Fruit Fly Traps

 

We've been having our annual summer bout with the fruit flys due to the large amount of tomatoes we've had in the house. My daughter has been bothered by them more than I have and yesterday she set out to combat them. She did her investigative work online and quickly set up a table full of experimental homemade fruit fly traps. She set out a plate of tomatoes to attract them to the table and even put two lamps there to attract them. It was like watching a mad scientist in action. :) 

Her experiment worked great and last night she counted 52 dead fruit flys and there were even more this morning. She used a variety of recipes, but the one she thinks worked the best was a combination of milk and sugar, but she had that bowl wrapped in plastic wrap and once they found their way into her trap, they couldn't find their way out. I think the apple cider vinegar traps worked the best, and if they had been covered in plastic wrap they would have done an even better job. We may have to do another experiment. :)

Fruit flies are attracted to the smell of the apple cider vinegar since it has  a fruity aroma, and I like the fact that there are no harsh fumes and these traps can be made relatively inexpensively.

Apple Cider Vinegar Fruit Fly Trap:

Ingredients: 

1 cup apple cider vinegar

A couple drops of dish washing detergent (we used Dawn)

A small bowl or jar

Plastic wrap

Directions:

Pour the cup of apple cider vinegar into a jar or small bowl.

Add a couple drops of dish soap to the jar. 

Cover the container with plastic wrap and punch small holes in the top.

Place around your house in areas where you've seen fruit flies, and wait for the kill. 

 

Milk & Sugar Fruit Fly Trap:

Ingredients: 

1/2 cup milk

2 TBSP Sugar

A small bowl or jar

Plastic wrap

Directions:

Pour the milk and sugar into a jar or small bowl.

Cover the container with plastic wrap and punch small holes in the top.

Place around your house in areas where you've seen fruit flies, and wait for the kill.  

 

She did add some cider apple vinegar to the Milk & Sugar trap later thinking it would help attract them to the traps.  Like I said, she was like a mad scientist adding things to the traps as they day progressed. It was fun for her and I could tell she was enjoying herself. 

There are many recipes online for homemade fruit fly traps and many of them will do a good job of ridding our homes of these pests for very little money.

Today’s Bit of News:

 I subbed again today for the same teacher as yesterday. Dinner tonight was easy, Beef Hot Dogs with mustard, relish, tomatoes, and onions, Potato Salad and Cole Slaw. We stopped at Sonic again on the way home and picked up Iced Tea, but I still had two freebies with one of the surveys/receipts and received another one today. I brought my lunch from home again today, homemade pepperoni pizza that I made on Sunday and drank water, so no money spent today either. I hope you've had a good day today.

Belinda

© Belinda Richardson and Frugal Workshop, 2012.

“Use it up, wear it out, make it do, do without”