There's so much to love about the hotter months; swimming, boating, hiking, camping, and so much more, however one of the negatives of the hotter months are those pesky fruit flies. And if you're like our family, you love the goodness of having fresh fruit available, and if you're like me, that glass of red or white wine to enjoy without the hassle of aggressive fruit flies.
Now, there are many commercial chemicals or traps that can aid in ridding your home or office of them, however, here are some amazing remedies that you can do by using all natural goodies found in your pantry that's inexpensive and effective.
Below, I will share some at home methods that worked when we had a visit with those pesky rascals. As always, I hope this helps.
APPLE CIDER VINEGAR
Oh my gosh! Apple Cider Vinegar is truly a heaven send for attracting fruit flies. They absolutely cannot stay away from it. So, I've used a combo of Braggs Apple Cider Vinegar and added just a dab of grape jam, covered with plastic wrap and added some holes in the wrap and it will trap tons of them...Yukky, but effective. Check out this video that explains exactly what I mentioned HERE
ESSENTIAL OILS AND HERBS
Here are a few essential oils and herbs that deter fruit flies.
BASIL, PEPPERMINT, EUCALYPTUS: These are a few of the herbs that deter fruit flies. Placing these in muslin sacks, or tea bags and hanging them around the house will deter fruit flies.
CAMPHOR (be very cautious with this one), LAVENDER, PEPPERMINT, CLOVE, LEMONGRASS, all deter fruit flies. They can't stand the smell. You can dab some cotton balls in these oils and wipe around the home, especially in the kitchen area, and deter these rascals all while making your home smell naturally amazing. I love to dip tea bags into essential oil blends and hang around the home. They can't stand it, I tell ya!
INCENSE
I have learned, fruit flies hate smoke, and especially smoke from incense. They can't handle inhaling the smoke. When they inhale the smoke, they die fairly quickly, leaving you fruit fly free.
WINE, BEER AND BOURBON
Well, I guess these rascals like a good glass every now and then like we do. Fruit flies love the smell of wine and it will attract them in minutes! So, a small glass of wine used to trap them, similar to the apple cider vinegar method, works extremely well with attracting, trapping and killing the fruit flies.
MILK, SUGAR + GROUND PEPPER
Taking a mixture of 2 ounces of ground pepper, 1/4 lb of raw sugar and one pint of milk, simmer it together in a saucepan for 8 to 10 minutes. Pour the mixture into a shallow dish and the fruit flies will be attracted to it instantly and die.
TIPS..TIPS..TIPS..
Some other tips that can help minimize fruit fly infestations are: keep the area clean and tidy, keep fruit refrigerated (check out my pic below of our fridge and how we use glass ware to keep fruit secure and our area fruit fly free), minimize sitting water, fruit flies are attracted to sitting water. Get rid of rotting fruit as the yeast is where they lay their larvae and harvest. Again, I hope this helps and you can enjoy your summer pest free as much as possible.
So, I’ve tried the vinegar and dawn I also. Used boiling hot vinegar and baking soda down each drain and some spray from Walmart, it killed them but left the floors with a very slick film, that was not gonna work. I’ve got orange oil peppermint oil basil, and lavender oil used them on a vaporizer type thing and put it by the couch where I sleep (ya I know) but it keeps them ay bay for the most part while I sleep except it only runs for 4 hrs and so this am, I lit a smoke and as I pulled it away from my mouth and inhaled I inhaled one! The dang things Choked me up and grossed me out so much it made me a sick. By the end of the 30 minute fit my mind was causing my body to enfure my lil dog Charli was standing at the bathroom door and I seen it all over her face, she looked at me like, “you caught one!” anyways I can’t seem to get rid of them, they were coming into windows and so I put up the window kits that is clear plastic u shrink worh hairdryer but the tape doesn’t stick the the wall to go over the whole window frame
So in desperation I bought a clear plastic roll of carpet cover that u usually put down when having a new home built to protect the carpet, and I put to rows downy he windows and as much as it made blurry to look out they aren’t coming in the windows and I also put potted plants from porch to sidewalk and am about to do away wirh them, I keep drains covered and am wondering if there coming in they drain vents under sinks?
No chemicals are involved – just UV and sticky paper!
I have been having the same problems. I scoured the Internet, and came across DynaTrap. Mostly good reviews, though some said they did not work. I recently decided to buy 3 of them anyway. They have saved my house! Within 1-2 days, they had trapped dozens. I am almost free of them, though they apparently are still breeding a bit. I have definitely got them in mass retreat. Whew! I am so grateful.
I have done all of these tricks and nothing is hàppening can í get help please
My daughter and I can not seem to get rid of them . I have been doing white vinegar and Dawn soap . They are twice as bad . My daughter and I eat healthy now and live off fruit and vegetables. I have had to throw everything out . They are out of control . I have owned my home for twelve years and this is the first year I have ever experienced this . We can not even sit down and eat dinner together, cause they are flying all around . It is disturbing . With that being said . I bought 2 foggers. Will that take care of the infestation. Cause we want our lives back to normal . I could really use some advice. Please and Thank you. God Bless 🙏😇
My daughter and I can not seem to get rid of them . I have been doing white vinegar and Dawn soap . They are twice as bad . My daughter and I eat healthy now and live off fruit and vegetables. I have had to throw everything out . They are out of control . I have owned my home for twelve years and this is the first year I have ever experienced this . We can not even sit down and eat dinner together, cause they are flying all around . It is disturbing . With that being said . I bought 2 foggers. Will that take care of the infestation. Cause we want our lives back to normal . I could really use some advice. Please and Thank you. God Bless 🙏😇
What I find works is soya milk and apple cider vinegar, you need to put the vinegar on the top with a spoon so the soya milk doesn’t curdle, the way this works is that fruit flies like to lay eggs in spoilt soya milk but have to dive to do so and drown in the process
Iv just used basil oil washed out bin with oil n water then put a few drops in bin, I then filled sink with water and oil washed all surfaces with it I then refilled sink an put few drops in my kitchen smells beautiful and there’s not a fly in sight
I put lavender oil on tea bags an hang them and the next thing i know there is a fruit fly on the tea bag…help…i am going nuts here !!!!
just recently moved into a new place, and we HAD a lot of fruit flys. I would do a deep clean every day. still didn’t work. I have recently got into herbs and have about 11 different herbs drying in my kitchen, now we have no fruit flys, even though I left a piece of pie out last night. I think its mainly the rosemary as that’s known to repel mice and other creatures and also I think its thyme that helps as that is normaly used as a natural bug repellent.