01 Jun This is How To Kill Fruit Flies for Good

How To Kill Fruit Flies

Developing a comprehensive strategy to how to kill fruit flies in your house is the key to managing fruit flies all summer. I say “managing” because to some degree, fruit flies are here to stay. Unless you are one of the rare individuals who shun fruit, there will be a regular stream entering your home year round, and when the temperature is suitable for fruit flies to develop, the flies that arrive with your groceries will immediately take up residence in your home. But fear not. Fruit flies are a problem that is easily remedied with three simple steps; locate, attract & capture, and dispose.

1. Locate

Locating the little buggers is the first step in the process of how to kill fruit flies in your home.

The first step is easy. The fruit flies are exactly where you encountered and were first annoyed by them. Fruit flies are singularly focused and something in your home that has attracted them. Most likely something sweet and ripe. They will not travel far from the object of their interest. Focus your attention where you see them.

2. Attract & Capture

The second step in how to kill fruit flies in your home.

Now that you know where, this will be the location of your intervention. A trap must be located in their immediate vicinity and baited with something equally or more attractive than what they are currently attracted to. The source of your problem could be some bananas, a pineapple, even tomatoes are sometimes irresistible to fruit flies. And attracting them is usually as simple as identifying what they are currently after and using that as the bait.

If what’s drawing your fruit flies is not immediately clear, then there are a few things that are almost guaranteed to attract them. The usual go-to fruit is a ripe banana. Fruit flies can’t get enough of them. Another option is a bit of apple cider vinegar, wine or beer. Anything in the process of fermenting seems to work well.

For the trap, you can cobble one together with a jar, some plastic wrap, and a rubber band. Or since this is something that will occupy a prominent place in your kitchen for most of the summer, maybe something more attractive is in order? This is exactly why we developed our own fruit fly capture device, to keep your fruit fly problem at bay without cluttering up your kitchen with an array of craft projects.

3. Dispose

The last step in how to kill fruit flies in your home.

What you do next depends on your attitude towards the little pests now safely contained in your trap. You may wish them immediately deceased, or if you don’t feel particularly adversarial towards them, maybe catch and release is more your style.

First, the choice of bait will influence the final outcome of your fruit flies. Choosing one of the liquid options such as apple cider vinegar, wine or beer, with the addition of a few drops of soap, any fruit flies landing on one of these substances will quickly sink, never to be heard from again. But using fruit such as a ripe banana, while a great attractant, will not kill the flies. To the contrary, they will continue to thrive, just in a contained space.

To dispose of these flies you have the option of releasing them, a good distance away from home (my personal favorite since this involves a walk which I am usually in need of a good excuse to do).  Or to “off” these flies just pop your trap into the freezer. After about an hour they will all have passed on and you can dispose of your trap or wash it out for another round.

The most effective bait for your frit flies will vary depending on your location. So we designed the eek-o fruit fly trap to work well with any of the standard bait options. And our trap is reusable and recyclable so you can get many uses out of it. Or if you prefer, just drop it in recycling when your done and crack open a new one.

It’s all pretty simple if you follow the steps. If you are moderately vigilant your fruit fly problem will be well under control all summer long.