why fruit fly apple cider vinegar traps work - and how to use it!

Why Fruit Fly Apple Cider Vinegar Trap Work – and How to Use It!

What is a fruit fly apple cider vinegar trap?

You’ve seen them, those pesky little fruit flies that seem to appear out of nowhere and won’t go away. As homeowners, bugs are not exactly something you want to find in your house – Period! Fruit flies are something you always want to keep out at all times.

Sure you can shoo them away, but if you notice fruit flies are a little hard to get rid of especially if you do not know what you are dealing with.

Plus, you can always find them near trash cans, where there are rotting vegetables, rotting fruits, broken wine bottles, or basically anything sweet – and yes, it’s disgusting!

In a lot of ways, fruit flies are no different than getting rid of annoying ants, gnats, or other pests while you are cooking. But if you can produce fresh, clean counter tops, getting rid of fruit flies will be synch!

So, now, you may be asking – what are the most effective ways to get rid of fruit flies?

Well, there’s finally a solution: the apple cider vinegar trap! This fruit fly trap is easy to make and uses common ingredients that you probably have in your kitchen. Keep reading for instructions on how to make your own apple cider vinegar trap!

 

Where Do Fruit Flies Come From?

 

homemade fruit fly trap

 

Okay, so let’s start with the basics – where exactly do fruit flies come from?

Even though they seem to just pop in and out of your house from out of no where, the truth is fruit flies are attracted to food like fermenting vegetables and fruits.

Fruit flies are also attracted to high fructose substances, which includes wine, cooking with anything ripe – like bananas, old fruit, you name it! Sometimes, it could be something as crazy and simple as the smell of pork.

Female fruit flies lay eggs inside overripe fruit, decaying, or rotting fruit. A single fruit fly can lay up to 500 fruit fly eggs at a time – That’s a lot of fruit fly eggs!

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After hatching, the fruit fly larvas feast on its surroundings. As mentioned, decaying fruit attract fruit flies, and before they evolve into fully formed adult fruit flies these flies will most likely find food they can find.

A fruit flies life cycle is very quick and they are capable of reproducing just a few days after they have fully grown into an adult fruit fly – which means you need to start acting fast!

A close sign would be the minute you see that these flies are starting to gather and produce larva.

If that reason alone is not enough to make you cringe, it’s best not to wait and start thinking about adding more fruit fly traps because they are important to have around your house to prevent fruit flies.

 

What is the Difference Between a Fruit Fly and a Gnat

 

apple cider vinegar fruit fly traps

 

There are of course so many little black bugs floating around, how do you know which one is a fruit fly from a gnat?

It’s very easy to confuse a fruit fly with a gnat, simply because they are both small and almost look alike.

Gnats tend to be black or grey in color, while a fruit fly can range to orange red, light tan, or brown. As mentioned a fruit fly can smell ripe fruit from a mile away and that’s what they live off of. A fungus gnat on the other hand feasts on plants or soil.

 

How Do You Get Rid of Fruit Flies Using Apple Cider Vinegar and Dish Soap?

 

fruit fly apple cider vinegar trap

 

Okay, now that we have identified where these small flies come from, how do you get rid of them with apple cider vinegar and liquid dish soap?

a DIY fruit fly trap is the best solution. A DIY fruit fly trap is easy to assemble and produce and even better – it is not expensive! all you need is some dish soap, plastic wrap, a few drops of apple cider vinegar, a jar, a cover, and you’re all set.

a DIY fruit fly trap can fit whatever it is you already have around in your house, which gets rid of the need to go to the grocery store or a hardware store.

Before you start making your own DIY fruit fly trap, you’ll need to take note of the following first:

Step 1: Gather Your Ingredients First

okay, so before you start making your DIY fruit fly trap, you’ll need to gather your ingredients which is really just apple cider vinegar, plastic wrap, a small bowl or a jar, and liquid dish soap.

When it comes to apple cider vinegar Bragg is the best to choose, because it has a fruity smell unlike white vinegar. For the dish soap, you can use any kind of liquid dish soap.

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Step 2: Combine the Apple Cider Vinegar and the Soap

Next, you can combine a half cup of the apple cider vinegar and the soap into a small bowl or a jar and mix it gently.

Place the apple cider vinegar fruit bowl trap next to any surface you think is prone fruit flies.

Step 3: Wait for a Few Days

Just to set your expectations right, the diy fruit fly trap will not work its power instantly. You will need to give it a few days for the flies to get a whiff of the apple cider vinegar scent.

Give it at least 24 to 48 hours to work it’s magic.

How Does a Apple Cider Vinegar Homemade Fruit Fly Trap Work?

 

fruit fly apple cider vinegar trap

 

a Vinegar fruit fly trap is made with organic ingredients for cooking. Besides its culinary uses, they are inexpensive ingredients on many cleaning projects.

Aside from causing no odor, the vinegar has no toxins that can be absorbed from cigarette smoke or other substances.

Honestly, is everything just smelt of salads? Fruit flies love the scent of the cider vinegar, so they try landing on the top.

They are surprised by this as the dish soap breaks the pressure of the vinegar resulting in the fruit fly dropping into it. This will wash and drown them in the soap.

 

How to Make your own DIY Apple Cider Vinegar Fruit Fly Traps

 

diy fruit fly traps

 

Okay, now the next question we will answer is how do you make a homemade fruit fly trap with apple cider vinegar? Here are some steps you can follow using various methods:

Plastic Wrap and Apple Cider Vinegar

For this fruit fly trap, we will be using plastic wrap and apple cider vinegar, which is more effective than normal vinegar fruit fly trap because it’s sweet. When they get attracted to the apple cider vinegar, they won’t be able to get out of the jar once they are inside.

For better chances of success, it’s ideal to make a few of these traps with several holes or maybe even several small holes and place them around your kitchen.

  • First pour some apple cider vinegar into a jar or a glass.
  • Cover the jar with the wrap and secure with a rubber band
  • Poke a few holes into it, so that the fruit flies drops into the holes

A Paper Cone and Apple Cider Vinegar Fruit Traps

A cider vinegar fruit fly will most likely get enticed by traps with rotting produce in it. So to create an effective vinegar fruit fly trap, here’s how you do it:

  • Place a little of the vinegar and a chunk of fruit into a jar
  • Get some paper and roll it into a cone shape, then stick into the jar with the narrow side of the paper facing down.

Beer or Old Wine

Just like vinegar, flies are also very enticed by beer. If you have a used beer can in your house or a a bottle of wine with a little left over, you can leave it open and the flies will make its way inside and get trapped!

 

How to Prevent Future Fruit Fly Infestation

 

fruit fly traps

 

Alright, now that you are prepared with cider vinegar fruit fly trap recipes, It’s time to think of how to prevent further infestation in your home. Here’s how you can prevent it:

Infestations start when you bring home apples and oranges but leave it out too long until they become too ripe. If you notice while your shopping that the food is surrounded with these little critters, don’t bother bringing them home because there could be a possibility that you are bringing the infestation to your kitchen! If you are going to buy from the supermarket, make sure that it isn’t surrounded by flies yet and make sure to consume the food right away.

Make sure to rinse the produce that you buy from the market before storing it. Plain water works, but you can also use those sprays you can buy from a supermarket to clean the produce that you buy.

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Clean your kitchen always. Those flies can also lay eggs on your counter tops and sometimes your sink. Make sure that nothing also goes to waste or any leftovers you may have on your sink.

Alright, now that you are prepared with cider vinegar fruit fly trap recipes, It’s time to think of how to prevent further infestation in your home. Here’s how you can prevent it:

  • Infestations start when you bring home apples and oranges but leave it out too long until they become too ripe. If you notice while your shopping that the food is surrounded with these little critters, don’t bother bringing them home because there could be a possibility that you are bringing the infestation to your kitchen! If you are going to buy from the supermarket, make sure that it isn’t surrounded by flies yet and make sure to consume the food right away.
  • Make sure to rinse the produce that you buy from the market before storing it. Plain water works, but you can also use those sprays you can buy from a supermarket to clean the produce that you buy.
  • Clean your kitchen always. Those flies can also lay eggs on your counter tops and sometimes your sink. Make sure that nothing also goes to waste or any leftovers you may have on your sink.
  • Make a schedule to take out your trash regularly
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