How To Get Rid Of Fruit Flies

We can get rid of fruit flies easily in the summer with quick DIY fruit fly traps PLUS a few simple practical tips for :

1. Repelling fruit flies
2. Storing fruit properly
3. Keeping on top of food waste.

And in this guide to getting rid of fruit flies I'll show you how to do all of these naturally with basic kitchen supplies and NO toxic chemicals!

For quick action jump to the DIY Fruit Fly Traps but do read the fruit storage tips to stop fruit flies coming back.

These tips are just about fruit flies. For all other flies check out my guide to getting rid of flies naturally.

What Actually Are Fruit Flies?

Fruit flies are tiny (2-4 mm) light-brown Drosophilidae with distinctive red eyes. Critically for us they are drawn to fermenting sugars, ethanol and acetic acid in ripe or decaying fruit.

Fruit flies lay 50-100 eggs a day - 500 in a lifetime - under fruit skin. The eggs hatch in just 12-24 hours. So in barely a day we can have an infestation!!

When Do Fruit Flies Breed?

Optimal temperatures for fruit flies are 25-30°C (77-86°F) so they are typically a problem in high summer.

They can breed between 20-35°C (68-95°F) but more slowly so it is easier to keep them under control. Under 20°C and above 35°C numbers drop right off.

What Fruit Attracts Fruit Flies?

Fruit flies love all sugary fruit that ferment rapidly but are super attracted to fruit with soft skin or skin that damages very easily. They are only attracted to hard skin fruit once cut.

Soft Skinned Fruit

Fruit flies adore the following soft skinned fruits as soon as they are ripe so store these fruit - once ripe - in the fridge and not the fruit bowl :

1. Peaches
2. Nectarines
3. Strawberries
4. Raspberries
5. Blueberries
6. Blackberries
7. Figs
8. Persimmons

Guava also have soft skin but can't be stored in the fridge so eat up fast.

Unripe fruit won't ripen in the fridge, so use the fruit storage tips below to keep fruit flies away whilst ripening.

Easily Damaged Fruit

Sadly, fruit flies also love all of these fruit once their skin is even slightly split or bruised or punctured :

1. Apples
2. Bananas
3. Cherries
4. Grapes
5. Mango
6. Papaya
7. Pears
8. Plums
9. Tomatoes

In the summer fruit fly season it is again best to store most of these fruit - once they are ripe - in the fridge.

However bananas, mango, papaya and pineapple don't keep well in the fridge so in summer buy on the day you'll eat them or flash freeze for smoothies etc.

Hard Skin Fruit

Drosophilidae fruit fly can't penetrate hard skinned fruit. The Medfly - a different fruit fly - can but it is rarely found in the US (outside Hawaii) or UK.

So these fruit can all be stored in a fruit bowl unless the skin is damaged :

1. Grapefruit
2. Lemons
3. Limes
4. Oranges
5. Pineapples
6. Watermelon

Watch out for the top of big oranges where a hole may be left by the stem and fruit flies can sneak in.

Other Food Fruit Flies Love

Other foods that attracts fruit flies are :

1. Alcohol
2. Bread
3. Corn
4. Cucumbers
5. Onions
6. Potatoes
7. Squash
8. Zucchini / courgettes
9. Anything else yeasty or fermenting.

Fruit flies also love rotting food in drains and compost bins and breed in both.

Quick & Easy DIY Fruit Fly Traps

The best quick and easy DIY fruit fly traps draw the fruit flies in with the fragrance of fermenting fruit sugar.

Apple cider vinegar is without doubt the top ingredient to do this but I also have traps here made with other ingredients in case you don't have ACV.

Apple Cider Vinegar Fruit Fly Traps

Effective fruit fly traps mimic the way fruit flies sneak through damaged fruit skin. The two best traps for this are :

• Bowl & Clingfilm Traps
• Jar With Lid Traps

Bowl & Clingfilm Trap

This apple cider vinegar fruit fly trap could not be simpler. All you need is :

• Apple Cider Vinegar
• Dish Soap / Washing Up Liquid
• Very Small Bowl
• Cling Film
• Elastic Band (optional)

To quickly make the trap :

1. Put 2-4 tablespoons of ACV in a small bowl (the smaller the bowl the less you will need).
2. Add a few drops of dish soap.
3. Cover bowl with cling film.
4. Poke tiny holes in the cling film.
5. You can secure the cling film with an elastic band if you like.

The fruity fermenting smell of the ACV will tempt the fruit flies to squeeze through the tiny holes as they do fruit skin. But the dish soap breaks the surface tension of the ACV so when they land on it they drown.

Jar With Lid Trap

This second fruit fly trap with apple cider vinegar is just as easy and effective and a good zero waste option.

All you need to make the trap is :

• Apple Cider Vinegar
• Dish Soap / Washing Up Liquid
• Jar With Lid - the slimmer the jar the less ACV needed.
• Hammer & Nail

To make the trap :

1. Punch small holes in the lid using the hammer and nail.
2. Pour ¼ cup of ACV into jar.
3. Add a few drops of dish soap.
4. Put the lid on.

You can boost the effectiveness of the trap by adding a small piece of fruit e.g. banana to the ACV. Refresh the traps weekly to keep them working.

Fruit Fly Traps Without Apple Cider Vinegar

If you don't have apple cider vinegar you can make both fruit fly traps with :

1. Other Vinegars
2. Fruit Juice
3. Milk

Fruit Fly Traps With Other Vinegars

Three common vinegars to use in your trap instead of ACV are :

1. Red wine vinegar
2. Raspberry vinegar
3. White wine vinegar

Red wine and raspberry vinegar have the right fruity smell to tempt fruit flies. White wine vinegar won't work on it's own but will with addition of:

1. Small pieces of fruit
2. Small pieces of bread
3. Yeast and sugar.

Balsamic and plain vinegar are unlikely to work even with fruit or yeast added.

Fruit Juice Fly Traps

Fresh fruit juice won't have the fermenting alcohol smell of over ripe fruit that fruit flies love BUT we can easily fake it for our fly traps!!

All you need is :

• ¼ cup of fruit juice, ideally apple
• Pinch of yeast
• Teaspoon of sugar
• Teaspoon of warm water
• Dish soap.

To make your trap :

1. Combine 1st 4 ingredients above (not the dish soap) in bowl or jar.
2. Leave for 15 minutes until the mixture starts bubbling.
3. Add 1 to 2 drops of dish soap.
4. Cover with clingfilm or lid.

Alternatively any open juice past it's best for drinking may well work as is.

Milk Fruit Fly Traps

If you don't have ACV, other vinegars or fruit juice and have a fruit fly problem, you can make a fruit fly trap with milk.

Milk may not be as effective but was a traditional way to trap fruit flies. All you need for a fruit fly trap with milk are :

• ¼ cup of milk, the older the better
• Pinch of yeast
• Teaspoon of sugar
• Teaspoon of warm water
• Dish soap.

To make your trap :

1. Combine all ingredients except dish soap in bowl or jar.
2. Leave your mixture for 15-30 minutes to start bubbling.
3. Add 1 to 2 drops of dish soap.
4. Cover with clingfilm or jar lid.

These DIY fruit fly traps really do work but we still need to store fruit properly.

How To Store Fruit Properly To Stop Fruit Flies

The three key key ways to store fruit properly to stop fruit flies are :

1. Fruit bowl covers
2. Flash freezing
3. Fridge.

These may sound blindingly obvious options but the top tips I have for you here will help make sure they work.

Fruit Bowl Covers

We can store unripe soft fruit, undamaged fruit like apples and hard skinned fruit in a fruit bowl but in the summer we must use a food cover.

You can get a variety of food covers - as in the collage above - to keep fruit flies out including :

1. Fold up tents
2. Elasticated covers
3. Traditional bamboo baskets with retractable covers
4. Collapsable umbrellas
5. Classic mesh domes.

Whatever you pick, use these rules:

• Mesh not most fabric e.g. not linen as the fruit needs to breath.
• Very fine mesh with at most 2mm and ideally smaller holes.
• Complete coverage with no gaps.

Do shop around. Classic issues are domes and umbrellas that don't sit flat on bowls and tables, elasticated covers leaving gaps and mesh that's too big!

A final option is fine cheese cloth - grade 90 or higher - which you can buy cheaply to cover all sorts of food.

Flash Freezing

Flash freezing is a great method to store ripe fruit you're not ready to eat that can't go in the fridge including :

1. Bananas
2. Mango
3. Papaya
4. Pineapple.

It allows you to freeze small pieces of fruit separately so they don't all get stuck together in a big blob. You can then use as needed in desserts etc.

All you need for flash freezing is a baking sheet that fits in your freezer :

1. Remove any inedible part of fruit e.g. skin, core, unwanted seed.
2. Cut fruit into pieces of a size you will use in desserts or blender.
3. Spread out on a baking sheet.
4. Put in the freezer for 1 to 2 hours.
5. Transfer the frozen pieces into a freezer storage container.

It is as simple as that and really will help keep the fruit flies away.

Storing Fruit Properly In The Fridge

Most ripe fruit - excepting bananas, mango, papaya, pineapple, guava - can be stored in the fridge but we need to follow these basic fruit storage rules.

Fridge Storage Rules

1. Don't wash uncut fruit before storing in fridge unless foraged / just harvested and there are bugs.
2. Pat damp fruit or fruit that has to be washed dry before storing.
3. Split fruit types if you can to slow spoiling from ethylene gas.
4. Most fruit - not berries - keep best in a perforated plastic bag in crisper or bottom fridge drawer.
5. Good air flow is key, bags & containers need perforation and should not be sealed.

Some fruit lasts months in the fridge, others barely a week. Check below for timings and extra rules for each fruit.

How Long Fruit Lasts In The Fridge

• Apples & Pears : 1-2 months.
• Berries : 3-5 days. Store in single layer in breathable container lined with paper towel or cotton napkin to absorb moisture.
• Citrus Fruit : 2-3 weeks. Keep in mesh bag in crisper or veg drawer.
• Grapes : 2-3 weeks.
• Peaches, Plums & Cherries : 1-2 weeks but flavour drops.
• Tomatoes : 1 week. Avoid coldest parts of the fridge e.g. back wall as can turn texture mealy.
• Cut Watermelon : 1 week. Keep in airtight container or clingfilm.

Storing Other Food Properly

Other food that attracts fruit flies also needs to be stored properly to prevent horrible fruit fly infestations.

Alcohol and bread are easy to store. Simply put stoppers in open wine bottles and keep bread in a bread bin.

But veggies that release fruit-fly attracting sugars as they soften need more care. Some can go in the fridge, others need a pantry cupboard:

• Corn : 3-5 days. Keep husks on. Wrap in damp paper towel or cotton napkin in fridge vegetable drawer. Loses sweetness quickly.
• Cucumbers : 1-2 weeks. Wrap in paper towel, place in a perforated bag in fridges veggie drawer.
• Onions : 1-2 months. Cool, dry, dark but ventilated spot e.g. mesh bag in pantry. Not fridge.
• Potatoes : 1-2 months. Cool, dry, dark but ventilated spot e.g. paper bag with holes in pantry. Not fridge. Read these tips for more on the best ways to store potatoes.
• Squash : 1-2 months. Cool, dry, dark spot e.g. pantry.
• Zucchini / Courgettes : 1-2 weeks. Wrap in paper towel, place in a perforated bag in fridge’s veggie drawer; max 1-2 weeks.

Keep On Top Of Food Waste

Sadly, food waste attracts fruit flies and a whole bunch of other household pests we don't want including :

• Ants
• Cockroaches
• Mice
• Other Flies

Charcoal filters on compost crocks can cut the smell of fermenting food but ideally they need emptying daily.

Do watch out for squidged berries and smears of jellies and jams on worktops, tables and floors as these are a beacon for fruit flies and ants.

Smells Fruit Flies Hate

You can back up DIY fruit fly traps and fruit storage hacks with the fragrance of natural repellents that fruit flies hate.

The two best fruit fly repellents are :

• Lemongrass & Citronella : contain strong fast action fragrances that disrupt the fruit flies' senses so they can't find fruit.
• Mints : again overload sense of smell and disrupt fruit fly behaviour so they stop breeding.

Other natural fragrances that repel many different flies including fruit flies and mosquitoes are :

1. Basil
2. Lavender
3. Rosemary
4. Eucalyptus
5. Lemon Balm
6. Cloves.

You can use essential oils but there are growing concerns they may not be great for us in our homes. Alternatively, you can make DIY infusions from fresh or dry herbs or just grow cut mint in water next to fruit bowls.

And there you go, everything you need to know about fruit flies covering:

• Best Apple Cider Vinegar Traps
• Traps Without Apple Cider Vinegar

Plus other key ways to stop fruit flies:

• Fruit Bowl Covers
• Flash Freezing Fruit
• Storing Fruit Properly In The Fridge

I do hope these help. For more tips check out my other natural pest control posts and follow me on Pinterest.