How to Make a Cheap & Eco-Friendly Fruit Fly Trap
It never fails, summer comes around and along with the warmer weather comes the bugs! And of course, one little fruit fly becomes an entire swarm. Then it seems impossible to get rid of them. Swatting, sprays, and sticky fly tape are not the solution–they’re basically a waste of money.
There is one solution I’ve found that never fails to get rid of the little buggers: the bottle trap. It’s quick, easy, and effective, and is easily constructed with supplies you can find around the house.
What you’ll need:
1 Bottle (beer, wine, soda, etc)
1 Piece of paper (about 3″x4″)
Some wine
A drop of dish soap
Some tape
1 small piece of fruit (optional)
Take a bottle, any type will do. Glass or plastic, it all works the same. If you have a tremendous fly problem you could use something big like a 2 liter soda bottle, but usually sometime smaller like a beer bottle will do.
Fill the bottom of the bottle with about 3/4 of an inch of wine. Any type of wine will work.
As a bonus you can add a small piece of fruit. Usually banana and watermelon work best, but any will do. This isn’t necessary, the wine alone will usually attract the flies.
Add a drop of dish washing liquid to the wine. This will break the surface tension on the surface so the flies will drown.
Take the piece of paper and roll it into a cone, leaving a tiny hole at the bottom that a fruit fly would be able to fit through. Tape the cone in place.
Put the cone in the bottle, with the tiny end inside. Tape in place, making sure to seal it up so the only entrance is through the cone. Packing tape works best for this, but you can use whatever tape you have around.
And you’re all set. Just put it anywhere the flies are convening and the smell of the wine and fruit will attract them. They’ll fly through the hole, but they’re not smart enough to get out again. Clean out and reset as needed until all your flies are gone. Make sure to recycle the bottle when you’re done.