How to get rid of those disgusting fruit flies? All you need is dish soap or fruit

You know how it goes. You bring fruit in from the garden, leave it in a basket on the kitchen counter, and within a few hours, swarms of tiny flies are circling around it. But fruit flies aren’t picky—they like store-bought fruit, too. They seem to appear out of nowhere, and you try to repel them somehow so they’ll disappear from your home. There are plenty of options, including all sorts of store-bought products and traps. But the best solution is to make your own remedy—one that works and costs next to nothing. In most cases, all you need are things you already have at home.

The best prevention is to remove the sources of attraction

Undoubtedly. If everything is thoroughly cleaned, surfaces are clean, and there’s no spilled sweet juice anywhere, then you won’t encounter fruit flies. The sink should also be clean. If you have fruit or vegetables sitting out on the counter, they must always be fresh. Fruit flies usually lay their eggs directly on fruit, both on the surface and inside it. Females can lay up to 500 eggs at a time. That’s certainly no small number. On top of that, fruit flies have a very fast life cycle.

Photo: Chat Day

How can you get rid of fruit flies at home?

There are undoubtedly many methods. We’ll take a much closer look at the basic ones.

Unfinished alcohol attracts fruit flies

If you leave a bottle with leftover wine sitting somewhere in the kitchen, you can be sure it will be an excellent fruit fly trap. The stale, sweet drink attracts them, and they have a very hard time—if any—getting out through the narrow neck.

Apple cider vinegar in a bowl

Apple cider vinegar, in particular, can literally work wonders. Just pour a small amount into a bowl and cover it with a lid or plastic wrap. Poke small holes in the lid or plastic wrap. The fruit flies will get inside the trap, but they won’t be able to get out.

Apple cider vinegar ixmed with dish soap

The combination of apple cider vinegar and dish soap is also excellent. Dish soap reduces the surface tension of liquids, so the fruit flies drown much more easily—and you’ve got it made.

Tip: How to deal with mice? Sawdust in water will help.

Pieces of fruit and plastic wrap

It doesn’t get any simpler. Place a piece of pear, a grape, or a slice of lemon in a bowl. Cover it with plastic wrap and poke holes in it. Fruit flies will get in, but they won’t be able to get out. You can do the same with a plastic bottle.

Sources: Author, Meta, https://www.potapnicek.cz/blog/jak-na-octomilky/, https://www.pasti.cz/blog/5-zpusobu-jak-se-rychle-a-snadno-zbavit-musek-octomilek/

Preview photo: Chat Day