Here are 7 effective tips on how to get rid of fruit flies: Vinegar trap, red wine, rotten fruits, fogging products, essential oils and carnivorous plant.

There are pretty good chances that most of you might be going through a tough time trying to get rid of fruit flies in your kitchen. While there are a number of techniques listed on the internet on how you can get rid of fruit flies, there are hardly any of them that actually prove to be effective.  But don’t you worry, because we have got you some of the most effective techniques to get rid of fruit flies. But before that, do you know if these fruit flies can cause you or your children any harm? We will discuss this all below:

Can fruit flies cause any harm?

Although fruit flies cannot bite you like other species and will thus not cause you any direct pain but this does not mean that they will not affect you in any manner. When these fruit flies come into contact with a rotten fruit, they expose themselves to a number of viruses and bacteria. These viruses and bacteria can then be transported all across your house, which means anything that these flies will touch, be it glasses, fresh food, toothbrush, silverware or something that will touch your mouth will infected with these viruses and bacteria. This is why it is necessary for you to take measures to get rid of fruit flies from your house.

Read More: Possible Causes of Dry Mouth in Children

7 Effective Techniques to Get Rid of Fruit Flies

Vinegar trap

This is the most preferred one if you want to rely on homemade techniques. You will need some apple cider vinegar, dish soap, sugar, water and a container. Add two teaspoons of vinegar, a teaspoon of sugar, few drops of soap and a litre of water in the container and rinse it all well. Place this container in the area with most gnats so that the insects can get attracted to the smell of the vinegar. You can try to place a number of such containers around you house to get rid of them completely.

Red wine

This is very much similar to the vinegar trap but here, the fruit flies will be attracted to the smell of red wine. If needed, you can also add a bit of dish soap to the red wine so that the fruit flies are not able to fly when they come in its contact. You can pour some wine in a container and cover the top of the container with a plastic wrap consisting of a few holes in it. You do not necessarily require expensive wines for this; cheap wines will also serve the purpose.

Read More: 11 Health Benefits of Coconut Vinegar

Rotten fruit

For this, you would be required to put or stick a rotten fruit into a container and wrap the container with a plastic. Then, pinch a few holes into the plastic and keep the container in the area where you are most likely to find the fruit flies. Now, sit back and watch the fruit flies falling into the trap.

Fogging products

This is one of the best yet the most effective ways to get rid of fruit flies. Fogging would probably be the best option in case you are dealing with a large area. For outdoor use, you can choose The Burgess Insect Fogger which is quite a popular choice, whereas for indoor purpose, The Hot Shot Insect Fogger would be preferred.

Put a funnel into the container

You can put anything sugary into the container so that the fruit flies get attracted to it and then place a funnel on the top of the container so that the fruit flies try to enter the container through the hole. Once they enter the container, the fruit flies will be unable to come out of it. The narrow side of the container should be pointed down and remember that the tip of the funnel should not touch the bait. At the end, you can add some water and dish soap into the container in order to kill the fruit flies.

Read More: Health Benefits of Fennel for Babies

A carnivorous plant

Carnivorous plants trap the fruit flies on their leaves due to the stickiness, which are then eaten by the fruit flies. So, you can get a carnivorous sundew plant in order to completely get rid of the fruit flies.

Essential oils

Fruit flies do not like strong smells. For this reason, you can soak a sponge in lavender oil or get cedar balls and place them near the bowl of fruits. You can also get the leaves of a basil plant and sprinkle them around the fruit bowl.

Conclusion

Sometimes, no matter how hard you try, you may end up bringing the fruit flies in your house. For this, it is advised that you wash the fruits and vegetables as soon as you get them home from the grocery store and keep them refrigerated. In addition to this, try to empty your kitchen trash cans a bit often and also keep your sinks clean. Apart from this, if you still face the issue, you can try any of the listed techniques to get rid of them.