Fruit flies are notoriously difficult to get rid of. It seems if you see one floating in your kitchen, the next day there are dozens or more. That’s because fruit flies can actually lay up to 500 eggs, which hatch in just 24 hours.

So if you notice a fruit fly, it’s important to act quickly. Luckily, we’ve put together some steps you can take to ban fruit flies once and for all.

Where do fruit flies come from?

You may be wondering where do these fruit flies come from? Fruit flies are small, brown flies with red eyes that are attracted to rotting and fermenting fruit and food debris. So the first and most obvious culprit is the fruit bowl. Fruit flies can also breed in your drains, trash or mop buckets. These pesky flies can even land on fresh fruits and vegetables, so you can get them no matter how clean your home is!

In addition, fruit flies are not hygienic when they are buzzing around. They can contaminate any open food with bacteria and pathogens and often lay their eggs in rotten fruit. For that reason alone, you need to control the problem before it becomes an infestation.

How to get rid of fruit flies

Before catching the flies, you need to clean the area thoroughly to prevent them from constantly reproducing. To do this, wipe all surfaces and remove rotting food debris. This includes dishwashing, food disposal and garbage disposal. It’s also a good idea to vacuum to remove crumbs from the floor. It goes without saying that you must discard anything that begins to ferment from the fruit bowl.

Method 1. Apple Cider Vinegar Trap: This is the most traditional way to get rid of fruit flies. Just fill a small bowl with about a cup of apple cider vinegar. Then cover with plastic wrap and seal with a rubber band. After that, poke small holes in the top – you can do this with a toothpick. Now just leave it out to attract the flies! The smell of apple cider vinegar is irresistible to fruit flies and the idea is that once in, they can’t get out.

Method 2. Dish soap trap: If you don’t have plastic wrap handy, you can put a squirt of dish soap in an open bowl of apple cider vinegar instead. The flies are again attracted to the smell, but the dish soap reduces surface tension, causing them to sink and drown after landing.

Method 3. Rot Trap: If brought in by rotting fruit, they can also be taken out! Set a trap in a jar by combining some fermenting fruit with a small amount of apple cider vinegar. Then create a cone out of paper and place the tapered end in the jar. The fruit attracts the flies and the cone prevents them from escaping.

Method 4. Bottles of old beer or wine: Fruit flies love the smell of fermenting beer and wine. So if you have a few nearly empty bottles on hand, you can use them to your advantage. The smell lures them in and thanks to the bottle neck, they can’t escape!

Method 5. Fruit Fly Trap: If you don’t want to use a DIY method, you can always switch to a chemical alternative like Terros Fruit Fly Trap ($5.88 on Amazon) . This has the same effect as the methods above.

If you are dealing with a lot of fruit flies, you may want to set up more than one of the above traps for best results!

If none of these methods work, you may not have fruit flies. Similar looking pests include fungus gnats and drain flies. Fungus gnats look more like gnats and can be found near plants, while drain flies are usually hanging out in your drains or anywhere with stagnant water.