Homemade fruit fly trap – get rid of fruit flies

Of course, the trade also offers various traps for fruit flies. But a self-made fruit fly trap works just as well and also requires little effort. Even if you build your own, there are various options for catching the annoying animals or destroying them directly and thus fighting them. Because anyone who has ever brought fruit flies home with fruit or vegetables from the supermarket or greengrocer knows how quickly the pests can multiply in the kitchen, dining room or even in the basement. But the small insects are also attracted from outside when the window is open and fruit and vegetables are already very ripe and therefore emit an intense smell for the hungry flies. There are two types of traps, each using different means, which are found in most households or are otherwise quickly taken care of, are filled. On the one hand, there is the trap with a very small opening into which the pests are lured, but cannot find their way out again. The other variant of a trap is set up in such a way that the flies can get caught in it and eventually drown.

Fruit flytrap with cola or juice

A fruit flytrap that causes the flies to die by drowning can be easily made using vinegar and a few other home remedies. It is important here that a bowl or a glass with a wide neck, i.e. a trap with a large opening, is used. The liquid used to attract the pests is made as follows:

• 50 ml cola (with sugar) or apple juice
• a tablespoon of vinegar
• Ideally cheaper balsamic or apple cider vinegar
• The flies also like expensive raspberry or elderberry vinegar
• a squirt of dish soap
• mix everything and pour into the bowl
• remove any spatter from the edge of the bowl
• use kitchen paper for this
• if there are spatters on the edge, this is flown to
• that should be avoided
• Place a bowl or jar near the infested fruit
• possibly change the mixture more often
• especially when many flies have already fallen into the trap

Fruit flytrap with grapes

Another variation is the fruit flytrap, which catches the flies but doesn’t drown them. A very narrow-necked bottle is used for this. Alternatively, a bowl or glass can be used. However, since the openings here are usually too large and the fruit flies can escape quickly, they must be sealed well with kitchen foil. A small hole is punched in the middle of the foil. This is particularly advantageous in the trap with grapes, since the grapes cannot easily be placed in a bottle with a narrow opening. The procedure for filling the trap with the attractants is as follows:

• Cover the bottom of the trap with vinegar
• Use balsamic or apple cider vinegar
• Cut grapes in half
• three grapes are usually enough for a trap
• Place cut-side up on vinegar base
• then pull the foil tightly over the opening
• holes can be pierced with a thick needle
• Set up a fruit fly trap in a suitable location

Trap against fruit flies with wine

The fruit fly trap with wine is similar to the trap with coke or soda. Again, you need a bowl, bowl or glass with a wide opening. The mix for this trap looks like this:

• Shot glass full of wine
• Use white wine or rosé
• Red wine can also be used
• due to the dark color, the caught flies are less easily recognized
• Mix wine with a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar or balsamic vinegar
• Add drops of dish soap
• Mix everything well and pour into the bowl
• set up where most flies are
• Flies drown in the liquid when looking for food

Fruit fly trap with yeast

A narrow-necked bottle is used for the fruit flytrap with yeast, which is filled with liquid. Ideally, this liquid should not come into contact with the inside of the bottle. It is therefore advisable to use a funnel for filling. These plastic filters are available in a well-stocked supermarket or a one-euro shop if you don’t have one in your own household. Alternatively, a freezer bag can also be converted into a funnel. To do this, simply cut off a small corner of the bottom, put the bag in the neck of the bottle with the cut opening facing down and let the liquid slowly run into the bottle trap. Fresh yeast is also found in many households and is therefore quickly used for the trap. The filling for the trap is mixed as follows:

• Mix lukewarm water with a teaspoon of sugar
• dissolve a piece of fresh yeast
• Pour the resulting yeast milk into a bottle
• this ideally has a thin, long neck
• set up in the desired location
• the fruit flies crawl into the bottle, attracted by the scent
• can no longer free themselves from this

More home remedies

There are of course a few home remedies that can be used as an alternative to cola, soda, wine, vinegar, fruit and yeast. If an infestation of fruit flies is found and there is still beer or sparkling wine left in the bottle from the previous evening, these drinks can also be placed in a bowl covered with cling film. The following also helps:

• denture cleaner
• Dissolve two tablets in water
• Pour into an open bowl or glass

Conclusion
Buying a fruit fly trap from a store is completely useless, as you can quickly build it yourself with the resources available in the household. Only a bottle, bowl or glass is required, into these vessels the prepared liquids or other catches are filled. There is certainly one or two of these in the household, because vinegar, a sweet drink, yeast or grapes, alternatively other fruit, are required for this. In this way, if a fruit fly infestation is discovered, anyone can react quickly and easily with a suitable trap.