How to Get Rid of Gnats and Fruit Flies Fast and Easy

When you keep fruits and vegetables at home, often you can see small insects flaying over them. They appear when the fruits and vegetables start to ripen and then rot. These insects are called fruit flies or gnats. They feed on ripening and rotting food items. They are seen in damp and moist places, like the garbage bins and so on. You have to locate the rotting item and dispose it to get rid of these flies. Ensure you check every nook and corner thoroughly to trap the fruit flies and get rid of them.

How to Trap Fruit Flies Easily:

There are many effective methods to catch the fruit flies and get rid of them. Follow these simple and best home remedies to eliminate fruit flies from your house.

Apple cider vinegar fly trap:

What you need:

• ½ cup of apple cider vinegar
• 1 to 2 drops of dishwashing liquid
• 1 piece of ripe fruit
• A funnel
• A glass jar

Procedure to Follow:

1. Take the vinegar in a bowl and heat it lightly. Pour it into the jar. Add one or two drops of dishwasher liquid to it.
2. Now you have to put a piece of ripe fruit into the jar and place the funnel on the mouth of the jar. If you do not have a funnel with you, you can use a rolled up piece of paper instead. Tape the funnel in place.
3. Now you have to place this jar on the kitchen counter where a large number of fruit flies are present.

Keep this jar in the kitchen for about 2 hours. You can repeat it the next day if needed. This works because the fruit flies are attracted to the smell of fermentation. The flies will get to the ripe fruit and get drowned in the vinegar placed. It will not be able to fly out because of the funnel, which confuses it.

Banana fly trap:

Procedure to Follow:

• A scrap piece of paper
• Cellophane tape
• A glass jar
• A small piece of banana

What you have to do:

1. Take the jar and place the banana piece in the jar.
2. Now you have to make a cone out of the paper and insert it into the jar in such a way that the narrow end of the cone is at least half way down.
3. Use the tape to hold the cone in place.
4. Leave it overnight.

You can keep this trap for a few days to get rid of the fruit flies. The smell of the rotten banana helps in attracting the fruit flies. Once the flies enter the jar, they are trapped inside it by the paper cone.

Clove apple procedure:

What you need:

• An apple
• 20 to 25 cloves

Procedure to Follow:

1. Take the apple and prick it all over with the cloves.
2. Place this apple on the kitchen counter or the dining table.
3. Leave it throughout the day.

You can repeat it for a day or two. The smell of cloves repels the flies.

Homemade fruit fly spray:

What you need:

• 10 drops of lemongrass essential oil
• 2 ounces of hot water
• A spray bottle

Procedure to Follow:

1. Mix the hot water with the essential oil and then pour it into the spray bottle carefully. Shake the bottle well so that the two ingredients mix well.
2. Spray this mixture on the windowsills, doors and other places. You can also spray this mixture directly on the fruit flies.

Spray this mixture on all entryways of you house for a few days, till you get rid of all the fruit flies. Lemongrass oil helps in repelling the fruit flies. It also leaves a refreshing smell in your house for a long time.

Orange juice fly trap:

What you need:

• ¼ cup of orange juice
• ¼ cup of water
• One glass of water
• Plastic wrap
• Toothpick

Procedure to Follow:

1. Dilute the orange juice by adding water to it and then pour it into the jar.
2. Now you have to cover the jar with the plastic wrap and then make holes on the wrap, which are big enough for the fruit flies to go in.
3. Leave the jar for a couple of hours.

You can repeat it the next day if there are still fruit flies in your kitchen. When orange juice is kept at room temperature, it starts to ferment. This smell will attract the fruit flies. They enter inside the jar through the holes on the plastic wrap, but find it difficult to get out.

Red wine method:

What you need:

• Left over wine
• Bottle with a thin nozzle

Procedure to Follow:

1. Pour the wine in the bottle and leave it in your kitchen or your dining room.
2. The fruit flies will be attracted to it and get trapped inside the bottle. Now cover the mouth of the bottle and freeze the bottle, so that the flied die.

Repeat this process in different rooms so that all the fruit flies in the house are caught. The fermented red wine gives out a fragrant odour, which attracts the fruit flies. As a result, they enter the bottle, but find it difficult to get out of the bottle.

Few Fruit Fly Facts:

1. Fruit flies are very common on items that are not kept inside the refrigerator.
2. They are very much attracted towards the fermented odour of the food items. As a result, they are also called vinegar flies.
3. The life span of fruit flies is very short, about 10 days. They also reproduce quickly.
4. The female flies lay about 500 eggs at a time.
5. They grow fast and are a menace for every household.