
- 16-ounce jar – I used a pint-size mason jar with a regular mouth opening, but any similarly sized jar will work like a clean empty jam, spaghetti sauce, or pickle jar.
- 1 cup apple cider vinegar – you can also use fruit juice, honey water, or make a mixture of yeast, sugar & water.
- 3 drops liquid dish soap – any brand or scent
- 8.5 x 11-inch piece of paper – I used white copy paper, but any type of paper that is similar in size will work. If you have a funnel with a wider tip, that may work as well.
- tape – or a stapler to secure the cone shape of the paper
How to Make a Fruit Fly Trap
- CONE. Create a cone with 1 piece of 8.5×11 paper, making it smaller at the base and wider up top.
- Make sure it’s wide enough that the paper sits about halfway in the (16-ounce) mason jar. Tape the paper so it stays in a cone shape.
- MIXTURE. Remove the cone from the jar and add about 1 cup of apple cider vinegar. Squeeze about 3 drops of dish soap into the jar and stir to mix.
- Microwave the jar for about 20-30 seconds. This will make the smell of the mixture more potent, drawing the flies in more quickly.
- ASSEMBLE. Add the cone and place it in a spot where the fruit flies have been.
Alternative Method
The paper cone method is my favorite and I have great results. I have also seen people successfully poke holes in the lid of the jar and screw the lid on. Another idea is to secure a piece of plastic wrap on the top of the jar with a rubber band, then poke a few tiny holes in it.
For More Tutorials
- How to Ripen Bananas
- How to Store Strawberries
- How to Freeze Eggs
- How to Measure Flour
- How to Soften Butter Quickly
- How to Cook Pasta
More collections: Kitchen Tips, Cakes with Fruit, Cobbler Recipes
DIY Fruit Fly Trap {Gnat Trap}
This DIY fruit fly trap literally takes 2 minutes to put together and works AWESOME! Say goodbye to fruit flies!
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 (16-ounce) mason jar or any similar sized glass jar
- 1 cup apple cider vinegar
- 3 drops liquid dish soap
- 1 piece paper 8.5×11
- tape
Instructions
- Create a cone with 1 piece of 8.5×11 paper, making it smaller at the base and wider up top.
- Make sure it's wide enough that the paper sits about halfway in the (16-ounce) mason jar. Tape the paper so it stays in a cone shape.
- Remove the cone from the jar and add about 1 cup of apple cider vinegar. Squeeze about 3 drops of dish soap into the jar and stir to mix.
- Microwave the jar for about 20-30 seconds. This will make the smell of the mixture more potent, drawing the flies in more quickly.
- Add the cone and place it in a spot where the fruit flies have been.
Video
Notes
To clean out the jar after you’ve caught fruit flies:
- Take the jar outside before removing the cone, that way any insects that may still be able to fly won’t escape back into your house.
- I usually pour the contents into the rocks I have outside and then spray it with the hose. You can also pour the contents down the drain.
- Either way, rinse the empty jar with hot soapy water.
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
FAQs
How does this DIY Fruit Fly Trap Work so well?
- The apple cider vinegar attracts the fruit flies towards the scent and the dish soap’s purpose is to break the surface tension of the vinegar so the flies can’t sit on top of the liquid.
- The inverted cone made out of paper is what traps them because the wide top and small bottom make it easy for the flies to enter the jar, and harder for them to get back out once they’re in!
- Since they can’t get out, and they can’t sit on the surface of the liquid, it’s only a matter of time before they meet their end. (Unfortunate for them, but a victory for us and our fruit!)
How to Avoid Fruit Flies?
- Throw out overripe or rotting fruit in the trash, or compost it.
- Take out the garbage regularly.
- Keep your sink and garbage disposal clear.
- Store ripe fruits and vegetables in the fridge instead of a fruit bowl.
- Fruit flies don’t like fresh basil so keep a fresh basil plant in the kitchen or place fresh basil leaves around the fruit basket.
- Plants that can be kept in your kitchen that repel flies, fungus gnats, and even mosquitoes are rosemary, mint, sage, catnip, and lavender.
Do I Have to Kill the Flies?
- There is a way to catch and release. Instead of using vinegar and a bit of dish soap, place overripe fruit in the jar and top with the paper cone. A few flies may be able to find their way back through the cone, but most will stay in the jar. You can then release them outside.
Why Isn’t My Apple Cider Fruit Fly Trap Working?
- If the flies are attracted to the trap but aren’t getting stuck inside, try adjusting the size of the cone. If the tip is too small they may not go all the way down inside. If the tip is too large, they can more easily escape.
Brilliant! I’ve tried traps without the cone and without the dish detergent, but this combination is the one that works. Heating the jar a little also seemed to draw them immediately. 12 hours later with three strategically placed traps, there are very few fruit flies left after a major infestation. I’ll keep the traps out for a while longer to make sure they’re all gone. Thanks for these directions!
You’re welcome! Glad to hear they helped!
This works!! I was able to rid my kitchen of these annoying pesks. Give it a try!
Yay! So glad to hear it worked for you.
This works every time!! It’s the only thing I do to trap fruit flies!! It’s the easiest thing to make & I am always amazed at how many flies are in the jar!
This fruit fly trap is the best! My kids are always leaving fruit out on the counter (especially the cutie oranges) and I’m not always home to put them away in the fridge so they’re out of the reach of the gnats. I wish my kids could just put away their food like I ask them to but this “trap” has been a lifesaver and takes care of that so I don’t come home to a swarming mess!
What a super creative way to keep these annoying critters out of my kitchen!!
It took me a few tries to get the paper cone the right shape for it to hold in place with a hole just the right size. The content inside certainly did attract them.
Great ideas here!
Thank you so much!
Oh man! These things are SO annoying! Thanks for an easy solution.
Thank you!! We usEd to do this at the bar i worked at. I just could rem exactly what we mixed in it. This works like a charm. I know we used wine and i think Dishsoap. But this is per for home!!!! A thousamd thank yous for sharing! ?
You are so welcome!!
I just wanted to say thank you for sharing this! We had been going crazy with Fruit flies for weeks. I put the jar out yesterday morning and by the evening there were about 50 in there. So gross but so satisfying 🙂 I cleaned it out this morning and replaced the liquid and have caught a few stragglers. Our kitchen feels so much nicer and my husband is amazed at the results. Thank you so much!!!
You are so welcome!! Those are annoying little things! I am glad it helped!
Omg this worked!!! I’ve tried using other methods but this caught like fifty flies in one day. I didn’t even know I had that many in my home yuck! Instead of apple cider vinegar I used kombucha with dish soap and it worked so well. I’m so impressed, thanks so much for sharing!!!
Thanks for sharing that! I haven’t tried using that..I will need to! I am glad it worked!
it caught a fruit fly before i could even put the cone on it.
Yay!! Glad it worked before you could even finish 🙂
This worked very well for me. I did exactly as you said and even 24 hours later the fruit flies are still piling up. I think using the paper cone and microwaving for aroma were key, because when I just had ACV/dish soap in bowls it wasn’t nearly as effective. Thank you for the tip!
You are so welcome!! I am happy it worked 🙂
The paper cone worked a little bit. but mostly the little buggers just sat on the outside of the paper cone. I switch the top to plastic and poked holes in with a toothpick and that did the trick …they are all out of my kitchen within an hour.
I’m glad you found a way to get them! 🙂 Thanks for sharing!
I just put one of these together and have already netted around a dozen flies in under 10 minutes! A shortcut: If you’re ridiculously bad at paper-crafting (like I am – I tried for 10 minutes to make a cone that would fit the jar I was using), use a coffee filter and just snip a small hole in the bottom.
🙂
So, glad it is working 🙂 Love this stuff! Thanks for sharing!
Love this fruit fly trap. Will have a try ! Hope i could make it right. And looking to more diy ideas from you !
Thank you so much! This works great!
Use a lot less: put in one of those tiny/small, otherwise generally worthless/useless Tupperware containers. Use Saran Wrap to cover it; secure the Saran Wrap to the container with a rubber band; poke tiny holes in the Saran Wrap with a pen or one side of some small scissors.
Thanks..we’ll have to try it like that next time!
I like this one but I have been using another one for years…. Just get a small plastic or foam bowl/cup and pour beer into it! Watch is kill a lot of fruit flies!
Thank you so much, I had to do one of this traps last summer but it took me 10 days to prepare. Your recipe is much more easier. Blessed be.
Did it work for you?
We have been having a hard time with fruit flies and we have no idea what they are attracted to in our kitchen. I found your article and it works wonders! As soon as I made it, they were all attracted to the smell! Thank you so much!
I am so glad it helped! Hate those flies! Thank you for letting me know!
Do you need to refresh it at all>
I’ll let mine set out for a few days, but that’s always done the trick to get rid of them. If you are still having problems I’d recommend making another fresh batch about 3 days in. 😉
We make these every year also and they really do WORK!!
Thank you Kristyn and Happy Easter!
This is awesome….thank you so much. We got them pretty bad at the end of the summer this last year (we were keeping more fresh fruit around), and it got me kind of scheeved out. I put little dishes of ACV w/ detergent in several strategic areas, and it worked, but I think it probably took longer than the cone approach you’ve outlined here. They kept lighting on the rim and taking off again, but it sounds like they will get stuck in the jar much easier with the cone.
I don’t look forward to having to try this out, but I can’t wait to test this method when the time comes. 🙂