Our DIY Fruit Fly Trap is one of those easy home hacks we love because it works SO WELL and uses simple supplies you probably already have. Apple cider vinegar and a few drops of dish soap go into a jar, then a paper cone helps guide fruit flies in and makes it harder for them to get back out.
We love using this in the kitchen, especially near fruit bowls, trash cans, sinks, or anywhere fruit flies keep showing up. Warming the vinegar mixture for just a few seconds makes the smell stronger so it can start attracting flies faster.
We have used this no-fail method for decades, and it always works! We hope you find it helpful.
Why you’ll love it + Why it works:
- Uses simple household supplies you may already have.
- Apple cider vinegar helps attract fruit flies quickly.
- Dish soap helps trap the flies once they land in the liquid.
- The paper cone makes it easy for flies to enter and harder for them to escape.
- Great for kitchens, fruit bowls, trash areas, and sinks.
Fruit Fly Trap Ingredients
- Mason jar or any similar sized glass jar (1, 16-ounce): Holds the vinegar mixture and gives the paper cone a sturdy base. 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.
- Apple cider vinegar (1 cup): Attracts fruit flies with its sweet, fermented smell. You can also use fruit juice, honey water, or make a mixture of yeast, sugar & water.
- Liquid dish soap (3 drops): Helps trap the flies by breaking the surface tension of the vinegar.
- Paper (1 piece, 8.5×11): Forms the cone that directs fruit flies into the jar.
- Tape: Holds the paper cone in place so it keeps its shape.
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. This fruit fly trap works so well, and we hope it helps with those pesky gnats and fruit flies!
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.
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.
DIY Fruit Fly Trap {Gnat Trap}
Equipment
Video
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.
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.
FAQ
> 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!)
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
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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!