I’m at war over here. A war with fruit flies. And I’m proud to say I’m winning.

The piece that I’m struggling with is that there’s nothing that could possibly be causing these little buggers to multiply like wildfire. I know how they got here- there was ripe fruit on the counter. That piece makes perfect sense. But I’m having a hard time understanding how they’re still here after we were out of the house on vacation for over a week.  The disposal’s been run, the garbage emptied. counters wiped and the fruit flies have still managed to find something in our home to help them thrive. And thrive they are doing very well.

The only theory I can surmise is way back when we did have ripe fruit on the counter the fruit flies decided to lay hundreds of eggs which then hatched into larvae and then decided to stick around for a while.

The bottom line is they’re here and they’ve been calling our kitchen home.

Until now.

I have always taught my kids to try their best to release bugs found in our house safely outside. Yes, I’m one of those parents. Last night was the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back. There  were too many fruit flies and releasing them outside wasn’t working. I was finished sharing my home with what felt like thousands (probably only 50) of them.

Here’s how the fruit fly battle went down.

How to get rid of fruit flies naturally

What’s needed:

• A glass jar. I used a glass Pyrex measuring cup.
• Apple cider vinegar
• Liquid dish soap
• Plastic wrap. I don’t use it for many things, but it was helpful for this
• A rubber band

Instructions:

• Fill the glass jar with 3/4 cup of apple cider vinegar.
• Add a squirt of liquid dish washing soap and mix them together with a spoon.
• Cover the top of the glass jar with plastic wrap and hold it in place with a rubber band.
• Poke small holes in the plastic wrap (so the fruit flies can get in, but can’t get out).

I woke up this morning and discovered that I’d won. There are still a few hanging around, but they’re pretty interested in the apple cider vinegar concoction. I’m guessing they won’t be around for long.

There are many ways to combat fruit flies. Some are very similar and others different.

• Stephanie from Good Girl Gone Green has a similar solution, but doesn’t use plastic wrap. Might have to try that next time!
• Becky from Eat Drink Better had success with the same sort of fruit fly recipe.  She points out that the dish soap breaks the vinegar’s surface tension so the flies can’t land on the surface of the vinegar without sinking.
• Tiffany from Nature Moms creates a simple trap using a jar, plastic wrap and a piece of food.
• Karen from EcoKaren had similar success with the apple cider vinegar method.

How do you deal with fruit flies?