How to Trap Flies Near Fruit Trees

It's wonderful to have your very own fruit tree to harvest fresh homegrown produce, but there is one drawback. Pests ranging from insects to birds will always be trying to get their fill of your fruit before they even fully ripen. You can use the system described here to take care of those pesky fruit flies and hungry moths, however. It may seem like a lot of work, but making these fly traps is very easy and will be well worth it when it comes time to harvest your fresh, ripe fruit.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Water
• Apple cider vinegar
• Molasses
• White sugar
• Small plastic containers
• Duct tape
• Mixing bowl
• Spoon

1. Gather together several small plastic containers. These can be storebought, but empty yogurt and margarine containers work wonderfully. Anything lightweight with an opening between 2 and 4 inches in diameter is ideal. Make sure that you get at least two for every fruit tree you have and rinse them well if you're using recycled food containers.

2. Tear off a strip of duct tape that is about 6 or 7 inches long. Fold the sticky sides of the strip in half across its width, not its length, so that you're left with a 6- or 7-inch long narrow strip that is not sticky on either side. This will be used as a handle for one of the plastic containers. Repeat this step for every plastic container you plan to use.

3. Tear off another strip of duct tape that is about as long as the circumference of the plastic containers. Hold the handle that you made in Step 2 against the sides of the container so that it forms an arch over the opening, much like the handle on a bucket would look like. Then, with your other hand, carefully wrap the other strip of duct tape around the sides of the container so that it adheres the handle to the container on both sides. Your finished product should be a sturdy little pail. Repeat this step for each of the containers.

4. Mix together 1 cup of water, 1/3 cup of white sugar, 1 tablespoon of molasses and 2/3 cup of apple cider vinegar in a mixing bowl. Stir the mixture together well with a spoon.

5. Pour a little bit of this mixture into each of your little pails. It doesn't take much for this mixture to be effective, so you can just pour in a layer about 1/2 inch thick if you have lots of pails to fill.

6. Hang each pail over a sturdy branch on your fruit trees. Try to hang them close to clusters of ripening fruit and, ideally, close to the trunk so that the leaves and branches will prevent rainwater from accumulating in the containers. Use two containers for smaller trees and three or more for larger ones. The mixture will be more attractive to fruit flies and moths than the fruit, and the insects will get trapped in the muck when they try to take a sip.

7. Check the containers about every three days or after each significant rainfall. When the containers become filled with dead flies, rainwater or leaves, empty and rinse them out. Then mix up another batch of the fly trap mixture and refill them before replacing them on the trees.

8. Remove the containers when you harvest the last of your fruit. If they're still in good enough condition, rinse them well and save them for use again next season.

Tips & Warnings

• You may be able to find cheap plastic buckets that already have handles and that are about the right size. If you can, buy up several so that you don't have to go hunting for them again.
• The fly trap solution is very sticky, so avoid spilling it on your hands and clothing. Avoid spilling it indoors, too, because it will attract sugar-loving insects.