The Simple Cupcake Liner Hack To Prevent Pesky Bugs In Your Drink

We've all been there: You're enjoying a nice evening outside on your patio or dining al fresco at your favorite restaurant when all of a sudden a nasty little fly finds a new home in your drink. Of course, you're probably grossed out, but you also have to make the decision of whether to try to remove the fly and continue drinking, or get a new drink altogether. But if you have any cupcake liners on hand, you can avoid the problem entirely: Just pop an upside-down cupcake holder over the top of your drink, and you're officially free from worrying about those pesky bugs.

Not only are cupcake liners a genius idea for preventing bugs, but they're also fun to look at and can even act as labels so you and your guests know whose drink is whose. Plus, it's certainly a better alternative than holding your hand over your glass the whole time.

Cupcake liners are for more than just baking cupcakes; they are about to become your best friend for outdoor cocktails. They're super affordable, meaning you won't have to go out of your budget to protect your drink. Plus, you can often buy a package of these liners with various colors or patterns, meaning if each of your guests takes a different pattern, the liners will act as a way of labeling your drinks, too. (You can also write your name on the flat side of the liner as another way to label the drink if the liners are all one color.)

Beyond that, those fun patterns mean these liners will only add to the festive outdoor atmosphere. Place the liners next to drink glasses at your next party, and make a little sign asking guests to choose the one they want to cover their glass.

It's not uncommon to spot a fruit fly or house fly swimming around in your drink. But why do they want that soda or cocktail in the first place — and is it bad to keep drinking it? Things like mosquitos, bees, and flies are attracted to the sugars found in drinks like wine and soda, so when you're sipping on one of these outside, it's easy for a bug to sense that sugar and want to explore your drink.

If you're not protecting your glass with a cupcake liner and a bug does land in your drink, it could potentially transfer dangerous bacteria to the drink. Flies often find homes in places like rotting food, animal waste, and other entirely unappealing spots. And if a fly just went from dog waste into your drink, it might have brought some dangerous bacteria with it. With that said, it doesn't always mean you'll get sick. It depends on how many bacteria made their way into your drink, your immune system, and maybe even the drink itself — some studies have shown that alcoholic beverages could damage those germs, rendering them harmless. But if you don't want to take the chance, you might want to get a new drink altogether, or simply prevent it from happening in the first place with those handy liners.