Every summer, it’s a battle around here to fight off those pesky fruit flies since we keep lots of fresh fruits and veggies on hand. They always seem to come around no matter how clean I keep the kitchen! A friend told me a trick a few years ago on how to get rid of them and I’m going to show you today! It’s very simple and inexpensive.
Simply fill a cup or bowl with an inch or two of apple cider vinegar. Add in 4 drops of your liquid dish detergent such as Dawn or Palmolive, and stir. Set it out where the flies are congregating and wait. Within a few hours, you’ll notice several flies in the bottom of the cup, dead.
Simple and painless! Sure beats swatting! Do you have any tricks to keep bugs out of your house?
Katie says
Thanks for this tip… We have the same problem
Cassie says
I wonder if this works for black ants. We have those terrible and have tried everything.
Mommy octopus says
Cassie I’ve heard to use grits for ants. Haven’t tried it yet. Supposedly they eat it, it swells up, and then they explode.
Sandy R says
My maintaince guy just told me that if I know how the ants are getting in to lay down a batch of pennies in the way. He claims ants dont like to touch the copper.just rile the area where you find them. Not sure it works, but its cheap to try!
Joy says
Unfortunately the apple cider vinegar/dish soap in an open cup didn’t work for me . What did was using the solution in a plastic water or pop bottle. You cut the bottle towards the top, then invert the top so you have a funnel pointing down. I also taped the seam to limit escapees. The fruit flies flew into the bottle, and the flies that escaped the vinegar/soap solution couldn’t escape the bottle. I felt guilty for drowning the fruit flies, but not guilty enough to have them living in my kitchen. 🙂
Mommy Octopus says
Hmmm… I wonder why it didn’t work for you. I’ve done this for several years and it worked perfectly. Glad you found a solution!