DIY All-Natural Fruit Fly Trap

I think that everyone should be a do-it-yourself-er. For one thing, you can save huge amounts of money for usually very little work (depending on what kind of project it is). And completing a DIY project provides a tremendous sense of satisfaction. It's a huge self-esteem boost, even if the project was a little one, like the one below.

But of course, as Americans, we prefer everything to be pre-made and pre-packaged. Open a container and voila! Instant gratification.

So, to combat this mentality that we've all grown up with, I'm going to be featuring lots of easy DIY ideas. Here's the first one: (Thanks to Passionate Homemaking for this excellent and effective idea!)

All-Natural Fruit Fly Trap

What you'll need:

- A jar
- A piece of paper
- Tape
- Apple cider vinegar
- A small chunk of fruit (I happened to use kiwi)

Place the fruit in the jar and fill with about 1/2 inch of apple cider vinegar. Roll the paper into a funnel and tape. Make sure the bottom won't be touching the vinegar. Basically what will happen is this: The flies fly down through the funnel, but they aren't smart enough to fly back up. After you get a bunch of them in your jar, you can stick it in the freezer until they die and just pull it out and reuse it. No cleaning necessary :)

This is a picture of my trap about an hour after setting it out. There are about a dozen flies trapped already and half a dozen more working their way down the funnel! Amazing!