Flies are repelled by vinegar, and the smell of boiling vinegar can make them leave. Pour some malt vinegar in a pot or pan, let it boil, and wait for the flies to desperately try to escape.
How do I get rid of fruit flies quickly? A fast way of getting rid of fruit flies is by pouring boiling white vinegar or boiling water down your drains. Fruit flies like to live in moist and hidden locations, such as drains and garbage disposals.
A super simple fix is to pour boiling water down the drain to eliminate drain flies. Boil a medium-size pot of water once or twice per week, and pour down and around the drain. Another easy option uses baking soda: Combine 1/2 cup salt with 1/2 cup baking soda and 1 cup of vinegar, and pour down the drain.
Vinegar attracts, not repels flies; however, a container with vinegar and dish soap will function as an attractant trap as the vinegar lures flies to enter the trap and the dish soap will cause the flies to sink and die.
1. Apple cider vinegar and plastic wrap trap. For this DIY fruit fly trap, sweet apple cider vinegar (ACV) is more effective than white vinegar. They can't resist the scent of vinegar, and they won't be able to exit once they're inside!
Flies can be easily repelled with white vinegar, so much so that even the smell of boiling vinegar can be an easy-to-make DIY fly repellent on its own. Pour some cider vinegar into a pot or jar to start making your fly repellent.
White vinegar can be used to catch fruit flies, but they'll be MUCH more inclined to fly into a trap if apple cider vinegar is used. Make a trap as described in the previous paragraph, with a jar and plastic wrap. Here's a fun experiment that kids will love: try out both white vinegar and apple cider vinegar.
Using a mixture of water and vinegar as a spray around windows and doors can also deter flies since they hate the smell and will generally stay away from sprayed areas.
Pour Boiling Water Down the Drain- Fruit flies can usually survive typical water flow down the drain, but boiling some hot water and pouring it down can kill flies and their eggs. Peptanks points out that this may be done a few times a week for a couple of weeks to make sure you kill any future generations of flies.
While baking soda is ineffective against fruit flies, you can use a combination of 1/2 cup of baking soda, 1/2 cup of salt, and 1 cup of vinegar to clean out your drains and kill off any drain fly larvae. Pour the mixture in overnight, let it sit, and then pour boiling water down the drain in the morning.
Vinegar (or acetic acid) is the ultimate product of the fermentation process in fruit, which is why fruit flies are attracted to vinegar odor. However, both low and high concentrations of vinegar odor leave flies indifferent (left).
Vinegar is one of the best ingredients to make a pest control spray. It is effective in repelling ants, mosquitoes, fruit flies, and many others. Creating a mix is quite simple and is considered safe for humans and pets. Acidity of the vinegar is potent enough to kill many pests.
To find that fruit, flies use their sense of smell, what we call their olfactory system. What they are sensing, smelling, are things like acetic acid — the molecule that gives vinegar its pungent punch. So you could bait your trap with fruit, but vinegar jumps right to the chase and lures them in.
If fruit flies aren't going into the vinegar, make sure it's apple cider vinegar you're using in the trap. 'Plain white vinegar does will not attract fruit flies because it has no fruity scent,' says Diane Kuthy. And if it is the right sort of vinegar, don't use it cold.
If the fruit flies (or gnats) are attracted to the trap but are not going in (walking all over the top of the plastic wrap), it means your holes aren't big enough. After a few days the vinegar loses it's drawing power, toss out, wash the bowl and start over again. You'll be surprised at how many you catch!
Cayenne pepper is an excellent natural fly repellent and also deters many other insects. Mix one cup of water and one teaspoon of cayenne pepper in a misting bottle and spray it near entryways and wherever you see flies. Other natural fly repellents include lemongrass, peppermint, eucalyptus, camphor, and cinnamon.
Most vinegar fly traps use a mixture of vinegar and dish soap to attract flies, but it doesn't bring in every fly species. There are dozens of fly species in nature, even in North Carolina. They are all attracted to different scents. The fruit fly, in particular, senses sugar and sweet tastes wafting from fruits.
If you don't have witch hazel on hand, try using vinegar instead. This natural pest control spray will not only help keep flies away but will also leave your home smelling fresh and clean.
Cinnamon – use cinnamon as an air freshner, as flies hate the smell! Lavender, eucalyptus, peppermint and lemongrass essential oils – Not only will spraying these oils around the house create a beautiful aroma, but they will also deter those pesky flies too.
A foul rotting piece of organic matter (from food, to feces, and everything in between) is probably the reason why the house flies are growing at an alarming rate in your home. It is the perfect breeding ground for houseflies and they will show up near and far to take advantage of the filth that is available to them.
DIY fly killer spray: Mix ½ cup of water with ½ cup of isopropyl alcohol (found at your local drug store) and 1 teaspoon of liquid dish soap into a spray bottle (add water first so soap doesn't bubble). Spray directly onto pesky flies to kill them.