Creating a Homemade Fly Trap

If annoying houseflies have become a problem you could benefit from a homemade flay trap. Houseflies are an annoying nuisance and they carry diseases too. But pesticides have their own drawbacks like health concerns and store bought fly traps can be costly. For just a little bit of money and a minimal amount of effort you can create your own fly trap that will work as well if not better than something you might buy. The design that we will discuss is a simple one. You can use this basic design as a starting point for a more esthetically pleasing fly trap or you can simply use the design as is for an easy solution to fly problems in minutes!

Step 1 - Preparing the Bottle

Use a 2 liter soda bottle for your trap however, most plastic bottles can be adapted to use as a fly trap. Clean the bottle thoroughly before use.

Step 2 - Cutting the Bottle

Measure a line around the bottle about an inch below the point at which it begins to curve in to the neck. This will ensure that the top of the bottle is able to be wedged in place when inverted and put back in its base. Cut the top of the bottle off using the knife or scissors following the line that you have measured.

Step 3 - Installing the Hanging Wire or String

Using the knife or tip of the scissors, poke two holes opposite from one another very close to the top edge of the bottles base. Tie either end of the wire or string into the holes so that the bottle base can hang by it.

Step 4 - Baiting the Trap

Whoever said that you can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar never actually tried to catch flies. The truth is that it is the stinkier the better when it comes to baiting a fly trap. A small piece of spoiled meat or other rotting food is a good choice. There are also commercial fly baits available from your local hardware store. Whatever you choose, make sure that o do not use too much bait or your fly trap could become too stinky to have around. Add the bait to the bottom of the bottle base and fill a few inches of the bottom with water.

Step 5 - Installing the Bottle Top

For this step you simply put the bottle top back on backwards. With the neck of the bottle top pointing down, push it into the bottle base until it is wedged tightly. Make sure that the water in the base is below the tip of the bottle neck. If it isn’t, dump a little of the water out.

Step 6 - Hanging the Trap

This part is easy. Just find a place where flies are a problem and hang the trap out of people’s way. When the flies go into the bottle to investigate the bait they will not be able to find their way out and will end up drowning in the water.

That’s it! For just the cost of an old bottle and some spoiled food you have a safe, environmentally friendly way to control a nasty pest.