Keep Fruit Flies Out Of Your Kitchen With Duct Tape

Because fruit flies are small and breed fast, they can be quite a nuisance. If they're flying around your home, they probably entered in one of three ways: through cracks in walls, windows, or doors; by eggs laid inside fruits and vegetables; or from a drain. You may notice them hanging out around overripe fruit, the sink, the garbage can, cleaning towels, or empty cans. If so, you can quickly eliminate the bugs with duct tape. Simply place pieces of this material around your space with the sticky side exposed and watch as the flies collect on the surface. Then, throw the duct tape into the trash. 

If you're wondering where the best place to put this material is, it really depends on where you're seeing the most fruit fly action. You could attach it to your trash can, cabinets, countertops, or near your windows and doors. Or, if they seem to be everywhere all at once, hang pieces from your ceiling like makeshift pieces of flypaper.

If you're unsure where the flies are entering your kitchen, try placing a piece of duct tape over your sink drains overnight, then peel it off in the morning and check for stuck bugs. Another option is to tape down a clear piece of plastic, which will allow you to see if any bugs congregate near the drain before removing the tape. You may have to repeat this for a few nights if you don't see any bugs the first time. However, note that if the insects have a hairy appearance, they're probably drain flies.

If you've determined that your drain is the problem, there are a few ways to eradicate the pests for good. The easiest method is pouring boiling water down the drain. Or, you could use vinegar or bleach and scrub with a long brush. Another mixture you could try pouring down the drain is half a cup of salt, half a cup of baking soda, and 1 cup of vinegar, which you should leave overnight, and then rinse with boiling water in the morning. To prevent the fruit flies from being attracted to your garbage disposal, ensure you don't leave food inside the grinding chamber.

You could also contain fruit flies inside a simple trap which you can construct with the help of duct tape. To create this, you'll need a glass mason jar (preferably one with a narrow opening), a piece of paper, apple cider vinegar, and dish soap. Start by rolling the paper into a funnel, where one side has a small, half-inch hole, and the other is much larger, and tape this into place. Next, pour the vinegar and dish soap inside the mason jar, place the funnel with the narrow opening inside, and tape the paper around the edge of the jar.

Once you've completed these steps, leave the trap on the counter until you don't notice any more flies in your kitchen and can see that the trap has worked its magic. If you'd rather release the critters, you could substitute the liquids for ripe pieces of fruit, then release the trapped fruit flies outside. Then you can clean the container and save it for the next time you see the pesky insects flying around your kitchen.