I’m not particularly proud to admit that I’ve had plenty of fruit flies, bite-mes, and/or annoying, black, flying bugs zipping around my home, since Fall finally set in. I apparently did a poor job of cleaning my peppers and herbs off before bringing them into the basement.
A little fruit fly humor to lighten the mood
As a result, I’ve been battling all the fun of aphids and the occasional stinkbug (which I just leave to the cat). Somehow, even a Lady Bug made her way into my basement, which I took as a sign that I truly have a problem. Spiders have set up shop in hopes of an easy meal.
Inverted soda bottle trap
A while back, I read some posts on cutting up a plastic bottle and inverting it (pictured above); I’ve read about fly paper; I’ve read about paper funnel traps; I’ve read about rotten fruit traps; I’ve read about buying an entire assortment of traps. None of these appealed to the laziness in me. Luckily, I found a super-simple solution to really keep the population under control.
Fruit Flies In Apple Cider Vinegar Trap
I settled on a hybrid, which has worked extremely well for me (pictured above) and required almost no work or attention from me. Gross. The process involves Apple Cider Vinegar, which I just love for many home uses. Here are the five easy steps to better peace of mind:
- Grab a shallow glass, mug, cup, or bowl. Anything to hold a few inches of liquid. I settled on my Demotivational Mug.
- In whatever vessel you’ve selected, put a few drops of dish detergent. I believe I have Dawn, on my kitchen counter, since my wife works for Procter and Gamble.
- Add about an inch of tap water.
- Pour in a generous helping of apple cider vinegar.
- Place it near or on the troubled area. You don’t even need to stir the concoction.
Once, I left the glass sitting on the counter and probably collected 50 dead flies, over the span of three days. For the last three days, I’ve placed it on my garbage can lid, and I’ve probably collected another 100. I am SO NOT proud of this, but at least I’ve found a way to effectively combat the nuisances until I can get my herbs back outside.
Probably need to bleach and/or torch the kitchen trash can(s), too, but that’s a chore for a better day.
