5 Homemade Fruit Fly Traps to Get Rid of Bugs Fast

Fruit flies are a warm-weather pest we all face eventually, and they can even pop well into the fall season. While keeping your home clean and free of past-its-prime produce is the best way to prevent them, sometimes an infestation can sneak up on you despite your best efforts. Time to up the ante! We’ve rounded up five DIY fruit fly traps you should try before moving on to chemical alternatives.

But first, you won’t be able to get rid of fruit flies unless you stop them at the source: That means getting rid of overripe produce, wiping down countertops, taking out the garbage regularly (and cleaning the bin), and keeping drains clean. Check your cabinets and pantry. If you have a rogue potato or onion, it could be the breeding ground for thousands of fruit flies. Then, try these homemade fruit fly traps and hacks.

1. DIY Paper Cone Fruit Fly Trap with Apple Cider Vinegar or Old Fruit

This is the technique recommended by the University of Kentucky's department of entomology. Plus, it’s inexpensive and you probably have everything you need on hand. Place a few ounces of apple cider vinegar or an old piece of apple or banana in the bottom of a jar. Then roll up a piece of notebook paper into a funnel, and fit it in the jar’s opening. (If you struggle with making the funnel, try these instructions.) Once the fruit flies are trapped, you can release any live ones outside.

Why it works: Fruit flies will enter the funnel to get to the fruit or vinegar and won’t be able to fly back out.

2. DIY Bottle Fruit Fly Trap with Apple Cider Vinegar and Dish Soap

This technique is recommended by Dr. Laurie Stevison, associate professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at Auburn University in Alabama: Mix 2 ounces of apple cider vinegar with some dish soap in a container with wide base and narrow opening, such as an empty soda or beer bottle. Add a funnel to the top, if desired.

Why it works: “(Fruit flies) are drawn to rotting fruit, so vinegar, a byproduct of the fermentation process, sets a perfect trap,” Stevison says, noting that apple cider vinegar is best, but beer or wine will work too. While the vinegar lures fruit flies in, “the soap keeps the flies stuck in the liquid, and they ultimately drown,” she says.

Heinz Unfiltered Apple Cider Vinegar

$10 at Walmart

Dawn Liquid Dish Soap

$6 at Lowe's$9 at Walmart$65 at newegg.com

3. Souped-Up Ceramic Fruit Fly Trap with Apple Cider Vinegar and Dish Soap

If one trap is good, two traps are better, if you ask Country Living’s Food and Crafts Director Charlyne Mattox, who passed along her tried-and-true method: Fill a reusable, dishwasher-safe ceramic fruit fly trap with apple cider vinegar and a bit of dish soap. For a serious infestation, add a sticky fly trap to the top of the trap (you may need to cut it down to fit).

RSVP Ceramic Fruit Fly Trap

$25 at Walmart$16 at Sur la Table$17 at Macy's

Garsum Fruit Fly Sticky Trap

$9 at Amazon

Homemade version with jar and foil: If you don’t want to purchase the ceramic fly trap, then add the apple cider vinegar and a bit of dish soap to a jar instead. Top the jar with foil and poke tiny holes in the foil. Add a sticky trap to the top for a serious infestation.

Why it works: Apple cider vinegar draws fruit flies through the small holes, but it’s hard for them to escape once inside the trap. When they land in the vinegar, the soap keeps them stuck. And the sticky trap? It can speed up the process for big infestations by catching fruit flies buzzing around above the entrance.

4. DIY Fruit Fly Trap with Plastic Wrap-Covered Dish, Apple Cider Vinegar, and Dish Soap

Fill a bowl or glass dish with apple cider vinegar and stir in a little dish soap. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, seal the edges tightly with a rubber band, and poke tiny holes in the top with a toothpick.

Why it works: Flies are attracted to the vinegar. Once they crawl inside the holes, they won’t be able to get back out. And once again, the dish soap with ensure they stay stuck if they land on the liquid.

5. DIY Fruit Trap Without Apple Cider Vinegar

You can make a homemade fruit fly trap without apple cider vinegar. Granted, apple cider vinegar is the go-to fruit fly lure for Country Living editors, as well as the expert sources we referenced. But you can substitute beer, wine, or a piece of old fruit like banana or apple. Fruit flies are attracted to any fermented smell.

Still Fed Up with Fruit Flies? Try These Store-Bought Traps

KATCHY Duo Indoor Insect Trap with Scent Pod

$50 at Amazon

The latest version of the Katchy combines the tried-and-true homemade solution (apple cider vinegar and dish soap loaded into a refillable scent pod) with its sleek tech, which uses a silent fan, UV light, and glue boards to lure, trap, and kill fruit flies, as well as gnats, mosquitoes, and no-see-ums.

8-Pack Glue Board Refills for KATCHY Duo

$14 at Amazon

Four glue boards are included with the Katchy Duo, but eventually you will need to re-up if you invest in this trap. Each board lasts 3-4 weeks.

DynaTrap Plug-In Fly Trap

Now 19% Off

$23 at Amazon

Our editors have used this plug-in version and say, “The fruit fly count has decreased dramatically.”

Safer Home Indoor Plug-In Fly Trap

Now 24% Off

$14 at Amazon

One five-star review says, “Because it is a passive device that contains no chemicals or insecticides, this thing is safe to use in the kitchen. We placed it just above the counter and we do not see bugs anymore.”

Terri Robertson

Terri Robertson is the Senior Editor, Digital, at Country Living, where she shares her lifelong love of homes, gardens, down-home cooking, and antiques.