Get rid of fruit flies: With a trap made of vinegar and washing-up liquid

Created: 07/11/2022, 02:00 p.m

By: Jasmin Pospiech

They are attracted to ripe fruit and organic waste: fruit flies.

You can quickly get rid of the animals with simple (home) remedies such as a vinegar trap.

Stuttgart – Some specimens lie dead on the window sill, others crawl their last meters, others are still sitting on the warm walls of the room: fruit flies.

The small black pests buzz around or sit on ripe fruit, vegetables or juices, especially on warm days in summer or autumn.

Fruit flies: You can quickly get rid of the pests with a trap made of vinegar and washing-up liquid

The fruit fly or vinegar fly likes trick and treat.

But you can also use it to set a trap for her.

(Iconic image) © blickwinkel/Imago

No matter what time of year, the mini flies are really annoying and unhygienic.

But after all, the warmth in the apartments and houses is just too tempting.

But with a few tricks, you can quickly get rid of fruit flies.

1. Get rid of fruit flies: put away fruit

If you disturb the fruit flies in the kitchen, you can easily drive them away: deprive them of their food, ergo the fruit.

All you have to do is make sure that ripe fruit is used up quickly or covered, as recommended by the Baden-Württemberg Nature Conservation Agency (NABU).

Another option is to put fruit and juices in sealed containers or store them in the fridge.

2. Get Rid of Fruit Flies: Wash up used dishes

But the fruit flies are not only after fruit, they also feast on leftover food on dishes lying around.

The same applies to wine glasses, because alcohol and vinegar attract the mini flies.

It is therefore best to either wash, rinse or quickly put away used crockery, cutlery and open empties.

Also remember to regularly dispose of the residual waste and organic waste in the household.

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3. Get rid of fruit flies: set traps

If you want to finally get rid of the fruit flies, you can use a tried and tested home remedy that is also cheap.

To do this, mix some wine vinegar with a little fruit juice and a dash of washing-up liquid in a bowl or glass.

If necessary, put a film that you have previously perforated over the container and seal it with it.

Leave the jar for a while.

The smell of the vinegar and juice attracts the fruit flies magnetically.

However, the detergent in it causes the liquid to lose its surface tension, drowning the pests when they land.

4. Get rid of fruit flies: banana peel as a trap

If you don't want to kill the fruit flies right away, there is a more harmless way to get rid of them quickly.

To do this, take a banana peel and place it in an open plastic bag as an lure.

Wait a few hours until a lot of flies settle on it.

Then close the bag and carry it out to the compost bin together with the contents, where you release the fruit flies.

Get rid of fruit flies: Tips do not help against fungus gnats

But be careful: the small black insects are not always fruit flies.

Fungus gnats look confusingly similar to them.

But there is a significant difference.

Fungus gnats will not eat fruit and prefer to nest in moist potting soil.

Therefore, there is no point in setting up a vinegar trap or the like.