Ingredients
- 1 cup apple cider vinegar (or white vinegar)
- ¼ cup sugar
- ½ cup water
- Few drops dish soap
- Mason jar or empty bottle
- Plastic wrap or jar lid
- Rubber band or canning ring
- Fork or toothpick to poke holes
Instructions
- Add to your mason jar: 1/4 cup sugar, about 1 cup of apple cider vinegar (or pour until 3–4 inches up the side of the jar), 1/2 cup water, and a few drops of dish soap.
- Stir gently — no need to fully dissolve the sugar. The dissolving process contributes to the fermented smell that attracts flies.
- Cover the opening with plastic wrap secured with a rubber band or canning ring, or use the jar lid. Poke 4–6 pencil-tip-sized holes in the cover.
- Place near doors, windows, trash cans, or wherever you see the most fly activity.
- Empty and refresh the mixture every 5–7 days, or sooner if it fills up.
- NOTES
- The dish soap breaks the water's surface tension so flies sink and drown — never skip it. Flies not going in? Switch to dark plastic wrap. For fruit flies: use apple cider vinegar only, no sugar or water needed. Replace every 2–3 days.
Notes
If you don't have a jar around, you can use an empty 2-liter bottle cut in half with the original opening flipped upside down and put into the bottom half.
