How to get rid of fruit flies?

Fruit flies breed fast — a single female can lay about 500 eggs, and the entire life cycle from egg to adult can complete in just over a week. That’s why a few flies can turn into a cloud within days if you only trap adults without removing their food source.

The most effective DIY trap takes 30 seconds: pour an inch of apple cider vinegar into a small bowl or jar and add two drops of liquid dish soap. Don’t stir — the soap layer breaks the surface tension so flies that land to drink sink instead. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, poke a few small holes, and place it near the fruit bowl, trash can, or sink drain where you see the most activity.

But the trap only solves half the problem. You also need to eliminate what’s breeding them. Throw out overripe fruit, rinse recyclables before putting them in the bin, take out the trash regularly, and pour boiling water down sink drains (fruit flies often breed in the thin layer of organic gunk inside drains). Keep fresh produce in the refrigerator until the infestation clears. Once the breeding sites are gone and the adults are trapped, the population usually collapses within a few days.