The fruit fly trap nobody breaks out of.
Flies check in. They don't check out.
Pour in a little cider vinegar with a drop of washing-up liquid and stand it by the fruit bowl. Fruit flies follow the smell in through the lid, drop into the cup and can't find the way back out. When it's full, tip it down the sink, rinse it and fill it again.
Does catch lots.eBay buyer, Oct 2026
Why flies escape other traps
Getting in is easy, getting out isn't.
A jar with cling film and a few poked holes catches fruit flies, then lets plenty of them go. A trapped fly heads for the light, and in a cling-film jar the brightest thing it can see is the holes it came in through.
This one is built like an island prison. The way in is a funnel that ends in one 4 mm hole, hung in the dark middle of the cup. The bright spots are eight pinholes round the edge of the lid, far too small to squeeze through.
The fruit fly trap, floor plan
How nobody breaks out
The gate
Eight slots in the lid let the smell of the vinegar out and the flies in.
The cells
A funnel narrows to a single 4 mm hole that hangs in the middle of the cup, 13 mm above the vinegar and under the lid's solid centre.
The decoy
The brightest spots a trapped fly can see are eight pinholes round the edge of the lid, too small to get through and well away from the real exit.
The moat
Below it all is a pool of cider vinegar with a drop of washing-up liquid. Flies that land on it sink.
£9.99 with free tracked delivery, posted within 2 working days.
Setting up your fruit fly trap
Locked down in a minute
Fill the moatPour apple cider vinegar up to the ridge inside the cup. That's about 28 ml, no measuring jug needed.
Add one dropA drop of washing-up liquid breaks the surface, so flies sink instead of standing on the vinegar. A small piece of very ripe banana or peach speeds things up.
Lock the gatePush the lid on and stand it wherever the flies gather, by the fruit bowl or the food bin.
Emptying it: lift the lid off, tip it down the sink and rinse both parts under the tap. A 500 ml bottle of cider vinegar fills it about 18 times.
Fruit fly traps compared
How the other traps stack up
| The trap | What pulls them in | What stops them leaving | What you keep buying |
|---|---|---|---|
| FruitFlyTrap | Cider vinegar | One 4 mm exit in the dark middle, decoy light at the edge, a pool they sink in | Vinegar. A 500 ml bottle fills it about 18 times |
| Jar and cling film | Cider vinegar | Small holes, which are also the brightest way out | Cling film |
| Yellow sticky card | Colour. They're sold for fungus gnats and whiteflies | Glue | New cards |
| Fly spray | Nothing | It kills the flies it hits | Cans of spray |
From a real buyer
"So much neater on my countertop than various glass containers of vinegars." "An amazing item - thank you! ... Does catch lots. Excellent item, thanks."eBay buyer feedback, 20 October 2026
£9.99 with free tracked delivery, posted within 2 working days.
The details
The record sheet
- Size
- 6.7 cm across and 5.5 cm tall with the lid on
- Holds
- About 28 ml of vinegar up to the fill line
- Made from
- White PLA
- Cleaning
- Rinse by hand under the tap
- In the box
- One fruit fly trap: the cup and its push-on lid
- Not included
- Vinegar, washing-up liquid and fruit
- Delivery
- Free tracked UK delivery, posted within 2 working days
Fruit flies, answered
Common questions
How do I get rid of fruit flies for good?
Find what they're breeding in and bin it, then trap the adults that are left. They breed in anything moist and fermenting: overripe fruit, the food bin, recycling that wasn't rinsed, a drain, or a peel that rolled under the fridge. Clear that, stand the trap where they gather, and the numbers drop as the adults get caught.
What do I put in a fruit fly trap?
Apple cider vinegar up to the ridge inside the cup, which is about 28 ml, and one drop of washing-up liquid. Fruit flies follow the sharp smell of the acetic acid in vinegar. A small piece of very ripe banana or peach in the cup speeds things up.
Why add washing-up liquid?
It lowers the surface tension of the vinegar. Without it, a fly can land on the surface and stand there. With it, the fly sinks.
Where do fruit flies come from?
Most come home as eggs on fruit, and the rest fly in through windows. Adults are 3 to 5 mm long and get through ordinary fly screens. A female lays around 500 eggs on moist, fermenting food, so one forgotten potato or a sticky juice spill can breed thousands of them.
How long does it take to clear fruit flies?
A fruit fly goes from egg to adult in 8 to 15 days, faster when the kitchen is warm. Keep the trap out for at least that long after you've cleared what they were breeding in, so it catches the last ones to hatch.
Can I make my own fruit fly trap?
Yes. A jar of cider vinegar with a paper funnel taped into the top works. The weak spot of the cling-film version is light: a trapped fly heads for it, and the holes it came in through face the room, so the way in is also the brightest way out. This trap puts the brightest spots, eight pinholes too small to get through, well away from the one real exit.
How often do I empty it?
Whenever you can see a catch building up. Lift the lid off, tip it down the sink, rinse both parts under the tap and fill it again. A 500 ml bottle of cider vinegar fills it about 18 times, and there are no sticky papers or refill packs to buy.
Where's the best place to put a fruit fly trap?
Wherever the flies gather, usually next to the fruit bowl or the food bin. It's 6.7 cm across and 5.5 cm tall, so it sits on the worktop without getting in the way.
What's in the box?
One fruit fly trap: the cup and its push-on lid, in white. Vinegar, washing-up liquid and fruit aren't included.
How fast is delivery?
It's posted within 2 working days with free tracked UK delivery, on Amazon and on eBay.
Maximum security, £9.99
Get your fruit bowl back. Forever.
Lock them up for £9.99, with free tracked delivery and posted within 2 working days.