What Containers Work as the Best Fruit Fly Traps

Are you looking for the best fruit fly traps?

Fruit flies are one of the most annoying bugs you can find around your house. Sometimes, a fruit fly can show up on your kitchen counter where you have a fruit bowl laying around, or anywhere where there is a sweet scent, trash cans, or stale beer.

Some homeowners have resulted to creating homemade fruit fly traps, or bought several disposable fruit fly traps from local stores but found that it isn’t as effective.

Catching fruit flies or other flying insects is difficult and it will take an effective fruit fly trap to get rid of fruit flies.

So, how do you find the best fruit fly trap for attracting fruit flies? If you’re like most homeowners, then you probably have tried just about everything to make a katchy indoor insect trap to catch all those pesky insects and fruit flies.

In this blog post, we will discuss the best lure solution and what containers work as the best fruit fly traps to get rid of your fruit fly problem.

Where Do Fruit Flies Come From?

 

Fruit flies will always be annoying in every household no matter what time of the year it is. Fruit flies or also known as the Drosophilia melanogaster, has the shortest life cycle as compared to other insects.

They also reproduce very quickly and matures right after they have turned into adults which is 8 to 10 days.

When the average female fruit fly lay eggs, it can only take a few days before those new born fruit flies turn into adults.

Fruit flies thrive in areas that are damp, and moist. They can be commonly found in places like garbage disposals, grocery stores, or flower pots.

Fruit flies are also attracted to rotting fruit, fresh fruit, overripe fruit, or anything with a sweet aroma.

If you notice that there are a ton of fruit flies near these areas around your home, it’s best to contact a professional pest control service so that they can place fruit fly traps that work around your house.

What is Difference Between Gnats and Fruit Flies?

 

Fungus gnats are different from fruit flies. They are a different species of insect, and it’s quite easy to confuse them with a fruit fly. One thing they have in common however, is that they are both a common cause of headaches in the house.

In fact, fruit flies, drain flies, and gnats cause almost the same issues inside your household. Although almost all flying pests have the same bad habits and look similar to one another, fruit flies and gnats are different from one another.

Let’s take a look at the difference between fruit flies and gnats more in detail:

Fruit Flies Vs. Gnats In Terms of Appearance

 

Color:

Fruit flies have a black to tan color while gnats have a black or dark grey color.

Shape:

If you compare a fruit fly to gnats in conjunction with other insects, it will be quite easy to identify what makes them different from other flying insects. Fruit flies have a silhouette and rounded shape – kind of like a smaller version of a house fly.

On the other hand, the gnat have long bodies and dangling legs – which could be compared to a mosquito just a smaller version.

Eyes:

The most dominant feature in a fruit fly that distinguishes them from the rest is their big red eyes. Gnats on the other hand have smaller eyes that are hard to see compared to fruit flies.

Fruit Flies Vs. Gnats In Terms of Habitat

 

Another very distinct difference between a gnat and a fruit fly is where they choose to reproduce or gather. Gnats like areas with soil or any place where there’s fresh air and gardens.

Fruit flies on the other hand, like areas where there’s rotting food or kitchen drains.

Pest Control: How to kill Fruit Flies and Gnats

 

Fruit flies and gnats both produce rapidly, which is why coming up with an effective homemade fruit fly trap, or some natural fruit fly traps, to trap fruit flies is going to come in handy.

These insects are also one to come in large numbers, which damage your plants and can get most of you food contaminated. Since dealing with these insects is difficult in itself, it will require a few different methods to effectively deal with a fruit fly or gnat.

If you can come up with one trap with an effective trap design so that these insects can easily stick to the trap using sticky sheets, you can quickly get rid of them in just a few days.

How Do I Make My Own Indoor Trap for Fruit Flies?

 

Alright, so now that we know where fruit flies come from, it’s time to come up with the best fruit fly trap you can make at home. Fruit fly traps are easy to make and can be made with stuff that’s laying around your home.

Let’s break down each fruit fly trap one by one:

Homemade Traps: Apple Cider Vinegar Fruit Fly Traps

Creating a fruit fly trap using apple cider vinegar is fairly easy and is more effective compared to using normal vinegar. Fruit flies cannot resist the smell of apple cider vinegar and makes a good lure solution and fruit fly killer.

To make this, here’s what you will need to create this fruit fly trap:

Materials:

• Plastic wrap
• Apple cider vinegar
• A jar

Procedure:

• Pour a little of the apple cider vinegar into the jar and cover it with the plastic wrap
• Poke holes into the plastic wrap and make sure to use a rubber band to firmly keep the wrap in place around the jar.
• Wait for a few minutes and allow the fruit flies to get trapped in the fruit fly trap.
• You can leave a few of these fruit fly traps laying around your house, but make sure that you keep them out of reach of children or pets so as not to get sick.

Fruit Fly Traps using Paper Cones, Vinegar, and Rotting Fruits

Here’s another easy fruit fly trap to make using everyday items you can find around your home. This trap works by using the smell of rotting fruits to attract the flies to the trap. This would make a great solution to your fruit fly problem, so you should try it out for yourself.

Here’s what you will need to create the fruit fly trap:

Materials:

• Vinegar
• Ripe Fruits
• Jar
• Paper

Procedure:

• Place a little bit of the vinegar into the jar and include the fruit inside it.
• Roll the piece of paper into the shape of a cone, and put it inside the jar with the narrow part of the paper pointing down.
• Wait for the flies to enter to trap fruit flies into the jar.

Vinegar and Dish Soap Trap

If using the above traps to catch fruit flies dont’ work, you can try vinegar and dish soap. Liquid dish soap is one of the best fruit fly killer traps for pest control that you can make.

Here’s what you will need to make this trap:

Materials:

• Liquid lure or soap
• A small Bowl
• Vinegar

Procedure:

• Add a few drops of dish soap into a small bowl with vinegar.
• Make sure to leave the trap uncovered, so that the flies can enter the trap.
• If you see that you have a lot in the bowl already, cover it with a metal lid or anything to keep them in there for a while until you can dispose of the compact bodies.

Fly traps using Beer or Old Wine

Just like vinegar, these types of fruit fly traps work by the scent of the beer and the wine. These insects love the smell of anything sweet.

If you have an old can of beer or an empty bottle of wine that you have laying around your kitchen with a little bit left inside, you can use that to trap the flies into the bottle.

You can also add just a few drops of soap inside the bottle as well to make sure that the trap does it job effectively.

How to Dispose Dead Fruit Flies Properly?

 

When it comes to getting rid of all the dead insects that you managed to kill around your home using these traps, it does not require too much work to dispose of them quickly.

Frankly, all you need to do is dump everything with the bugs down the garbe disposal or down the drain in your kitchen.

Of course, this is going to look gross – but you will be doing yourself a huge favor by flushing them down the toilet instead where you do not wash your dishes.

It’s also a good idea to wash and rinse out the container that you have used to trap the bugs in to ensure that you do not get sick.

Make sure to keep the cling wrap that you have used along with the band, so that you can reuse it. But of course, it does not hurt to use a fresh cling wrap if you feel that you need to kill more bugs in your kitchen.

The main goal is to make sure that you kill as much bugs as you can using those traps but make sure to follow proper hygiene after if you will be using the container to cook anything.

Make sure to use a disposable container so that you do not have to worry about what you will be using next time you see any bugs flying around.

What are some of the Common Problems you can Encounter When Making a Trap?

 

Making a trap is simple and does not require that much effort to make. But sometimes, you can still run into some problems as you are working on the trap – specifically very unexpected things that you have to make yourself aware of.

So, here’s some of the most common problems you can encounter and how to solve them effectively:

Fruit Flies Won’t Enter the Trap

 

Sometimes, one of the main reasons why these bugs wont enter the trap is because there’s something in your home that the flies are more attracted to. It could be rotting food in your garbage can, an empty can of beer, or rotting vegetables.

If you are going to make a trap, make sure that you clean up your kitchen or your garbage area before making the trap so you can effectively attract all the bugs.

When you have gotten rid of everything, you can then make the trap and it will start attracting all the bugs.

Flies Only Sit on the Edge of the Trap

 

One of the most frustrating problems that you can encounter while making a DIY trap is when the flies just sit on the edge and do not enter.

It’s like they are making fun of you or taunting you. If that is the case, the best solution to this is just really to be patient as much as you can.

If you wait a little longer, you’ll start seeing them enter the holes when you least expect it but don’t expect it to be right away. It’s safe to wait for a few days before they can fully enter.

Not Working

 

If you see that the bugs go into the trap but they do not die, well – that could be annoying!

If that’s the case, make sure to add a little bit more soap or alcohol into the dish so that it traps the bugs more effectively.

How do I Choose the Best Fruit Fly Traps?

 

There are a lot of traps that you can purchase online or at a hardware store. Some of these may include, a terro fruit fly trap, sticky traps, glue traps, and traps with a uv light, sticky sheet, sometimes even air fresheners.

One of the most effective that you can buy is the sticky traps and traps with a uv light built in. These traps are usually made with non-toxic materials and are designed to only kill the bugs.

Sticky traps work by trapping the bugs onto the paper, once they land on that sticky trap – the bugs won’t be able to fly away anymore.

These sticky traps are also very effective in catching bugs other than fruit flies, so it would be a good idea to leave them around different areas of your home or by your windows.

What are the Best Fruit Fly Traps?

 

Okay, so now that we have mentioned some ways on how to create your own traps, now it’s time to hear about the best recommendations.

Here are some of our Top Fruit Fly Traps:

Trappify Yellow Dual Sided Sticky Trap for Fruit Flies and Gnats

This unique fly trap from Trappify includes a double sided super strong adhesive, which keeps those pesky bugs stuck to the trap.

This trap is also great for catching mosquitos, aphids, leaf miners, gnats, and other flying insects. It’s very easy to use, and can be placed anywhere around your house or garden. To use this, you just need to peel the trap from the stack and put it in the areas that you prefer.

This trap will also get rid of small pests without using harmful chemicals, insecticides, or pesticides. The trap includes, a bendable green hook wire, which you can then hang to trees, stems, planters, or anywhere that you see fit.

The package includes 12 yellow butter fly glue traps, which you can use both inside your house and outside.

Terro Fruit Fly Trap

This trap is shaped like an apple, which makes it pleasant to the eyes. It’s easy to use and can be placed anywhere in your house.

This trap has holes built into it, where the bugs can enter from the top. Once they enter, they will get stuck inside making them unable to fly out of the container. This trap will also prevent breeding and multiplying.

Green Gobler Fruit Fly Killer

Here’s an insanely weird fact: Fruit flies can end up living inside your kitchen sink, pipes, and drain. Gross right? You wouldn’t want that to happen to you at all, and it makes it disgusting now that you think about it.

Luckily, there is a quick solution to this problem and it includes a thick drain gel. Green Gobler is made with citronella, which then sticks to the pipes in your kitchen or your bathroom. As it goes down the drain, the fruit flies will get stick to the drain gel and get killed instantly.

This gel will also prevent the bugs from laying any eggs or reproducing inside your drain. So, this will make a great investment!

BEAPCO Prefilled Fruit Fly Trap

This trap is quite similar to a homemade vinegar and cling wrap method, the only difference is – it’s not DIY!

All you need to do is take the trap out of its container and place it in the areas where you see a lot of bugs around your house. Trap the bugs by poking some holes at the top part of the fly trap using a pen or a pencil and let it do the work for you.

Each of these traps is good for 30 days, and you can recycle the plastic container that comes with it. You can even fill it up with your own ingredients and then use it again.

If you are going to use this though, make sure that you keep it in an area that is far from any animals or kids to avoid any accidents.

FlyPunch Non Toxic Fruit Fly Trap

Here’s another fly trap that is easy to use. Just flip the top of the jar open and place it on your kitchen counter or anywhere that you think would be most effective. That’s really all you have to do.

At first, a lot of homeowners were skeptical about using it for the first time, but after setting it out for a night, the next day they found a lot of dead fruit flies inside the jar after. It’s still best to try this trap for yourself to see if it works.

Trappify Indoor and Outdoor Hanging Fruit Fly Stick Trap

Here’s another good product from Trappify, which is the hanging fly stick for indoor and outdoor use. This one catches not only fruit flies but also normal house flies, mosquitos, gnats, and many other flying insects.

Simply hang it anywhere indoor or outdoor and let the flies come near it. You can put it on your porch, your gardens, or your kitchen.

Each fly stick is made out of non toxic material and its eco friendly. The stick lasts for up to 90 days. To make it more effective, you can also add some bait.