This Beer Bottle Trick Is the Easiest Way to Trap Fruit Flies

A swarm of gnats inside your private home is a significant nuisance — but it surely’s nothing in comparison with the $200 to $600 you’ll probably must shell out if the infestation will get so unhealthy it’s essential name in a pest management skilled.

Luckily, there are straightforward and efficient methods to cease these tiny winged creatures of their tracks and stop them from coming again. We spoke with pest management specialists to get their greatest recommendation for eliminating all kinds of gnats.

What is a gnat?

Gnats are teeny-tiny flying bugs which can be usually present in swarms and are identified for his or her means to hover in place. Three of the most typical kinds of gnats present in properties are fungus gnats, fruit flies and drain flies. You’ll first must rise up shut and private to determine which gnats you’re coping with in your house, as a way to greatest perceive tips on how to remedy the issue.

Types of Gnats

Fungus gnats

Fungus gnats are black with lengthy legs. They’re usually discovered close to potted crops.

Fruit flies

Fruit flies are brown with crimson eyes and normally extra spherical in form. They’re usually present in kitchens.

Drain flies

Drain flies are fuzzy with moth-like wings. They usually congregate round drains.

The excellent news is that whereas some species of gnats can chew and sting, the kinds mostly discovered indoors are merely only a nuisance to people, flying in your face throughout meal prep or throughout a cocktail party. “In a current research, we discovered most of ‘flying bugs’ in properties are fungus gnats,” says Dr. Changlu Wang, who works within the Department of Entomology at Rutgers University, including that fungus gnats “don’t chew folks or trigger allergic reactions.”

While gnats are unlikely to go away on their very own, they are often managed with a little bit of vigilance and a few primary residence treatments.

How to forestall gnats

Generally talking, gnats — together with many different pests — thrive in moist, humid environments, so you might wish to take into account operating a dehumidifier in notably dank areas of your private home. “In damp basements, preserve relative humidity beneath 50% and ensure loos are effectively ventilated,” says Dan DiClerico, the Good Housekeeping Institute’s Home Improvement and Outdoor Lab director. “Just remember that a dehumidifier gained’t remedy the underlying supply of the humidity.” You’ll additionally wish to repair any leaking pipes and ensure your private home’s gutters and downspouts are channeling water away from basis partitions to maintain moisture out.

Beyond that, the best technique to stop infestations in your house by eliminating the bugs’ “meals” supply, which varies relying on the kind of gnat:

✔️ Fungus gnats are normally discovered close to houseplants. “Fungus gnat infestations are sometimes attributable to sources of damp soil, akin to houseplants, or decaying or broken plant roots,” says Dr. Jim Fredericks, a board-certified entomologist and senior vp of public affairs on the National Pest Management Association (NPMA). To stop fungus gnats, it’s essential to recurrently repot your houseplants in new soil and ease up on overwatering them.

✔️ Fruit flies feast on decaying vegatables and fruits. To stop fruit flies in your house, rinse and dry your produce as quickly as you get it residence from the shop, then preserve it inside bins or in your fridge as a lot as potential. “By washing them and storing them correctly, fruit flies can’t discover that meals supply anymore,” says Chelle Hartzer, an entomologist with Orkin. Fruits that ripen rapidly — like apples, grapes, melons, pairs, peaches and plums — will be saved within the low-humidity crisper drawer; produce that’s susceptible to wilting, together with leafy greens, carrots and broccoli, belong within the high-humidity crisper drawer. While bananas are greatest left on the countertop, ideally on a devoted banana hanger, you’ll be able to switch them to the fridge as soon as ripe, or peel and retailer them within the freezer in an hermetic container.

✔️ Drain flies are normally present in kitchen and toilet drains, rubbish disposals and seldom-used bathrooms, since they like micro organism, sewage and gunk. To stop drain flies, it’s essential to clear and clear these plumbing strains continuously, particularly throughout sizzling, humid summer time climate.

To clear drains, pour in an answer of equal elements baking soda and vinegar, wait 5 minutes, then observe with boiling water. Stubborn clogs may require a harsher remedy; Hartzer advises utilizing a drain cleaner like Drano Max Gel Clog Remover to flush out the pipes. If the issue persists, an ongoing infestation could point out a leak, so name a plumber.
To clear rubbish disposals, toss a dozen ice cubes within the chamber, plus 1 tablespoon of baking soda, a couple of lemon slices and 1 teaspoon of bleach. Turn the disposal on with out operating water till you hear the grinding cease. Then, with the motor operating, flush with chilly water for 30 seconds.

How to eliminate gnats rapidly

While preventive measures will cease gnats on the supply, generally it’s greatest to take fast motion. Here are the best methods to eliminate gnats, immediately.

1. Use a high-tech bug zapper.

We’ve discovered that plug-in traps will be extraordinarily efficient. Consider the Zevo Flying Insect Trap, a GH Seal holder that makes use of protected quantities of blue and UV gentle to draw gnats, fruit flies and mosquitoes. “I personally love the Zevo traps which have earned our Seal; I’ve them in my home all 12 months spherical,” says Birnur Aral, Ph.D., director of the Good Housekeeping Institute’s Health, Beauty and Sustainability Lab. “We lately examined the most recent model of the product and located it’s much more efficient at trapping gnats.”

In our checks, the Zevo Flying Insect Trap began trapping bugs straight away and was full of useless ones when it was time to switch the cartridge after 15 days.

2. Try a twig answer.

The Zevo Fly, Gnat & Fruit Fly Flying Insect Spray, one other GH Seal holder, can be a very good choice. It makes use of geraniol and lemongrass oil, that are bio-insecticides that don’t have to be registered with the EPA, to kill gnats on contact. Though protected round folks and pets, the spray should be dealt with correctly; Zevo cautions in opposition to it coming into contact with eyes or pores and skin, and the flammable liquid ought to by no means be used close to electrical wiring.

3. Make a DIY vinegar lure.

One of the very best and best strategies is to arrange a vinegar lure. There are a couple of methods to do that:

Make a lure with apple cider vinegar and plastic wrap: DIY your personal fruit fly lure by pouring slightly apple cider vinegar right into a glass or simply eradicating the cap from the bottle. Cover the opening with plastic wrap and safe with a rubber band. Then, poke a couple of small holes within the plastic. The fruit flies will enter however not be capable of make their method out.
Make a lure with a paper cone, vinegar and previous fruit: Place slightly vinegar and a bit of very ripe fruit in a jar. Then, roll printer paper right into a cone and stick it into the jar, inserting the slender opening down. The scent of rotting produce will assist entice the fruit flies into the combination, however the paper cone will make it troublesome for them to flee.
Leave out a bowl of vinegar and dish cleaning soap: Add three drops of dish cleaning soap to a bowl of vinegar, and go away it uncovered in downside areas. The cleaning soap cuts the floor rigidity of the vinegar, so the flies which can be enticed by the vinegar will sink and drown.

4. Put out a beer or wine lure.

Along with vinegar, fruit flies additionally just like the scent of wine. Leave out an almost-empty open bottle of previous wine — the thin neck will preserve the flies trapped. The Old Farmer’s Almanac additionally recommends utilizing stale beer to draw fruit flies.

5. Buy a sticky lure.

For a fail-safe lure, purchase Aunt Fannie’s FlyPunch! on Amazon. The combination consists of sodium lauryl sulfate (a surfactant utilized in soaps) and malic acid (present in fruit). Just open the highest, set it in your counter and watch the cycle of life unfold.

Shop Gnat Solutions

Zevo Electric Flying Insect Trap Starter Kit

Zevo Fly, Fruit Fly, Gnat & Flying Insect Killer & Repellent

Aunt Fannie’s FlyPunch Fruit Fly Trap

Looking for extra recommendation on managing pests? Check out our guides to the very best mouse traps and tips on how to eliminate silverfish.

Contributing Writer

Caroline is a author and editor with virtually a decade of expertise. From 2015 to 2019, she held numerous editorial positions at Good Housekeeping, together with as well being editor, overlaying vitamin, health, wellness, and different life-style information. She’s a graduate of the Medill School of Journalism and goals of the day Northwestern will return to the Rose Bowl.  

Amanda Garrity is a way of life author and editor with over seven years of expertise, together with 5 years on workers at Good Housekeeping, the place she lined all issues residence and vacation, together with the most recent inside design tendencies, inspiring DIY concepts and reward guides for any (and each) event. She additionally has a smooth spot for feel-good TV, so you’ll be able to catch her writing about standard exhibits like Virgin River, Sweet Magnolias, Hallmark Channel’s When Calls the Heart and extra.