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    Home » Crafts and DIY

    Homemade Fly Trap DIY

    Published: Mar 5, 2021 · Modified: Mar 14, 2022 by Jenn · This post may contain affiliate links.

    Houseflies are a common household pest. Not only are they disease carriers but they’re downright annoying once stuck in your home. Use this homemade fly trap tutorial to rid your house of pesky flies. 

    While you can use chemicals to protect your home from houseflies, this is not advisable because these chemicals can be harmful to your family members, particularly your children and pets. So let’s take a more natural approach.

    You know the saying, “You can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar?” Well. That’s only partially true. Let’s learn the best way to make a  DIY fly trap with common household items and ingredients flies will find irresistible.  

                      

    homemade fly trap made from a plastic bottle.
    Easy Homemade Fly Trap from a Plastic Bottle

    Houseflies feed on liquid or semi-liquid items and foods that are touched by saliva. They are commonly active during the daytime and are said to rest during nighttime.

    Household waste often attracts houseflies and they can multiply rapidly in garbage cans and compost bins. All it takes is a bowl of overripe fruits or a rotten banana to start a housefly infestation.

    With a few of these DIY fly traps placed around your home, you’ll be able to get rid of common houseflies in short order.

    DIY Fly Trap Materials

    In this tutorial, I will be showing you a simple solution for eliminating houseflies. This homemade fly trap is a family-friendly solution that is simple, inexpensive, and efficient.

    To start, gather all the materials needed for your homemade fly trap:

    • 1 empty 2 liter (or 1 liter) plastic bottle
    • 1 cup brown sugar
    • 1 white vinegar
    • 1 cup of water
    • duct tape
    • scissors
    • utility knife

    How to make a fly trap

    Step 1: Rinse any residual soda from the bottle and remove the label using a utility knife

    Step 2: Cut around the upper third of the soda bottle.

    diy fly trap cutting a soda bottle

    Step 3: Remove the bottle cap, flip the upper third of the soda bottle upside down, then insert it into the remaining two-thirds of the bottle.

    how to make a fly trap

    Step 4: Slowly push the upper part down into the lower part of the bottle. This will create a snug fit between the two parts.

    Step 5: Create several vertical cuts on the inner part where the mouth of the bottle is located. This will allow the upper third of the bottle to tightly fit into the lower part of the bottle.

    how to make a homemade fly trap to catch indoor flies

    Step 6: Tightly wrap duct tape around the edges on top of the bottle. Make sure that the duct tape has some excess on the upper part of it.

    how to make a homemade fly trap

    Step 7: Create vertical cuts on the excess tape on top.

    how to make a fly trap duct tape

    Step 8: Tape the excess pieces of tape that you’ve just cut onto the insides of the housefly bottle trap one by one.

    fly trap homemade duct tape soda bottle

    Step 9: Pour the brown sugar through the upside-down mouth part of the housefly bottle trap and through the small hole.

    pouring brown sugar into a homemade fly trap

    Step 10: Pour a cup of white vinegar and a cup of water through the upside-down mouth part of the housefly bottle trap.

    homemade fly trap

    Step 11: Shake the fly trap bottle to thoroughly mix.

    how to make a fly trap diy

    Indoor DIY Fly Trap Instructions

    Now your homemade fly trap is finished and ready to use. Place it anywhere in your house (I suggest the kitchen since that’s where they seem to lurk) that’s out of reach of kids and pets.

    This DIY fly trap is safe for homes that have kids and pets since we have used organic materials that would not cause any harm, but it can still make a mess if disturbed. Plus, who wants a curious toddler taking a sip of sugar water fly juice? I think I just threw up in my mouth a little. 

    Keep your trap of sweet bait out of reach on the kitchen counter if possible (make sure you’ve eliminated any old fruit from your kitchen trash and dining area, including from your compost pile and garbage disposal). Alternatively, place it on top of your fridge.

    FAQ

    Can I use apple cider vinegar instead?

    Yes. A cup of apple cider vinegar will work as well as white vinegar if that’s what you have on hand. White vinegar is generally cheaper which is why I used it for this homemade trap tutorial.

    Do I have to use a two-liter soda bottle?

    Since you’ll be rinsing the plastic bottle out and using your own indoor fly trap bait, you’re not depending on the soda residue to attract a bunch of flies. So feel free to use water bottles, empty vinegar bottles, or any other plastic container you can upcycle.

    If you want to see this homemade fly trap in action, check out the video below:

    Homemade Fly Trap Video Tutorial

    Nasty, right? Once you have a considerable amount of dead flies inside, dispose of your homemade fly trap and create a new one with fresh bait. Good luck getting rid of these little buggers!

    Got a fruit fly problem? Check out my homemade fruit fly traps using a mason jar, liquid dish soap, and plastic wrap to get rid of them.

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    1. Mary W says

      December 05, 2021 at 7:00 pm

      How do you get rid of black flys inside the house?

      Reply
      • Jenn says

        March 14, 2022 at 9:41 am

        We’re fortunate not to have too many black flies here in Alabama so I can’t really say. You can definitely try this homemade fly trap since it works so well for common houseflies and hopefully, you’ll get results with black flies too. Let me know!

        Reply

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    Hi, I'm Jenn, a Southern food blogger and mother living in Alabama. After having my wonderful daughter, I decided to embark on a journey of sharing my Southern cooking recipes with the world.

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