Update: People, this didn’t work at all.  I didn’t catch one single fruit fly.  Total Pinterest fail.  I’m not giving up, though.  Those fruit flies have GOT to go.

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Oh, Pinterest.  You know everything, don’t you?  You suck us in for hours at a time, with eye-candy promises of perfect birthday parties, endless ways to use white vinegar, and crocheted baby shoes.  I spend so much time in the “DIY and Crafts” category that I sometimes forget to do any DIY and craft projects!  But Pinterest has a project for everything, so let’s try one out!

I have a small herb garden on a windowsill shelf, where I’m trying to grow the fresh herbs I use most often.  I’ve got a pretty black thumb, so no one is more surprised than me that right now, my little plants are thriving!  My plan for endless fresh herbs at 7,800 feet is working!

All except for the fruit flies. Seriously, where did these little buggers come from?  It’s still winter here in the mountains, and they’ve been around since mid-February.  My plants don’t seem to mind them, but they’re driving me crazy!

So what’s a girl to do?  Go check Pinterest!

There were a ton of fruit fly trap ideas on Pinterest, but I went with this simple tutorial from How Mom Did It.

First, collect your supplies.  You’ll need apple cider vinegar, some dish soap, plastic wrap, and a wide-mouth mason jar with a ring.

Pour a little vinegar into the jar.  You really only need about half an inch…but if you’re taking pictures for your blog and over-fill your jar, feel free to pour some vinegar back into the bottle like I did.  What?  The jar was clean!  it’s like the 5-second rule…but for jars.  Okay, then.  Moving on.

Next, add 2-3 drops of dishwashing soap to help break the surface tension of the vinegar.  Surface tension is what lets those little buggers sit on top of the vinegar, rather than sinking into it like we want.  Ha HA!  Just try to escape now, you little ruffians!

Next, stretch a piece of plastic wrap over the mouth of the jar and secure it with the ring.

Poke a few holes in the plastic wrap to allow the fruit flies to enter the trap…and you’re done!

Now, just stick that death trap in your fruit fly problem area and wait.  If all goes well, the little hooligans will be attracted to the scent of the vinegar and fly into the jar, ending my fruit fly problem forever!

Or so Pinterest says.

 

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