There are plenty of solutions to rid your home of pesky fruit flies, especially if you don't want to buy store-bought traps. We asked cleaning experts to share their best tips and methods for how to kill fruit flies instantly using ingredients you may already have in your kitchen.
Like gnats, these small (and annoying!) insects are attracted to fruits, vegetables and garbage. In fact, female fruit flies can quickly lay hundreds of eggs on overripe produce, leading to maggots and an overbearing amount of bugs taking over the kitchen and dinner table. You may even see them in drains.
If you want to rid your home of these bugs forever, let our expert tips guide you. You'll learn about various homemade traps using apple cider vinegar, old wine and beer. You can even create a spray with alcohol and water to spritz on plants, or use dish soap and vinegar to trap and drown them in a mason jar or bottle. Some of these ideas work overnight and can even kill fruit flies on the spot.
Once you've gotten your fruit fly infestation under control, you can follow our tips to prevent them from entering your home, too. This means throwing away your overripe fruit, washing produce as soon as you get home and cleaning the garbage regularly. Say goodbye to these sugar-loving critters!
What are fruit flies?
If you see little black bugs flying around your kitchen, it's important to identify the critters correctly. Fruit flies usually appear light or dark brown in color with red eyes. Double-check that your pests in question aren't drain flies, which lurk around drains or garbage disposals, or fungus gnats, which prefer overwatered houseplants. For those bugs, check out our guides on how to get rid of gnats and how to make a homemade fly trap.
What causes fruit fly infestations indoors?
Fruit flies are attracted to ripe, rotting or decayed fruit and produce, as well as fermented goods like beer, liquor and wine, say the pest pros at Orkin. They also like to buzz around trash cans and garbage disposals if enough food is present. Unfortunately, considering their reproductive prowess, two tiny fruit flies will quickly multiply into an infestation that can feel almost impossible to control.
How to prevent future fruit fly infestations
Start by deep cleaning your kitchen and throwing out any rotten food. To cut off fruit flies from their food source and prevent them from entering your home, take these preventive measures to avoid a future fruit fly infestation:
- Throw out overripe produce
- Store fruits and veggies in the fridge
- Wash produce as soon as you get home to remove any potential eggs or larvae
- Take out the garbage regularly
- Clean up spills ASAP, especially fruit juice or alcohol
Then, you'll want to find a way to trap the existing fruit flies in your kitchen, fast. Our Cleaning Lab experts have found that a DIY fruit fly trap is a quick and effective solution. What's more, these homemade fruit fly traps can be fashioned from supplies you likely have on hand in your pantry. If you want to skip the DIY route, you can buy pre-made fruit fly traps, too.
How to trap and kill fruit flies, fast
Here are the best ways to kill fruit flies, according to pest experts.
1. Apple cider vinegar and plastic wrap trap
For this DIY fruit fly trap, sweet apple cider vinegar (ACV) is more effective than white vinegar. They can't resist the scent of vinegar, and they won't be able to exit once they're inside. For an even better chance at success, make several of these traps and place them around your kitchen. Here's how to do it yourself:
- Pour a little ACV into a glass.
- Cover the opening with plastic wrap and secure it with a rubber band.
- Poke a few small holes for the fruit flies to enter.
2. Paper cone, vinegar and old fruit trap
The smell of rotting produce will help entice the fruit flies into the mixture, but the cone part of this fruit fly trap makes it difficult for them to get out. Here's how to do it yourself:
- Place a little vinegar and a chunk of very ripe fruit in a jar.
- Roll some paper into a cone and stick it into the jar, placing the narrow opening down. You can recycle or compost the homemade funnel afterward.
- A similar idea: Cut open the top of a plastic bottle and use the bottle's top as your narrow opening (cone) for the flies to go through. Place vinegar and ripe fruit at the bottom to trap them.
3. Vinegar and dish soap trap
If you find fruit flies immune to your plastic wrap or paper cone traps, try adding three drops of dish soap to a bowl of vinegar and leave it uncovered. The dish soap cuts the surface tension of the vinegar so the flies will sink and drown.
4. Aunt Fannie's FlyPunch
FlyPunch Fruit Fly Trap
The product analysts in the Good Housekeeping Institute were excited to see this product cross their desks, especially senior chemist Sabina Wizemann, who found that it worked better in her home than other DIY remedies she's tried. The pre-made mixture uses the active ingredients sodium lauryl sulfate (a surfactant used in soaps) and malic acid (found in fruit) and comes in a stand-up jar. All you have to do is open the top and set it on your counter.
5. Old wine or beer trap
Fruit flies love the smell of wine. Try leaving out an open bottle with a little leftover liquid — the skinny neck will keep the flies trapped. The Old Farmer's Almanac also recommends using stale beer to attract fruit flies to a DIY trap. Add a couple drops of dish soap to either for greater success.
6. Alcohol spray
Fill a spray bottle with rubbing alcohol and spritz any of the insects you see in your home. Make sure to avoid spraying the alcohol on fruit, as it may cause them to spoil, which will lead to more fruit flies.
Can I use bleach to kill fruit flies?
If you notice fruit flies in your drain, you might be looking for an instant fix — like pouring bleach down the drain. But experts say this isn’t the most effective solution. Doing so might kill some larvae, but it will not kill enough of the eggs or larvae to eliminate the problem. That's because bleach passes down the drain too quickly to do a thorough job.
If you have a garbage disposal, here's how to keep it clean and free of fruit flies:
✔️ Always run cold water before turning on the disposal or grinding food, and for a few seconds after the grinding stops. The water flow will help food move all the way through the pipes after it leaves the disposal.
✔️ Every week or so, with the disposal and faucet both turned off, toss in a bunch of ice cubes, a tablespoon of baking soda, a few thin lemon slices and a teaspoon of bleach. Turn the disposal on without running water until you hear the grinding stop. Then, with the motor still running, flush the machine with cold water for about a minute.
How do I kill fruit flies outdoors?
If you notice fruit flies buzzing around your homegrown fruits and vegetables in the backyard, use Spinosad insecticide to kill them. Fill a garden sprayer with the solution and apply it around the base of your home. You can spray the liquid directly onto your fruits to kill any flies that landed on them for a meal. While Spinosad insecticide is safe to use around people and animals, limit your exposure, as it may cause eye irritation and allergic reactions. Make sure to rinse your fruits and veggies before eating them.
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Mariah Thomas (she/her) is an assistant editor for Good Housekeeping, where she covers home and lifestyle content. Mariah has more than four years of editorial experience, having written for TLC, Apartment Therapy, Women's Health and Avocado Magazine. She received her master's degree in journalism at the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism and published her first book, Heart and Soul: Poems of Thoughts and Emotions, in 2019. She's also the founder of RTF Community, a platform for creatives of color to connect, learn and showcase their work.
