When the temperatures rise, fruit flies are in high season: the tiny little insects do not cause any (health) damage, but they can be extremely annoying. And since they multiply rapidly in a short time, quick action is required.
An insect that goes by many names: fruit flies, vinegar flies and fruit flies are the best-known synonyms of the fruit fly. Regardless of what you call the animals, their presence does not remain hidden for long. Once the outside temperature has reached at least ten degrees, the search for food begins: the menu includes (ripe or cut) fruit, but juices, wine and leftovers from the garbage can also exert a magical attraction on fruit flies. And since one insect can lay hundreds of eggs, the population is increasing at breakneck speed. After just two weeks, the next generation hatches, so your home will be literally flooded with the little animals – if you don’t do something about it. Below you can read how to get rid of fruit flies and which ingredients are important for a fruit fly trap.
Buying a fruit fly trap: pros and cons
The classic fruit fly trap is commercially available: it attracts the small insects with the help of so-called pheromones. The surfaces of the glue traps are so sticky that all the animals stick to them – and die. The advantage of this variant is clearly the high effectiveness of the attractants, but a disadvantage (at least for people who love animals) is that the fruit flies die in this trap. It should therefore only be used in the event of a heavy infestation.
DIY: How to Make a Fruit Fly Trap
As an alternative to the purchased version, you can make your own fruit fly trap with just a few ingredients – with or without fatal outcome for the insects. We present both options to you.
The deadly fruit fly trap
The purpose of this trap is also to attract the insects. This works particularly well with apple cider vinegar – the animals are not called vinegar flies for nothing. Alternatively, you can also use ordinary vinegar, which you mix with apple juice (in a ratio of 1:5). You will also need some washing-up liquid and a small bowl. Then proceed as follows:
Live trap for fruit flies
If you want to catch the fruit flies alive and then free them (outside), you need the following ingredients: a small bowl and some vinegar, ripe fruit (e.g. pears) as well as cling film, a rubber band and something pointed – such as a knife or a needle. Then proceed as follows:
Important: The holes must be big enough for the fruit flies to fit through – but small enough that they can’t fly out.
The purpose of the decoy trap is to capture the animals, but not to kill them. This is made possible by the fresh fruit on which the insects survive.
Preventing fruit flies: This is how it works
To prevent fruit flies from multiplying in your home in the first place, you can take preventive measures such as:
This article contains so-called affiliate links. There is more information here.
