New Fly Trap Developments

My first go at fruit fly traps was met with limited success. The problem I have is that a majority of the flies hang around the perimeter of the container. When I cover it up to trap the ones inside, the bulk get away in a cloud of fruit fly mania. It’s a bummer. I manage to get a fair number inside the container, but it’s very inefficient. 

HH told me of traps they made with cider vinegar. You create a cone with a small hole, then use it to cover the opening of a beer bottle with vinegar inside. I will say this, the flies go crazy for the vinegar. The problem I had was that they gather outside the bottle in droves, but don’t seem to actually go into the bottle. I tried making the hole bigger, but no luck. I finally went to the hardware store and got some commercial fruit fly traps, which the salespeople touted as being effective, but upon closer inspection, it was clear that they were simply variations on what HH had told me about. They were cheap, but I ended up returning them, figuring I could make it myself. The key, I believe, is making the hole as inviting as possible.

This resulted in the latest incarnation of the fruit fly trap. I took a sippy cup lid that is cone shaped, inverted it so it’s like a crater, and then placed it over a jar with fruit. So far it’s worked fairly well, though again, they don’t always go in. Also, once they’re inside, given enough time, they’ll figure out how to get out, but that’s not a problem. The key is that when you come to remove trap, the flies can’t think fast enough to get out of that small hole. In a big bowl, they can fly away no problem, but given the small exit hole, they panic and don’t know what to do.

It’s not a perfect solution because we still have fruit fly issues, but I can’t help but think the problem has a been somewhat tempered. At the very least, it makes me feel like a virile fruit fly warrior, and a guy needs to feel that now and then.

Until the next time, thanks for reading.