Best DIY Fruit Fly [works on drain flies as well] Trap Recipe

For one small fruit fly trap, you will need:

Ingredients:

• ¼ cup (60 mL) vinegar
• 2 teaspoon dishwashing liquid
• 1 teaspoon brown sugar (optional)
• Plastic wrap
• Small bowl, cup, or container
• Toothpick

That's it!

You don't need to pour a lot of dishwashing liquid into the vinegar. Two teaspoon are enough for a small ¼-cup trap.

How to Make a Fruit Fly Trap With Vinegar and Dish Soap

1. Pour ¼ cup or 60 mL of vinegar into a small container.
2. Next, add 2 teaspoon of dishwashing liquid.
3. Gently swirl the container once or twice. You don't need to vigorously mix it because you don't want to create lots of soap bubbles.
4. WORKS BEST: If you want to make the bait more attractive, you can also add 1 teaspoon of brown sugar.
5. Cover the top of the container tightly with plastic wrap.
6. Using a toothpick, make around 6–8 small holes in the plastic.
7. Then place your homemade fruit fly trap wherever you're seeing the most flies.

Why Does Vinegar and Dish Soap Kill Fruit or Drain Flies?

The bait is the vinegar.

Fruit flies are naturally attracted to fermenting fruits and liquids, which is why you’ll often find apple cider vinegar (or any vinegar, really) in homemade fruit fly traps.

The role of the dishwashing liquid is different.

In general a small fly can land on the surface of a liquid. The few drops of dish soap break the surface tension of the liquid , enabling the flies to sink more readily into the mixture .

And that's also why you don't need much soap.

Can I Use White Vinegar Instead of Apple Cider Vinegar?

Yes, and that's exactly why I made mine with what I already had in the kitchen.

But apple cider vinegar often has a stronger fruity, fermented smell that fruit flies may find attractive.

If you only have white vinegar, you can make the bait more appealing by adding:

1 tsp of brown sugar [BEST] or a little piece of fruit or overripe banana.

This makes the trap smell more like the sweet and fermented smell fruit flies are looking for.

Where Should I Put My DIY Fruit Fly Trap?

Placement matters almost as much as the recipe.

Instead of putting the trap randomly somewhere in your kitchen, place it close to where you regularly see the flies.

Good places include near the:

• Fruit bowl
• Kitchen sink
• Garbage bin
• Compost container
• Empty bottles or cans
• Area where you prepare fruits and vegetables

I prefer putting the trap fairly close to the problem area [near the sink, and beside the trash can] instead of somewhere across the room.

How Long Should I Leave the Fruit Fly Trap Out?

The general advice is to leave the trap for about 24-48 hours before checking it. However, the above mixture can also last up to a week.

Replace if it becomes soiled or diluted or full of insects, or just seems to have lost its ability to attract flies.

However if you continue to see lots of fruit flies after several days, adding more traps is probably not going to solve the real problem.

You need to find out where they are coming from.

How to Get Rid of Fruit Flies Completely

A homemade vinegar trap can trap adult fruit flies but there is an important point to remember:

Simple, cheap, and you probably already have everything you need at home. 😊

Here's PROOF:

Beside my kitchen sink

My cat butter inspects it 😎

Back of the trash bin