This Apple Cider Vinegar Gnat Trap Actually Works

Nothing can ruin the joy of having fresh fruit in your home like a swarm of annoying fruit flies. Seriously, they seem to come out of thin air, don't they? And try to squash one of them? Good luck—these tiny, torturous bugs seem to be hard to dispose of, but there is a way to lure them in and disable them. All you need are two common kitchen ingredients—apple cider vinegar attracts the fruit flies, and a little soap causes them to sink when they land in it. Here's how to make a gnat trap that will have fruit flies gone in no time.

What Causes Fruit Flies

These tiny pests are more than annoying. While they don’t bite, they can carry bacteria and transfer it to your food’s surface. They often come in on produce you buy at the store or through small openings in screens and windows, and they’re attracted to room-temperature fruits and vegetables in your home. They’ll also breed directly on your produce, in drains, garbage disposals, garbage cans, and empty bottles and food containers.

Why It's Hard To Get Rid Of Fruit Flies

Turns out fruit flies are escape artists. They have around 270-degree vision, so they can see what is coming at them from almost any angle. They have the ability to calculate the angle of your attack and will plan their escape accordingly. Scientists figured this out due to a resting fruit fly repositioning its legs when it senses an attack. If your hand is coming from the front, for example, fruit flies move their middle legs forward, lean back, and raise their legs, allowing for a fast backward takeoff.

They can change directions within one one-hundredth of a second and gain speed by flapping their wings 200 times per second. Not bad for a brain that's smaller than that of a house fly. Considering all of this aeronautical prowess, how do you get rid of them? 

Why Apple Cider Vinegar Gets Rid Of Fruit Flies

It's the thing that's always in your cupboard that you are not sure you need, but it's masterful for fruit fly elimination. Fruit flies are attracted to the smell of overripe fruit. Acetic acid is a natural chemical in fermenting fruit, and it’s also found in apple cider vinegar. Hungry fruit flies are attracted to the vinegar smell. Once in the liquid, the soap prevents them from flying out.

Once you get rid of fruit flies, you can use the apple cider vinegar for cleaning to prevent them, too. It helps to keep your environment fresh. Keep in mind that if you are using white vinegar for a gentle DIY approach to cleaning, apple cider vinegar can be used as well.

How To Set A Fruit Fly Trap

This all-natural fruit fly trap is a game-changer. Gather together your supplies and follow our easy instructions to control the fruit flies that are plaguing your kitchen.

What You'll Need

• Mason jar
• Apple cider vinegar
• Dish soap
• Plastic wrap
  

Method

1. Begin your fruit fly battle by pouring just enough cider vinegar to cover the bottom of the jar.
2. Add a drop of dish soap. This breaks the surface tension of the vinegar, so the fruit flies won't just float on top of it.
3. Cover the jar with plastic wrap and poke a few holes in the top.
4. Place the jar near where the fruit flies are hanging out, and they will soon be drawn to the jar. Once they're in, they are not coming out.

Change the apple cider vinegar in the fruit fly trap every few days. The longer it sits, it will lose potency, and they won't be attracted to it.

How To Prevent Fruit Flies

Using our easy trap can really aid in getting pesky fruit flies out of your kitchen, but what methods can you use to prevent getting these bugs in the first place? One of your strategies can be olfactory. Fruit flies can’t stand the smell of basil, peppermint, eucalyptus, lemongrass, lavender, and clove.

If you’ve had a fruit fly problem in the past, try placing these fragrant herbs in muslin sacks or tea bags and hanging them around the house. You could also buy them in essential oil form and use them in a diffuser.

Other methods of prevention include the following:

• Keep your kitchen clean and be consistent about it. Prompt and thorough cleaning of sticky spills and counters, tables, small appliances, and dishes after any type of food preparation will help prevent an infestation.
  
• Clean the kitchen sink and garbage disposal. Bits of food can become trapped in the drains. Clean and flush out drains and disposals well after each use for food preparation.
• Dispose of rotting produce, which attracts fruit flies. Any ripe produce should be eaten or refrigerated as soon as possible to prevent fruit flies.
• Empty trash and recycling cans regularly. Liquids, food residue, and rotting produce can be a magnet for fruit flies. Rinse cans and bottles before disposing of them.
• Store ripe produce in the refrigerator to slow down decomposition.
• Avoid buying produce with cracks, cuts, or blemishes. Fruit flies will lay eggs on cut produce skin, and you'll end up bringing them home.