Red Wine Fruit Fly Trap
A simple wine-based trap that attracts and captures fruit flies within hours
5 min beginner Yields 2 traps
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup Red wine (leftover wine works best, sweeter varieties are ideal)
- 3 drops Dish soap (breaks the surface tension)
- 1 tsp Sugar
- 2 tbsp Apple cider vinegar (boosts the fermentation scent)
Steps
- Pour red wine into a small jar or shallow bowl.
- Add apple cider vinegar and sugar. Stir until dissolved.
- Add 3 drops of dish soap and stir once. Avoid foam.
- Place near the infestation source: fruit bowl, compost, trash, or sink drain.
- Optionally cover with plastic wrap, secure with rubber band, and poke 4-6 small holes.
- Or leave uncovered — the dish soap eliminates the need for a physical barrier.
- Replace bait every 2-3 days.
Why It Works
Fruit flies seek ethanol and acetic acid as signals of fermenting yeast, their primary food source. Red wine provides both at high concentrations. Dish soap breaks surface tension below what a fruit fly can support, causing them to sink and drown on contact.
Tips
- Stale or oxidized wine is more effective than fresh due to higher acetic acid.
- No wine? Substitute 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar with 1 tablespoon sugar.
- Pour boiling water down kitchen drains daily to kill larvae at the source.
- Refrigerate ripe bananas, tomatoes, and stone fruit until the infestation clears.