It’s official: fruit fly season is here. Every which way you look, one of these annoying tiny flies is hovering around your home, particularly abundant in the kitchen. You do your best to swat them away, but let’s be honest, that never works. So, what can you do?
Fruit flies tend to spike in the late summer – the heat makes fruit and veg ferment more readily, which is a prime attraction for these insects – but they’re active all year round, so you could be ignoring them for some time if you choose to do nothing. In the end, they can make a home of your bins and drains, as well as your fruit bowl – anywhere there’s humidity and the chance to lay eggs!
The good news is you don’t have to put up with this nuisance. There’s a quick and easy solution to a fruit fly problem and it takes just two ingredients (you might already have what you need in your cupboards)!
Get rid of fruit flies in 5 easy steps
Here’s what you need to do:
1. Half-fill a pint glass with cider vinegar.
2. Squirt some washing-up liquid on top.
3. Top the pint glass up with water.
4. Stir, to create bubbles on the surface of the liquid.
5. Leave the glass out on the countertop or windowsill in your kitchen and wait for the imminent demise of your irritating house guests…
Why does this secret recipe work so well? The fruit flies are naturally attracted to the scent of apples from the cider vinegar. Because of this, they head straight for the liquid, but the bubbles formed on top of the pint glass means they are unable to fly back out.
How to prevent fruit flies
Fruit flies adore the smell of ripened fruit and vegetables in particular, but they can also be found around your drains and kitchen bins – because they’re looking for somewhere suitable to lay eggs.
Considering this, the best way to prevent fruit flies is to keep a clean and tidy kitchen. Empty your bins regularly and unblock your sink to remove any potential breeding grounds. Make sure you keep on top of your fruit stock, using it up well before it begins to ferment, and clean the fruit bowl regularly.
Stone fruit, such as mangoes and nectarines, can go in the fridge as soon as they’re ripe to better preserve them. This protects them from any fruit flies and is also a great way to make fruit and veg last longer.
Fruit fly removal kit
