4 Proven Homemade Fly Traps

There’s nothing worse than trying to complete your day-to-day household chores and being constantly interrupted by the buzzing and fluttering of annoying flies and gnats! Although the issue can become extensive, some are hesitant to initially contact pest control. And hey, there’s nothing wrong with wanting to get your DIY on! In this article, we’ll be covering some of the most well-known, proven homemade fly traps.

If you’ve ever had this problem, then you probably know that it’s incessant. No matter how many you swat down, or how clean you keep your space, they always seem to keep reappearing after they make their debut. But luckily, whether you’re someone who is particularly crafty or someone who can barely work a pair of scissors, there’s certainly a solution on this list that’s made for you!

How To Help Avoid Flies in The First Place

Before we get into our list of homemade fly traps, perhaps we should first establish what made your house so appealing to these flying insects in the first place. If you have an understanding of what attracts flies, it can also help you to avoid them in the future. After all, once you finally get rid of your fly problem, you’re probably not going to want them to find their way back!

Food Sources Abound

One of the most common places to spot flies in your home is the kitchen. This is because, as most know, flies are constantly on the lookout for food sources. Whether that be bread, chips, or fruit, anything that is exposed enough for them to land on is fair game. So, in the future, it’s wise to keep your food hidden away someplace that’s inaccessible for the flies.

In the case of bread, you’ll want to purchase a breadbox. For fruit, it’s best to start storing it in the fridge. Any other exposed food items should make their way into a cabinet or drawer. If you have children in the home, you should make sure to regularly spot-check their rooms for any forgotten leftovers as well!

Unsealed Trash

Even if you keep careful track of your food items, what about the ones you’ve discarded? Flies enjoy munching on garbage quite a bit, especially if it’s abundant and free for the taking. If your garbage can doesn’t have a secure lid, it’s advisable to purchase one. You should also try as best as you can to be on top of taking out that trash, as once the garbage begins piling up, the flies will begin making themselves more and more present. This counts for things like dishes, too. Any old, rotting food is a delicacy to these insects!

Hidden Points of Entry

Once you’re sure that there’s nothing left in the home to make these flies want to stay, you should then concentrate on keeping them out for good! After getting rid of your problem (hopefully through the use of one of the homemade fly traps below), it’s time to make sure it doesn’t happen again. Try your best to discern the flies’ entry points. If you have screen doors or windows, for instance, make sure that any holes are properly sealed. These pests are tiny, so don’t underestimate the areas that they’re able to squeeze themselves into!

The Best Homemade Fly Traps

#1: Repurposed Plastic Bottle

First on our list is an oldie, but a goodie. If you’re someone who likes to reduce, reuse, and recycle, you’ll love this easy method. Whether it’s an empty water bottle or an old 2-liter of soda, you’re guaranteed to have the supplies to make this homemade fly trap lying around your home.

Things You’ll Need:

• Empty plastic bottle (soda, water, or juice)
• Dish Soap
• Vinegar
• String
• Some kind of bait
• A hole punch

Instructions

1. Firstly, you’re going to wait to cut the top of the bottle off, about 1/3 of the way down the bottle. Then, take off the bottle cap.
2. Fill the bottom portion of the bottle with water, but be sure to add a little splash of vinegar to ward off unwanted bugs like bees. If you want to make it a bit easier for the flies to fall inside, try adding a few drops of dish soap.
3. Take the top half of the bottle and flip it upside down in the bottom half, resembling a funnel. Use your bait to fill this area- this can be anything from rotting fruit to honey.
4. The next step is to hang up your bottle by hole-punching its sides and weaving the string through. Then, tie it up and wait until the flies approach!
5. If the problem persists, just keep removing the dead bugs and refilling the bait.

#2: Nearly Empty Beer or Wine Bottle

Can’t find any plastic around, but digging the funnel idea? Not to worry, you can accomplish a very similar feat with the use of a wine or beer bottle. The only difference true difference between the first homemade fly trap and this one is the manner in which the funnel is created. But, there are a few other slight variations along the way.

Things You’ll Need:

• Wine or beer bottle, preferably with a bit left at the bottom
• Paper
• Tape
• Scissors
• Honey or Maple Syrup
• Dish Soap

Instructions:

1. Grab the bottle with the residual beer/wine, and then add a squirt or two of your honey or maple syrup.
2. Add some dish soap, no more than a few drops, to make the trap effective.
3. If your paper is too large to be folded and inserted as a funnel, cut it down a bit smaller, if the size seems adequate, you can go ahead and fit it into the top!
4. Tape that paper funnel into place so that it remains secure.
5. On the funnel itself, add a bit more of your honey/syrup bait.
6. Set it out on the counter and wait for the flies to zoom on over!

#3: Plastic Baggie

If you don’t have any old bottles lying around, plastic or otherwise, you still certainly have other options. This one in particular is pretty simple, as all you need for your key tools are a plastic (ziplock) baggie and an old cup! You might want to pick a cup you aren’t too attached to, though, as things might get gross!

Things You’ll Need:

• An old cup
• Plastic baggie
• Bait of some kind (honey, syrup, old fruit)
• Vinegar
• Rubber Band
• Dish Soap
• Fork

Instructions:

1. In the bottom of the cup, pour about a half cup of vinegar.
2. Then, add two tablespoons of honey, syrup, or some rotting fruit.
3. To top off those ingredients, go ahead and add in those few signature drops of dish soap.
4. Over the top of the cup, place the sandwich bag, using a rubber band to keep it securely in place.
5. Poke holes into the bag using a fork- it’s important that the size of the holes is large enough for flies to slip into easily.
6. On top of those holes, place a few extra drops of honey/syrup that you’ve watered down.
7. Set it on the counter and wait! Once it gets full, empty out and repeat as needed.

#4: Honey Sticky Trap

Those store-bought sticky paper traps might be effective at times, but they’re also hazardous and made with not-so-great chemicals. Even the ones that are high-quality are also incredibly expensive! So, that’s why we’re putting our homemade spin onto these classic traps by using materials that you’ll surely find lying around your home.

Things You’ll Need:

• Water
• Tape
• Paper
• Honey

Instructions:

1. The best part about this trap is that it’s as simple as it is effective. To start, you’ll want to combine 1/4 cup honey and 1/4 cup water over the stove and warm it until it’s fully combined.
2. Cut out your paper into strips, and coat one side of them with the mixture.
3. Take these strips and tape them up in areas of your home with abundant amounts of flies.

A Few Additional Trap Tips

Here are a few additional tips to help you out on your homemade fly trap endeavors:

• Be sure to use a kind of bait that the flies will be heavily attracted to.
• Be strategic about the place where you put the traps- observe where the flies are most active!
• Balance out the hole sizes- they have to be big enough for the flies to enter, but not so big that they can escape!
• While the soap/vinegar is what does the killing, you don’t want to add too much. If it covers up the scent of the bait, then they won’t be interested in investigating.

The photo featured at the top of this post is © iStock.com/cookelma