Annoyed with pesky fruit flies attacking your seasonal produce before you’ve had the chance to enjoy it? Don’t worry, you’re not alone. Today we’re talking about five clever ways to get rid of these pesky fruit flies so you can enjoy your selection without them taking over your kitchen.

How to get rid of fruit flies

1. Old fruit and vinegar

Grab out a jar and place a piece of ripe fruit in it. Then add a half cup of apple cider vinegar to it before sticking a paper cone on top. This method uses the smell of rotting produce to lure the flies in while the cone traps them and makes it difficult for them to get out.

2. Plain vinegar and plastic wrap

Another thing you could do is take your plastic jar and fill it up with about a cup of vinegar then place plastic wrap over the top. Poke a few holes in the plastic wrap so the flies can enter. Fruit flies can’t resist the smell of vinegar. And once they’re trapped inside the jar it won’t be easy for them to escape.

3. Old wine

Similar to vinegar, one way to get rid of fruit flies is by using old wine. If you don’t happen to have vinegar on hand but you do have some old wine you could use it for the jar and plastic wrap method. Alternatively, you could leave out an old bottle of wine with just a little bit in the bottom so that when the flies go into the bottle the neck makes it hard for them to get out.

4. Vinegar & dish soap

f you find that your jar and vinegar method isn’t quite working like you’d hope, consider adding a few drops of dish soap to the jar. Dish soap will help cut the surface tension of the vinegar. So ultimately the flies will be lured in by the vinegar and then drown.

5. Fly Traps

The last clever way to get rid of fruit flies in your home is by using Aunt Fannie’s FlyPunch. This is a genius product that combines sodium lauryl sulfate and malic acid to attract fruit flies and trap them in the jar. All you do is open the lid, set it on the counter, and watch the magic happen.

Pro tips & tricks

If you need to completely cut the fruit flies off from their source here are a few preventative measures you can take:

• Throw out any product that is overripe
• Store what you can in the refrigerator (this will also keep them fresh longer)
• Wash your produce as soon as you bring it home 
• Clean up any messes as soon as they happen
• Throw your produce away outside so it’s not sitting in your garbage can inside

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