Expert consulted: 
Ah, fall. You’ve made it through the back-to-school shopping rush. The Pumpkin Spice Lattes are flowing. And there’s not a fruit fly in s… wait, is that a fruit fly?! That’s right, friends, this pesky summer problem extends right through the early, warm days of fall.
So, how do you get rid of fruit flies? The question ranks up there with how to prevent mosquitos and how to keep ants out of your kitchen, because fruit flies (not to be confused with also unwelcome drain flies) quickly rise to the status of pet peeve number one whenever they get in your house and start multiplying.
If you’re seeing fruit flies around your drain or a bowl of fruit, it will be a while yet before Mother Nature helps you out with cool temps. So try these home remedies and DIY traps to help you get rid of them before you bring out the chemicals. You can even do it without apple cider vinegar—and even if you only have five minutes to devote to the solution—with the cleaning tips and fruit fly traps covered here.
What causes fruit flies in the house?
It may seem that fruit flies pop up out of nowhere, but there’s more to it than that.
“In the summer months when it’s warm and many plants are fruiting, fruit flies come out of diapause [a hibernation-like state during which they can survive a long time at low temperatures] and breed in high numbers,” explains Laurie Stevison, PhD, an associate professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at Auburn University who studies fruit flies. “We also have many crops we produce in summer months, as well as fruits and vegetables we bring into our homes.”
Once they hitch a ride inside, the fruit flies are attracted to overripe and rotting fruits (and some vegetables), and they thrive on high-fructose substances. “As fruits age, the fermentation process begins to break them down. This process creates alcohols and vinegars that attract fruit flies, but also makes them less appealing to us,” Stevison says.
“Just like humans, the flies select an environment that is best for their children. So, think of rotting fruit like the hunt for the best schools! This provides a rich source of nutrients for them to lay their eggs.”
It’s important to take action as soon as you see the very first fruit fly.
“A single mated female can lay over 100 eggs,” Stevison says. “These take about 10 days to hatch as adults. This means if you miss trash day, then you can expect a big swarm of fruit flies before the next week. Also, if you ignore a few fruit flies because you are busy, it can become a BIG problem very fast.”
So, take note: Your cleanup clock starts immediately. Pronto. No waiting.
What is the fastest way to get rid of fruit flies?
Step 1: Clean.
Fruit flies hate clean surfaces, so clear off all of the clutter and wipe down your countertops as well as your sink. Trust us: If you skip this step, you’ll be fighting a losing battle against the bugs.
- Throw out too-ripe or rotting produce. Check all fruits and vegetables for rot, decay, or overripeness. Dispose any questionable pieces to avoid female fruit flies from laying their eggs on these surfaces.
- Clean all surfaces. Thoroughly wipe down all countertops. If you don’t, these spots become the perfect place for fruit flies to breed.
- Take out garbage regularly. This might seem like a no-brainer, but a clean house is a pest-free house. Taking out the trash will prevent bugs from lingering.
- Clean your drain. Keep sink drains free of food particles and residue as best you can.
Step 2: Set a trap with apple cider vinegar and dish soap.
Since fruit flies are drawn to rotting fruit, Stevison says, “vinegar, a byproduct of the fermentation process, sets a perfect trap. Apple cider vinegar is probably best, but in a bind, beer or wine will work well, too!” And to make it deadly, add a little dish soap.
While the apple cider vinegar attracts the fruit flies, Stevison says, “the soap keeps the flies stuck in the liquid, and they ultimately drown.” Here’s her recommended formula: “Mix about 2 ounces, a full shot glass, of the vinegar with some dish soap and place it in a container,” she says. For the container, you have options:
Bottle Trap
For the trap itself, Stevison advises using a container with a narrow opening and wide base—think an empty soda or beer bottle. After you add the apple cider vinegar and dish soap solution, she say, “Leave it open, or even add a funnel, and watch the flies come to you.”
Plastic Wrap-Covered Dish Trap
If you don’t have a bottle with a wide base and narrow neck on hand, here’s another way to create a trap. Add the apple cider vinegar and dish soap solution in a bowl or glass. Cover it with plastic wrap, seal the edges with a rubber band, and poke tiny holes in the top.
The small holes in the plastic wrap barrier function that same way as a narrow bottle neck. The scent of the apple cider vinegar solution lures fruit flies through the small openings, but once they’re inside the trap, they can’t find their way out.
Water Trap for a Sink Infestation
You may also see fruit flies in your sink, says Stevison. “For this problem, you can pour hot water down your drain, then cover it and fill it with water as if you were going to wash dishes. Leave the water in the sink overnight to kill the flies by depriving them of oxygen,” she says.
See more variations on homemade fruit fly traps.
What if I don’t have apple cider vinegar?
Try the beer or wine trap. Leave an open bottle of old wine or beer out near where the fruit flies were spotted. They’ll be lured in by the stale beverage, but the narrow neck of the bottle acts as a natural barrier to keep them trapped.
Will fruit flies go away on their own?
Fruit flies have a short lifespan of about two weeks, but unless you stop the cycle of egg-laying and hatching, you will continue getting more as long as the infestation continues. The population will dwindle once temperatures cool off, but while you can wait them out, there are two reasons not to: (1) They can transfer bacteria. (2) Remember what we learned about diapause, that hibernation-like state in which fruit flies can survive a long time at low temperatures.
Want to Try a Store-Bought Trap? Check These Out
This product is simple: Flip open the top, and let it sit for up to 30 days. A mixture of sodium lauryl sulfate and malic acid gets the job done.
This version of the Katchy combines a refillable scent pod (which you load with the tried-and-true mix of apple cider vinegar and dish soap), a silent fan, UV light, and replaceable glue boards to lure, trap, and kill fruit flies.
Fruit Fly BarPro Fly Strips
This product "guarantees" the elimination of fruit flies, along with cockroaches, spider mites, gnats, mosquitoes, and silverfish. Its time-release technology works for four months.
One of our editors purchased this DynaTrap plug-in fly trap over the summer and said, “The fruit fly count has decreased dramatically.”
What’s the difference between fruit flies and gnats?
If you spot little black bugs flying around, the first thing you want to do is identify the bug. It’s easy to confuse fruit flies and fungus gnats, a common lookalike. Gnats tend to be gray or black, while fruit flies range from light tan to reddish orange and brown. Fruit flies have a taste for too-ripe fruit and other produce and thrive on high-fructose substances. Fungus gnats, on the other hand, live in soils and on plants, so if you think you’re spotting those, the issue may not be in your fruit bowl.
Terri Robertson is the Senior Editor, Digital, at Country Living, where she shares her lifelong love of homes, gardens, down-home cooking, and antiques.
Laurie Stevison, PhD, is an associate professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at Auburn University in Alabama. Her research and teaching interests span evolutionary genomics, speciation, recombination, population genetics, comparative genomics, and bioinformatics. At the Stevison Lab, her research uses model systems, such as fruit flies, for understanding evolutionary genetics. Like many fruit fly researchers, she can trace her academic pedigree to the founder of fruit fly genetics, TH Morgan. She can also tell you exactly how to deal with a fruit fly infestation.
Stevison earned her bachelor’s degree in biophysics from the Centenary College of Louisiana and her master’s degree in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from Rice University. After completing her PhD in biology at Duke University, she was a postdoctoral fellow at University of California San Francisco’s Institute for Human Genetics.
