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Who doesn’t like fresh fruits and vegetables? However, the fresher your fruits and vegetables are, the more fruit flies you have to face! Although these tiny buggers aren’t really harmful at all, they can be pretty irritating, especially when they have already multiplied into thousands. What’s worse is that when the weather is warm, expect more of this in your kitchen!
Fortunately, you can get rid of fruit flies naturally. There are plenty of simple yet effective natural methods to trap fruit flies. Have you ever considered using malt or balsamic vinegar to get rid of them? Perhaps, you have already come across these 2 methods and probably wondering which one works best. In this article, we are going to debunk the myth regarding these two popular methods.
How does it work?
Malt, apple cider and balsamic vinegar can be used to shoo away various insects inside the house and that includes fruit flies– as a matter of fact, it can be highly effective if executed properly. When malt vinegar is boiled, it transforms into a kryptonite that fruit flies can’t handle. Obviously, they would choose to leave the place as they cannot tolerate its strong smell.
To use this method, all you have to do is look for a pan with a thick base. The reason behind this is that malt vinegar is quite acidic, and you don’t want to ruin your pan while boiling. Pour some malt vinegar in the pan and let it boil. As the malt is boiling, you can start putting them in several containers and position them in areas where fruit flies are quite common. As you use this method, it’s very important to stay attentive. You don’t want the vinegar to burn, or it will start to smell awful!
Making a DIY Fruit Fly Trap
Another remedy you can try would be creating your very own soap trap using regular household items. Vingar attracts fruits flies and works especialy well when combinesd with soap. All you need is a jar– preferably made of glass, a drop of dish soap, balsamic vinegar, and cling wrap. Simply pour the balsamic vinegar in the jar, and add a drop of detergent. After that, top it with a piece of plastic, and secure with a rubber band. Punch several holes in the wrap, and put it where you often see flies. After several minutes, or the following day, you’ll see less flies flying around the house and most of the fruit flies are already trapped in the jar.
Will balsamic vinegar attract fruit flies? The reason balsamic vinegar is ideal for this kind of fruit fly trap is because they really love the smell. How about the dish soap? The reason we have to put a drop of dish soap is to ensure that the flies would sink to the bottom due to surface tension. If balsamic vinegar is not available, you can also use apple cider vinegar, and it works the same. However, the only problem with this is that, you’ll be seeing dead flies, unlike with balsamic vinegar– the dark color hides them.
Prevent a Fruit Fly Infestation
Like what they always say, prevention is better than cure, and so, if you really don’t want to deal with fruit flies at all, you have to prevent them from entering your home. Unfortunately, every time you buy fresh fruits and vegetables, you are already carrying their eggs and larvae in your home, and it doesn’t take a lot of time before they start to turn into fruit flies.
If you want to stay ahead of the battle and make sure your kitchen would be fruit fly-free, we have a suggestion for you. Simply fill a bowl with water and 2 tablespoons of vinegar to make your fruit fly trap.. Place the fresh fruit in this solution and gently rub with your hands. After that, rinse with cool water. Believe it or not, this would halt the development of the eggs and larvae. There are also store-bought solutions that work great in ‘cleaning’ fruits and veggies.
Stop Fruit Flies from Hatching Maggots in the Drain
Aside from washing the fruits, you can also try pouring some balsamic vinegar in the kitchen drain, followed by hot water– the hotter, the better. This would definitely kill all the fruit flies and their maggots that are probably settling there. Another remedy would be using bleach water, and letting it soak the drain; however, there will always be a few who would rather go the natural way, and this is where the use of vinegar is ideal for use as a fruit fly trap. You may want to check our my other post answering the question, does vinegar kill maggots?
After trying the above methods and you have noticed that the fruit fly infestation is virtually gone, then the next step would be to remain vigilant and make sure to wash the dirty dishes right away– they can also be a breeding ground for flies. Once the infestation is under control, the best thing to do is to keep the kitchen clean. Never let any food, especially sweet food, and fresh veggies to stay on the counter for a long period of time. Pay attention to bruised vegetables and fruits– they are like a magnet to fruit flies, and this is where they usually breed and multiply! If you are looking to try something else, many people swear by peppermint for fruit flies.
Conclusion
Fruit flies, often confused with gnats, really love fresh fruits and vegetables. Our kitchen is filled with these– melons, bananas, grapes, potatoes, squashes, onions, name it! Aside from that, fermented fruits and vegetables also attract fruit flies, and balsamic vinegar is a type of fermented liquid This means fruit flies love it, and you can easily lure them into your vinegar trap by simply using this!
Thankfully, fruit flies aren’t naturally bright either– they spend most of their time focusing on how to mate and lay eggs on their target fruit. They use their sense of smell to locate fermenting produce, and this serves as their target. Due to the fact that balsamic vinegar has the right aroma of rotting fruit, it easily attracts the attention of these flies, and once they are trapped, there’s no way that they can escape anymore.
There you have it. These are just some of the ways on how you can get rid of fruit flies. Give them a try and see which one works best for you.
Reference:
https://www.annualreviews.org/doi/pdf/10.1146/annurev.en.05.010160.001131