How To Get Rid Of Fruit Flies With Apple Cider Vinegar And Dish Soap

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While some pests are seasonal, fruit flies linger around all year round but are more problematic in fall and summer when there are plenty of fruits.

These menacing insects can quickly ruin your joy of enjoying fresh fruits and generally make your kitchen unpleasant.

Since fruit flies have an astonishingly high reproduction rate, eliminating them before their population massively increases is best.

Fortunately, you can achieve that in different ways. Some involve chemical use, while others use natural remedies like apple cider vinegar and dish soap.

In that case, let’s see how to get rid of fruit flies with apple cider vinegar and dish soap.

What Are Fruit Flies?

How To Get Rid of Fruit Flies Fast Naturally

They are small, winged insects in the Drosophilidae family with 6 legs. They are around 1/8 inch long with tan or brownish-yellow bodies and red eyes.

They are more prevalent in fall and late summer because they love decaying and ripe fruits and vegetables.

You will commonly find fruit flies in areas food is stored or prepared, such as homes and restaurants.

They love grapes, bananas, squash, onions, melons, tomatoes, and potatoes. Fruit flies have a short lifespan of about 8 to 10 days but can survive much longer in warm areas.

Before dying, they lay hundreds of eggs on rotting or ripe fruit surfaces. The eggs hatch into larvae, feeding on the fruit and pupating before adulthood.

Fruit flies can also breed in garbage disposals, drains, empty cans and bottles, cleaning rags, mops, and trash containers. Besides being a nuisance, they can contaminate your food with disease-producing micro-organisms like bacteria.

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What Attracts Fruit Flies?

Ripe or overripe vegetables and fruits, among other organic matter, attract fruit flies. They are particularly attracted to the fermenting fruits and vegetables smell and the yeast and bacteria produced during fermentation.

Their highly sensitive sense of smell enables them to detect even the faintest odor.

Fruit flies are also attracted to a moist environment since it is essential for their survival. In addition to fruits and vegetables, fruit flies gravitate towards other food sources, such as sugary substances like soda, juice, and alcohol. Fruit flies will also flock around decaying organic substances like garbage.

Getting rid of fruit flies using apple cider vinegar and dish soap is straightforward, but you will need some supplies and apply the treatment correctly.

What You’ll Need

You’ll need the following to make a DIY fruit fly trap:

How To Get Rid of Fruit Flies Fast

How To Get Rid Of Fruit Flies With Apple Cider Vinegar And Dish Soap

 

To get rid of fruit flies using apple cider vinegar and dish soap, follow these steps:

Gather supplies: You’ll need a shallow bowl or cup, apple cider vinegar, liquid dish soap, and a piece of plastic wrap.

Pour apple cider vinegar into the bowl: Fill the bowl or cup about 1/4 to 1/2 full with apple cider vinegar.

Add a few drops of dish soap: Add a few drops of liquid dish soap to the apple cider vinegar. This will break the surface tension of the vinegar, causing the fruit flies to sink and drown.

Cover with plastic wrap: Cover the bowl or cup with a piece of plastic wrap. Make sure it’s tight and secure.

Poke holes in the plastic wrap: Use a toothpick or fork to poke several small holes in the plastic wrap. These holes will allow the fruit flies to enter the bowl or cup, but they won’t be able to escape.

Place the trap near the infestation: Place your DIY fruit fly trap near the area where you see the most fruit flies. You can also place multiple traps around your home.

Dispose of the trap: Once the trap is full of fruit flies, dispose of it and create a new one if needed.

Repeat this process until you have eliminated all of the fruit flies.

How To Prevent Fruit Flies

It is much easier and more convenient to prevent fruit flies from invading your home instead of eliminating them once they establish themselves.

You can do so by following simple tips to avoid a fruit fly infestation. However, you may want to act fast before these insects breed and spread

1. Store Fruits And Vegetables Properly

Always wash your vegetables and fruits, especially those kept on countertops, once you get home from the store to remove any fruit fly eggs on their surface. Keep ripe or overripe vegetables and fruits inside your refrigerator or sealed containers.

Also, monitor your vegetables and fruits and dispose of the overripe, decayed, and rotten ones.

2. Clean Your Surfaces

Make sure your countertops and other surfaces are always clean to make them unconducive for fruit fly breeding. In addition, clean up any spills of sugary substances like fruit juice and soda promptly to prevent attracting fruit flies.

3. Take Out The Trash

Dispose of garbage regularly and keep your garbage cans clean because fruit flies are attracted to decaying organic matter. This will also keep other bugs away.

4. Maintain a Clean Kitchen

Clean your kitchen regularly and focus more on areas food may accumulate, such as the sink or around the stove.

5. Keep The Drains Clean

Since drains often have residue and food particles, they are excellent breeding grounds for fruit flies. Therefore, keeping them clean using a drain cleaner or vinegar and baking soda mixture is crucial.

6. Use Screens

Window and door screens will help keep fruit flies from entering your home.

Final Remarks

Enjoy your vegetables and fruits peacefully by ensuring fruit flies don’t go anywhere near them. However, if they do, trap and kill them using dish soap and vinegar. This homemade fruit fly trap is effective but may require multiple applications to work.

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