Summer is here, and along with it comes the many flies that seem to love the warm weather.

Fruit flies and their close cousins gnats are two of the most annoying insects that can become a major problem in the summer, but we have some simple tricks for you that will stop them dead in their tracks!

Fruit flies are attracted to fruits and vegetables while gnats like indoor plants and moist soil.

Not only can they be a major nuisance, they can also greatly reduce the life of the fruits and plants they target, which is why it is crucial that you get rid of these insects fast.

Thankfully, we have gathered some strategies you can use to get rid of these bugs for good!

One strategy you can use involves making a trap that the fruit flies and gnats will be unable to escape.

You can make a trap by taking a cup and filling it with one of the solutions we have listed below, then cover it with plastic wrap and poke some holes in it.

You can also make a paper funnel trap by folding a piece of paper into a cone trap and putting it on the mouth of a glass jar.

Make sure the bottom of the funnel has an opening that is around one inch wide and that the tip is about 2-inches away from the bottom of the jar.

Put one of the solutions below in the jar as bait, and simply wait for the insects to get trapped!

Here are some items you probably have around your pantry that can be used to attract gnats and fruit flies:

Red Wine – Fruit flies and gnats LOVE the smell of red wine, so they will fly towards it as soon as it is in their general vicinity.

We suggest that you mix 1/2 cup of red wine with 1 and a 1/2 cups of water and then pour it into the trap we discussed above.

Apple Cider Vinegar – These insects love this substance as well, so pour it into the trap and they will fly right to it.

If you want the vinegar to be extra potent, heat it up and add a few drops of soap into it. The vinegar will attract the bugs while the soap acts as a bug killer, so you can rinse and repeat this when the jar is full of dead bugs.

Overripe or Rotten Food – If you don’t want to use a liquid in the trap, putting an overripe fruit or vegetable in it works just as well.

If you do this, make sure to take the jar full of bugs and submerge it in water to kill them before reusing the trap.

Milk, Pepper, And Sugar – Mix 2 cups of milk with 8 tablespoons of sugar and 4 tablespoons of ground pepper, then heat the mixture up and place it in the trap once you have let it simmer for 10 minutes. The bugs will be attracted to the sweet smell and will drown once they get stuck in the solution.

Lemon Scented Sprays – Fruit flies and gnats hate the smell of lemon, so spray a lemon scent in an area full of the bugs to prevent them from spreading. Keep spraying your kitchen surfaces with this spray as long as the problem continues.

Find out more about how to get rid of fruit flies and gnats in the video below, and SHARE this story so your friends and family can see it as well!