To Catch a Fruit Fly

Summer is here, and for many of us, so are the fruit flies. Not really a big threat in any way, at least not if you give some thought to where you store your food. I usually keep all my food in the fridge or in closed containers, and I try to not have fruit out in the open. But even I get visits from the occasional fruit fly, and among things I really don't like, bugs are high up on the list.

Actually, that's not entirely true. I find bugs fascinating. But they belong outside. So for all bugs inside, it's game on. And here's my way of dealing with the fruit flies.

Take a small glass or jar, and fill it ever so slightly with white wine. It's possible to use citrus fruit as well. Or yeast. The flies seems to be attracted to fermentation, all though I couldn't possibly confirm this in a scientific way. Well, that's not entirely true either. I left a glass of wine on the table over the night, and in the morning it was filled with flies. That's a scientific confirmation, right?

Either way, I place two layers of plastic wrapping over the jar, and a string to hold the plastic in place. I then cut a tiny hole for the flies to enter. The hole does not need to be bigger than the size of a fly, but don't worry about the flies escaping. They're too interested in the smell of white wine to ever exit the hole.

It's not a delicate sight once the flies start filling the jar, so feel free to cover the jar with something. Or, if you feel all natural geographic, you can think of the jar as your own personal insectarium. Why not try to tell the flies apart? Give them names? Start cheering for them, and bet on who lives the longest? Everyone needs a hobby.

I will show the result of this Fruit Fly Trap in a few days, but as I can see exactly no fruit flies in my apartment right now, it may be rather uneventful. That said, I can confirm that this method works.