How To Get Rid Of Fruit Flies With Apple Cider Vinegar And Dish Soap

The little sods are driving my wife and cat into a state of fury ! As I am a keen wine maker and do a lot of chutneys and jams, basically throughout the year, the flies are drunk with alcohol and filled to the gunnels with chut's. I am having a difficult time to convince the missus that they WILL go away, but after a whole year of temperature resistant little blighters, I have learned to discipline the household into mild acceptance.

I've tried the juice and dish washing liquid method and it works a little, but I still find that using a vacuum on the fruit flies is the best method. Ultimately, if you live somewhere where it turns cold in the winter, the flies will die because it's too cold (a little below 70 degrees) and too dry for them in the house.

Oh these little suckers have been driving me CRAZY... especially around my compost container (which, as you know, is just an empty butter dish, lol). I'm doing this TONIGHT! -Amy

What about just regular flies? Any tips for getting them caught? They CONSTANTLY fly in when I open the door to the garage and have to get me, baby in carrier, and diaper bag in. They annoy me more than fruit flies because they're so LOUD! TIA

I always did a jar with some juice in it (the stuff the kids didn't finish- frugal!!!) covered with plastic wrap and a few holes poked through. It works well but I'll have to try your idea and the others to see which works best for me!!

This works but NOT as well as a little bit of active dry yeast sprinkled over a bit of water in a bowl. Put plastic wrap over the top with a few holes. This is the best method I have found. Discovered it by accident!

oh thank you thank you! I have those little suckers right now! We have a worm composting bin and i guess i fed them too much at one time so we got flies instead! Heading to the store to pick up some vinegar! Thank you!

Brilliant! thanks!!!

I am going to keep this in mind if it happens again. We had them bad last week. I took a strawberry and smashed it up in a small dish, put press n seal over the dish, then poked small wholes on top. They flew in, but couldn't get back out. Yet, they were still alive so i had to squish them on the side. Gross. Looks like your method is much easier!

We had them really bad last week, too! I found the apple cider vinegar trick online & in a few days they were GONE! (and floating in the vinegar) I put the apple cider vinegar & a few drops of dish soap (to break the surface tension) in a jar, covered with saran wrap/rubber band & punched a few holes in the wrap. They would fly into the holes, but not out. Also read somewhere that putting beer in the jar would work 20 times as well, but I don't keep beer around.

When we've had them in the past, I used rubbing alcohol--10 parts alcohol to 1 part water. You can put it in a spray bottle and spray the last remaining ones! The alcohol concentration is so low that it's still safe if it lands on food.

wow I will have to try that one out. They are starting to come back. We had them bad last summer and I tried everything. I had heard to leave a plate of pancake syrup on the counter and they would try to eat it and get stuck in it....not a single one did. So nice to see photographic evidence that something actually works =)

Oh my goodness, thank you for posting this!! I am going to have to try it, those flies are driving me crazy! As soon as I swat one away from my face, another immediately takes his place!