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100 Comments | Jill Winger |    Last Updated: May 26, 2020

Homemade Fly Trap

Learn how to make a homemade fly trap. This fly trap is made with repurposed trash, so you don’t have to run to the store and buy supplies. It’s a great way to naturally control the fly problems at your house and homestead without relying on potentially toxic chemicals.

homemade fly trap

Your mission, if you choose to accept:

To fight back against the pests, vegetable-eating insects, and biting bugs on your homestead (or backyard).

Rules of Engagement:

  • No pesticides or toxic chemicals allowed.

Sound impossible? It’s not. BUT it will take some creativity and good old-fashioned homestead ingenuity.

Here are some weapons to add to your natural pest control arsenal:

  • Natural Fly Predators— I’m using these for the first time this year, and I’m impressed! (affiliate link)
  • Organic Pest Control Garden Spray
  • Homemade Fly Spray for Animals
  • 20+ Natural Insect Repellents You Can Make
  • DIY Liquid Fence Recipe

If you happen to sustain injuries in your battles, there’s always the DIY Bug Bite Relief Stick.

And here’s another heavy-hitter to add to the list: this homemade fly trap made from repurposed trash, so you don’t have to make a trip to the store to buy traps or bait. It doesn’t get much better than that. Let the battle commence!

Homemade Fly Trap

  • Repurposed plastic bottle
  • Water
  • Bait (see below)
  • A drop or two of liquid dish soap (optional)

This is so easy, it barely needs instructions. But just in case you need some extra clarification—>

homemade fly trap

Cut the top of the bottle off. Straight lines are not my forte… Thankfully, my homemade fly trap still works great, thankyouverymuch.

Flip the top over, and stick it back into the bottle’s base to form a funnel. You can glue it or tape it, if you like, but mine nestled in there snugly on its own.

homemade fly trap

Fill the bottom of the container with a bit of water (a couple inches is enough, just leave a gap between the bottom of the “funnel” and the water).

Add some smelly bait, and a drop or two of liquid dish soap. The dish soap clings to the flies wings, and traps them a bit better.

Homemade Fly Trap Bait Options:

Remember: flies like sweet and smelly things. So the sweeter and smellier, the better. You can use anything you have hanging around, but these are my favorite choices:

  • Sugar water or honey water
  • Fruit– especially slightly rotten or overripe fruit. Bananas and strawberries work beautifully.
  • A bit of raw meat, such as a pinch of ground meat, or trimmings from a steak
  • Fresh animal manure
  • Or all of the above (yuck)

And remember– the longer it sits, the better. So don’t hesitate to let it fester and ferment a bit (yuck, again…)

Set your homemade fly trap in a place where the bugs are driving you crazy and you’ll be capturing flies in no time.

Homemade Fly Trap Notes:

  • The theory behind this trap is that the flies will be attracted to the scent and fly down the funnel. However, it’s quite difficult for them to figure out how to fly back up the funnel, and in their efforts to escape, they flop into the water… Then they’re toast. And it works!
  • If you want to hang your homemade fly trap, you can punch holes in the sides and hang it up by a bit of string.
  • Two-liter soda bottles are great for this, but any plastic bottle will do. I used an old juice jug—bonus points for having sticky juice residue inside.
  • Not that the flies will care what kind of honey you use, but just in case you’re wondering what honey I prefer, it’s this one. Of course, like I said, the sweeter the better, so maybe the flies do care, and would be even more attracted to this extra-sweet Tupelo honey… 😉

homemade fly trap

More Natural Solutions for Your Homestead:

  • My Natural Homestead ebook is FULL of recipes and tips running a natural toxic-free homestead
  • Want to reduce the flies around your homestead? Try implementing these 4 natural strategies for farm fly control.
  • Learn how to use Diatomaceous Earth around the homestead to keep pests at bay (and use it for your health, too!).
  • Find the rest of my favorite homesteading tools in my Homestead Mercantile. 

 

100 Comments | Make It Yourself

Put Essential Oils to Work Around Your Homestead!

Essential Oils & homesteading go together like peanut butter & jelly. This short, practical eBook will help you master the ins-and-outs of adding essential oils to your homesteading routine (no matter what sort of homestead you may have) and includes DIY fly spray formulas, garden pest control sprays, DIY cleaners, and tons more!

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Reader Interactions

100 Comments

  1. Jennifer says

    July 21, 2015 at 8:36 pm

    Awesome!!!!!

    reply to comment
    • Daniel says

      March 27, 2018 at 12:55 am

      Flies been giving a headache at the restaurant & this idea looks promising; soon i’ll have no more stress. Why didn’t I learnt this earlier!

      Many Thanks

      reply to comment
    • Terrie says

      June 9, 2018 at 12:35 pm

      I read most of the comments and i love the warrior attitude with your battle on flies…since i started using store bought fly bait traps (found this site so i could make my own)….i have no guests for the fly strips…but i still have a sticky residue from previous victims….does anyone know how to get this stuff off my floor.

      reply to comment
      • Robyn Smith says

        July 13, 2018 at 8:19 am

        I know that WD40 works on sticky stuff. Maybe check online if it’ll hurt your floor before using.

        reply to comment
      • s silva says

        August 5, 2018 at 12:53 am

        wipe with rubbing alcohol to remove sticky residue

        reply to comment
        • Heather says

          October 23, 2018 at 10:14 am

          Use cocnut oil it willd take it off especially if animal has on fur. Use the one u can for hair . Put on fur rub it in bout 15min then warm wash clothes wipe off

          reply to comment
          • Linda Burns says

            May 22, 2019 at 1:41 pm

            Flies are congregating around dairy goat food. Can I use that with water as the bait???

      • Prashanth says

        January 10, 2021 at 10:35 am

        insect killer machine manufacture https://www.wantrn.com/

        reply to comment
  2. Karen @ On the Banks of Salt Creek says

    July 22, 2015 at 6:37 am

    Perfect timing. It’s been HOT here in Oregon and the doors have been left open too often. Flies. In the house. I wanted to just hang up a fly strip in the sun room but my boys thought that would be gross. Somehow I think they will like this.
    Great tip. Using it today.

    reply to comment
    • Jill Winger says

      July 25, 2015 at 10:22 am

      Confession– I do have a fly strip in my kitchen… but this trap is working awesome outside!

      reply to comment
      • Ashraful says

        July 8, 2017 at 12:45 pm

        Hey Jill will this work with cooked meat?

        reply to comment
    • K says

      March 23, 2018 at 10:48 pm

      KIND OF LATE BUT..
      Consider investing in carnivorous plants! Venus fly traps, cape sundews, North American pitcher plants.. all good at eating insects like flies. If your having problems with fruit flies North American pitcher plants, sundews, or butterwort plants will take care of them nicely. Assuming that you read this comment I strongly you recommend researching as they are like super low matience pets.

      reply to comment
      • CJ says

        October 12, 2018 at 3:03 pm

        As for carnivorous plants, you would need 100 or more to make a dent in he fly population since one of these plants would only eat 1-2 flies per year!

        reply to comment
        • Peta Connolly says

          December 20, 2020 at 9:13 pm

          I have a cactus, that has stinky fluffy purple flowers where the flies lay maggots on, they dont progress into flies as the plant eats them

          reply to comment
  3. Prairie Wife says

    July 28, 2015 at 4:40 pm

    I will be using this one for sure on our deck. With four horses now living here I’m noticing a big increase in flies…plus it’s just that time of year again!

    reply to comment
    • Jill Winger says

      July 30, 2015 at 8:41 am

      Oh yes– horses = lots of flies!

      reply to comment
  4. Ilene says

    July 29, 2015 at 8:55 am

    And if you don’t put soap in the water, you can feed these flies to the chickens.

    reply to comment
    • Jill Winger says

      July 30, 2015 at 8:40 am

      Good idea Ilene!

      reply to comment
      • Gayle Phillips says

        July 30, 2015 at 10:29 am

        Besides feeding the no soap version of the flies from this fly trap to my chickens, I feed the results of my bug zapper too. I just set a flat container, such as a ground feeder pan for horses, under the bug zapper and let it do its thing overnight. In the morning when I open the chicken coop door it’s a 30 chicken marathon run to that pan under the zapper! They love the toasted bugs and it’s extra protein for them that came at the cost of just a few pennies a night.

        reply to comment
        • Jill Winger says

          August 10, 2015 at 1:18 pm

          Love it! And I imagine the chickens love the toasted bugs, hehe

          reply to comment
        • Katrin says

          March 29, 2017 at 7:36 am

          Is there a natural substance to break the surface tension other than soap so the bugs will be trapped? A little bit of beaten egg maybe? Other suggestions? Would a film of oil on the top do the flies in?

          reply to comment
          • Tirzah Smith says

            August 15, 2017 at 10:04 am

            You can use Young living dish soap. It is made of plant juice with nothing chemical.

          • Reizh says

            August 22, 2017 at 12:38 am

            Hey Katrin, chemist here: Short answer is no, but oil will do the trick.

            The only thing that breaks surface tension are chemicals called surfactants, known colloquially as soaps. That said, there are many naturally occurring soaps, including human bile (which you probably don’t want to use), and “ancient soap”, made traditionally by accident, and eventually, intentionally.

            These traditional soaps, were first made by cooking meat over a wood fire, and having the animal fat drip over the ashes. You can similarly make it yourself by taking wood ash or lye (natural sources of NaOH) and mixing it with an animal fat like butter, or even beeswax and plant based oils. Just about any wax or oil will do. This is how natural soaps, were, and still are, made today.

            However, you don’t want to use soap, so I recommend oil (and any will do), for the same effect. Insects are designed to repel water because it’s so deadly for them. When you add soap to the water, insects can no longer repel the water, so they drown. However, since insects are not designed to repel oil, it behaves like soap and water to them, effectively drowning them.

            Hope this helps. 🙂

  5. Bob says

    July 29, 2015 at 9:39 am

    My research Feedback
    Baits:
    House flies like sweet and smelly things; try overripe fruit like bananas and strawberries
    Fruit Flies like Apple Cider Vinegar
    Hornets like sweets; ex: Sugar water or honey water. Note honey water attracts bees.
    Wasp like; meat, meat grease; jams, jellies, and fruits or Root beer, fruit juices, sugar water, and colas
    Stinkbugs are attracted to lights (ex: LEDs)

    Soap:
    The flying pest are attracted to the bait. Normally, they would be able to float on the surface but by adding a bit of soap to the liquid, it breaks the surface tension causing them to sink and drown.

    reply to comment
    • Jill Winger says

      July 30, 2015 at 8:40 am

      Good tips and research Bob. Thanks!

      reply to comment
    • Amber killian says

      May 31, 2018 at 9:05 am

      Yes I heard if you add vinegar that will keep the bees away

      reply to comment
  6. Cpslashm says

    July 29, 2015 at 10:59 am

    Nice trap!

    Fly strips – I noticed most of our flies like to land under things, not on the sides of of the fly strip. To launch they just have to let go and drop. So I peeled one side of a fly strip and joined the ends to make a tube, sticky side out. I then used a piece of wire to hang it horizontally. Soon, lots of flies were stuck to the underside of the tube. Then I just rotated the tube to leave a clear bit at the bottom for the next batch of victims.

    When covered, open the tube, peel off the other side and roll up the other way. Repeat.

    The other thing I’ve noticed is that some flies prefer black surfaces but I cannot find black fly strips!

    reply to comment
    • bonny says

      July 29, 2015 at 11:57 am

      Great idea. I never had any luck catching fly’s. I gave up and have a swatter in every room. I HATE FLY’S. Hope this works for me. I will definitely try this. Thanks

      reply to comment
      • Jill Winger says

        July 30, 2015 at 8:39 am

        Yeah, we have a collection of swatters, too!

        reply to comment
      • Susan Milka says

        August 18, 2016 at 8:15 am

        Oh Bonny !,

        I have the greatest thing. I went out, on the internet, and bought one of those bug-a-salt guns! Your fly swatters really fit their method of evasion. They’re lookin’ for swinging cow tails and the like. Fly swatters are easy for them to avoid. Too much action. With the pump salt shooter you pump up, set the safety off and just casually come up to them and you can get just a few inches away and aim, then fire!. Well, salt in this case. As long as you’re steady they are goners! It’s easy then to see where their body went and give them the ole’ squisheroo! What I love is out doors when the flesh flies are too big to get in the stinky trap or they just can’t seem to make up their mind about goin’ in or not. I shoot ’em with my salt gun! Beats waiting for an undecided customer!

        Susan

        reply to comment
        • Ted Noble says

          May 16, 2017 at 2:29 am

          Google “balloon slingshot” in Youtube. There are a number of pocket slinkshots made from drink bottles and balloons. Nicely fly-sized, and very inexpensive.

          reply to comment
      • Gary Ronan says

        July 16, 2018 at 11:09 am

        Harbor Freight sells an electric fly swatter. You don’t really swat the fly with it. You can trap the fly against A window pane and the electric grid roasts the filthy critter! No bug guts to clean off the window,wall or ceiling!
        2 D cell’s operate it and I’m going on my 3rd year in the original batteries. Still going strong.
        Sometimes H.F. has A coupon for this device, free with another purchase. Can’t beat that!

        reply to comment
        • Spike says

          July 18, 2018 at 12:26 pm

          Those Harbor Freight electric bug swats work extra well for mosquitoes! Just wave it around you when you see / hear one and it’ll get them every time.

          reply to comment
    • Jill Winger says

      July 30, 2015 at 8:40 am

      Super smart! And yes, I wonder if black strips would work better!

      reply to comment
    • Pat Nelson says

      July 21, 2017 at 7:51 pm

      Get some black, plastic plant containers and sticky trap spray from Farm & Garden or hardware store. Spray the plastic containers and put wherever needed. Works great in FL for yellow flies. We hang them from tree limbs. Wasps took over the hummingbird feeders. We sprayed the bases of the feeders, being mindful to not spray the openings or the perches, it trapped the wasps, but the hummers were still afraid of them. We made a wasp/fly trap and that solved the problem.

      reply to comment
    • Beverly says

      August 18, 2017 at 10:04 pm

      Please… I could use a picture. Am having a bit of difficulty imagining the strip you designed

      reply to comment
      • Cpslashm says

        August 19, 2017 at 5:41 am

        Beverly, I don’t know how to upload pictures.

        Imagine a cardboard tube lying on a table.

        Thread a long piece of wire through the tube, then bend the ends up and join them above the middle of the tube to form a triangle. Pick up the top of the wire triangle and the tube hangs horizontally.

        You can rotate the tube around the wire.

        Now, instead of a cardboard tube, join the ends of a fly paper to make a tube. The fly paper I use comes in sheets about a foot long and 6 inches wide. Similar to:

        https://www.amazon.com/Highly-Effective-Sticky-Whitefly-Insects/dp/B01HMDHNX4/ref=sr_1_31?ie=UTF8&qid=1503142179&sr=8-31&keywords=fly+paper+trap

        Paper with lines appears to get covered more evenly than plain ones, where the flies prefer the edges.

        Hang the sticky tube up horizontally. When there are lots of flies on the bottom, rotate the tube.

        Happy hunting!

        reply to comment
        • Linda Burns says

          May 22, 2019 at 1:46 pm

          Flies are congregating around dairy goat food. Can I use that with water as the bait???

          reply to comment
  7. Laurie says

    July 29, 2015 at 2:10 pm

    These work great! I made some out of wine bottles, then did mosaic on them. Won some ribbons at the state fair with them! I use acv and dawn dish soap in mine. Takes care of those pesky fruit flies!

    reply to comment
    • Jill Winger says

      July 30, 2015 at 8:38 am

      Yours sound much prettier than mine!! 🙂

      reply to comment
    • karen says

      July 31, 2015 at 2:17 pm

      I would love to see some pictures of your wine bottle traps!!! I love this idea!

      reply to comment
      • Laurie says

        July 31, 2015 at 4:36 pm

        Thank you Jill! And I will post a picture of them if I can figure out how! These things tend to take me a few tries. 😉

        reply to comment
  8. Sheri says

    July 30, 2015 at 7:16 pm

    Yep! Apple cider vinegar for fruit flies! I had been using a funnel of recycle paper in a glass jar, but your top fits better! I think the smaller opening makes it harder for them to find the exit.

    Thank you for an easier idea!

    reply to comment
  9. Amanda says

    July 31, 2015 at 11:30 am

    I will definitely try this for flies outside!! They are really bad this year.

    In my experience, gnats/fruit flies love rotting bananas! I tried ACV, sugar water, etc. to no avail.
    I finally did a DIY gnat trap for my kitchen because they were driving me crazy! It worked so well, I no longer have issues with them, even with fruit lying around. 😮 YEA!!!!
    I used a small piece of very overripe/rotting banana, a sandwich zip bag, scotch tape, and a small plastic candle cover with the little holes in it (from Bath and Body Works-I know :p, but don’t shop there now), but they came in handy. Any small plastic disc with a few tiny holes should work, (holes about the size of a stick pen cartridge).
    Anyways, tape the plastic disc inside the bag, securing all edges-you don’t want escapees. Then from the outside of the bag, cut around the inner edge of the disc, just enough to expose the holes and tape the edges down. So you have a zip bag with a stiff disc with little holes and no exposed edges. Put the banana piece inside the bag and close it up and roll the edge and secure with tape. Use a thumb tack and secure to a cabinet above the banana/fruit basket, and wait. Check it often for flying victims and squish them while in the bag, so they don’t figure out how to get out. I have caught many this way, and ones that were laying eggs too! In one of my bags, in a few days I had larvae! :0 Yuck! But caught and then squished they were! Stop the life cycle-stop the gnats! 🙂

    reply to comment
    • Synamon says

      August 2, 2015 at 8:54 am

      For fruit flies/gnats I use empty McCormick spice jars. Rinsed out, I put ACV and a drop of dish soap to break the surface tension. They can’t fly out even with all the tiny holes in the lid. Every few days it’s full I just rinse it down the drain and repeat. I’ve even sent the traps to work with my hubby in the break room. I’ll have to make the bigger fly trap now!

      reply to comment
      • Jill Winger says

        August 10, 2015 at 1:16 pm

        Great tip! Thanks for sharing.

        reply to comment
  10. Gina says

    August 2, 2015 at 1:05 pm

    I use this method and get more wasps & yellow jackets then flies, which is great!!

    reply to comment
    • Jill Winger says

      August 10, 2015 at 1:16 pm

      definitely!

      reply to comment
  11. Susan Pernot says

    August 21, 2016 at 3:53 pm

    Awesome thanks so much

    reply to comment
  12. Brett says

    August 27, 2016 at 4:50 pm

    Quick note: the soap reduces the surface tension of the water so that the bugs can fall into it, rather than suspend themselves on top!

    Great idea, the kids are making one now!

    reply to comment
    • Jill Winger says

      September 3, 2016 at 11:16 am

      Hope it works great for you Brett!

      reply to comment
  13. Ruth says

    September 4, 2016 at 10:12 am

    Not working for me. They love me much better.
    I think I may have to resort to the strips for outside, as much as I hate them.

    reply to comment
    • Jill Winger says

      September 8, 2016 at 4:03 pm

      Hmmm… bummer. We use the strips too.

      reply to comment
      • Beatrice Mooney says

        June 10, 2017 at 10:24 am

        I hate strips .
        I save all the tins from tea candles , place them in the bottom of any small jar with a tiny bit of dawn and water ,put a strip of pretty tape around the bottom to hide trapped little buggers place some holes in the lid (witch I also decorate with matching tape ) with a nail or screwdriver . I put banana or pork in tea candle tin depending on what I’m trapping . Place them everywhere with a few cut flowers in them make pretty decorations and the wilted flowers remind me to toss before becoming stinky .
        At night I put a jar on my table soap water in bottom hang an old banana peel (witch I keep in fridge for this purpose) from top with a scewers stick . Hide in the morning. Same outside while grilling but I use a piece of ripe pork . Happy trapping .

        reply to comment
  14. Faye says

    September 10, 2016 at 2:30 pm

    My hubs refuses to allow it in the house. Little does he know, I shall plant it somewhere he will never find it. I am SO tired of having to turn off the night lights to discourage those creatures from staying in the bathrooms. Ugh!

    reply to comment
  15. Jean Tarratt says

    January 17, 2017 at 4:18 pm

    Down here in Australia it’s 40+ deg and the flies are out in hordes. The commercial version of this fly trap break so easily and require topping up very often. This is a great idea, the container is much larger and can be rehydrated without to much fuss. Thanks, i can sit outside without being smothered in flies.

    reply to comment
    • Jill Winger says

      January 20, 2017 at 9:20 am

      Hope it works great for you Jean!

      reply to comment
  16. JJ says

    January 21, 2017 at 9:45 pm

    I going to have to try the acv with the spice bottle, we been having troubles with gnats like crazy, and the fly strip isn’t cutting it any more there, I hope it works as good as y’all say there.

    reply to comment
    • Jill Winger says

      January 27, 2017 at 2:56 pm

      Good luck!

      reply to comment
  17. Katrin says

    March 29, 2017 at 7:46 am

    These might be good for getting the houseflies if the homestead family was away from the house. https://www.amazon.com/Henslow-Plant-Based-Mosquito-Mosquitoes-Outdoors/dp/B01LMKIGB6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1490794690&sr=8-1&keywords=incense+sticks+to+kill+flies

    I don’t have kids, but do have a screen door with pneumatic closers that wear out quickly because the door catches the wind. I’ve solved this for multiple years by putting on 2 pneumatic closers — one near the top and one below the glass. It took a while to adjust them to close at the same rate when installed but it can be done. Each spring I readjust the speed of the closer so that they close quickly again. This might help to narrow the “window” when flies can slip in.

    reply to comment
  18. Christina says

    May 26, 2017 at 12:41 pm

    Thank you!!! My house was recently, completely, over taken by flies. Okay, maybe not completely, but it has become a fight. These little buggers are resilient!!! I used some pineapple that had went bad. I’ll probably end up adding some other stuff too. Here’s to hoping!!

    reply to comment
    • Jill Winger says

      May 31, 2017 at 1:45 pm

      Hope it works for you!

      reply to comment
  19. Nancy Celani Baker says

    June 13, 2017 at 11:34 am

    How do you dispose of the mess when it gets too full? I have a big re-usable trap for the barn, but Lor-dee does it smell!!! I tried digging a hole and dumping it in and covering it over, but you could still smell the mess. And i certainly don’t want the dogs digging it up and/or rolling in it!

    reply to comment
    • Bonnie says

      July 3, 2017 at 2:06 pm

      I dump mine at the tree line of my property then recycle the bottle. The only thing that’s not quite nature-friendly is a few drops of dish soap and I highly doubt that’s going to hurt anything.

      reply to comment
    • Monika says

      August 10, 2017 at 3:05 pm

      Stick a plastic bag inside. Then put your funnel on. You can avoid seeing dead insects that way too.

      reply to comment
  20. Allison says

    June 15, 2017 at 7:50 am

    For fruit flies, I take a drinking glass or jar, add a packet of dry yeast, a tablespoon or two of sugar, an inch or two of warm water (to activate the yeast).

    Then I cut the corner off of a plastic sandwich bag, leaving a small hole just large enough for a fruit fly to enter.

    I put the bag over the top of the glass or jar with the cut corner extending down into the glass to within an inch of the liquid and secure it with a rubber band about an inch below the outside rim of the glass. If I put the tip of the bag too close, it gets gummed up by the foaming yeast, so I’m careful not to get it too far into the glass, but to have the hole well below the top of the glass because the flies naturally go up.

    According to our agricultural extension office, the fruit flies are attracted to the carbon dioxide produced by the fermentation process and the yeast mixture produces a higher concentration of CO2, luring the flies away from my fruit. For fruit flies, this mixture has worked far better than apple cider vinegar or any other bait I’ve tried. I buy the bulk yeast at the warehouse store for a fraction of the cost of packets or small jars of yeast at the grocery and just keep it in a sealed container in the fridge. Works like a charm!

    reply to comment
  21. Denise Zeitler says

    July 5, 2017 at 4:52 pm

    Anyone have anything I can put on my 2 dogs when they are outside? They love being outside, but the flies cover both of them and I have to bring them right back inside. These 2 babies are not happy when the are in the house all day. Thanks!

    reply to comment
  22. Christie says

    July 12, 2017 at 1:19 pm

    Hi Jill, have you ever had an issue with bees going into the trap? I’m having an issue with flys around my garden and would like to put out some of these traps, but I wouldn’t want to trap any bees. Thanks!

    reply to comment
  23. Myra says

    July 22, 2017 at 9:45 am

    Haven’t tried this yet, but I’m glad I found it! I love a couple blocks down from Cheyenne Frontier Days and they bring in lots of horses and cattle and with that come flies, it doesn’t help that I live in a garden level apartment. Hopefully this will work!

    reply to comment
    • Jill Winger says

      July 25, 2017 at 9:26 am

      Hope it works for you Myra! We’re not to far from Cheyenne ourselves. 🙂

      reply to comment
  24. Robyn Wright says

    September 11, 2017 at 12:36 pm

    I’m trying this right now! These damn flies drive us crazy!

    reply to comment
  25. CAL says

    February 8, 2018 at 6:15 am

    I can’t wait to try this out! We have a severe drought and it seems to be making the flys extra crazy.

    reply to comment
  26. Mr.Gay says

    May 16, 2018 at 5:28 pm

    hi am gay

    reply to comment
  27. Daryle in VT says

    June 7, 2018 at 8:43 am

    Hi Jill,
    Various forms of this reversed bottle trap exist. All seem to work.
    I like to put in sugar water or sweetened liquid to attract flies. When I’m sitting near the trap, adding a bit of yeast creates CO2. The gas makes most flies and mosquitos think there is a human in the trap, waiting to be chewed on. They fly in, but they can’t fly out!
    Fun to watch.

    reply to comment
  28. Kayla says

    June 19, 2018 at 3:30 pm

    I don’t know if this is considered toxic, but inside the house I leave a cup of apple cider vinegar watered down (super smelly!) and a dash of dial dish soap. I catch house flies and gnats daily and change out every week or so until flies are gone!

    reply to comment
  29. Allie says

    July 2, 2018 at 1:45 pm

    This has transformed my life, no joke! We had so many flies in our kitchen and we couldn’t work out where they were coming from, cleaned and cleared everything we could think of, but still they came. Just about to buy some electrical repellant things online when I come across this… made a few and dotted them about, within two days the bugs are GONE! My son was grossly curious about these and thought I was amazing and so clever to make them. Will remember this trick and use it again!

    reply to comment
  30. Blindskillz says

    July 6, 2018 at 5:31 pm

    Gonna give this a shot tomorrow, been fighting flies for 30+ years here in Duval, maggots in the can, I’ll post how it goes, thanks for the info everyone! !!!

    reply to comment
  31. Jamie says

    August 8, 2018 at 11:07 am

    I’m making this plastic bottle trap right now,
    But…
    Unfortunately we JUST recycled all the “Empties” around here! Lol! Ultimately leaving me with (1)Option, and that being a
    (1 Gallon) “Hawaiian Punch” Square-Like Jug (The type that comes with that carrying handle attached around the bottle’s cap &/or plastic ring?)
    So my questions are:
    First, Is that wayyy too large of a bottle for me to use?
    Also… Does the squarish shape matter at all?
    And lastly…
    The opening & it’s cap (Which I know needs to come off the “Funnel part,”) Is clearly a much larger “Entrance” compared to a standard 2 Litre’s cap & opening, So will that make it easier for a fly to get back out in comparison to smaller bottle traps I’ve been seeing online?
    Thanks so much in advance!
    This is A GREAT IDEA!

    reply to comment
  32. Chris says

    September 12, 2018 at 2:05 pm

    I spilled some coffee with sugar and milk on some dirt, and the flies really swarm on it. Maybe a good idea for bait.

    reply to comment
  33. Melanie says

    October 22, 2018 at 8:15 pm

    Thanks for sharing. That is great to know that those are options for getting rid of flies too. May come in handy if I do not have apple cider vinegar on hand.

    reply to comment
  34. Theresa PRING says

    February 9, 2019 at 10:54 am

    hello ……im in UK …..my homemade fly traps are old jars ……..I just puncture holes in the lids add some vinegar and a banana skin and put the lid back on ……..works a treat ……..I have used the plastic bottle version if its a waspy year but I find shouting at them works just as well !

    reply to comment
  35. Lampung says

    May 20, 2019 at 6:42 am

    Lets To begin Now , continues to focus on delivering the latest in open source desktop tools detailed engineering layouts,
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  36. Audrey Maze says

    November 9, 2019 at 7:30 pm

    Hi Jill! I am so happy to have come across this article. Flies have been so bad around my homestead this year, especially out in my chicken coop. So I am definitely going to give this a shot. Thanks for the great information.

    reply to comment
    • Kayla- Prairie Homestead Assistant says

      November 13, 2019 at 9:59 am

      I hope this helps!

      reply to comment
  37. Mrs. Sapphire says

    November 12, 2019 at 11:35 pm

    Thanks, Jill! Good trap and simple quick to make with household stuff.

    reply to comment
  38. GardeningTools says

    April 3, 2020 at 12:10 am

    I recently moved to the farmhouse with my husband as we had started the renovation of our house. And you know what I did all day long? Yes, fly killing. I ran after them to keep my homestead clean from them. Long story short, I was searching for a solution, and I went through your article. It was worth reading that. Seriously, I just DIY the flytrap as you guided, and it worked. Now I am in great relief. Thank you so much, Jill. Keep sharing such articles. ?

    reply to comment
  39. GardeningTools says

    April 3, 2020 at 12:11 am

    I recently moved to the farmhouse with my husband as we had started the renovation of our house. And you know what I did all day long? Yes, fly killing. I ran after them to keep my homestead clean from them. Long story short, I was searching for a solution, and I went through your article. It was worth reading that. Seriously, I just DIY the flytrap as you guided, and it worked. Now I am in great relief. Thank you so much, Jill. Keep sharing such articles. ?

    reply to comment
  40. todaygoldrate says

    May 13, 2020 at 12:56 am

    Nice post today gold rate

    reply to comment
  41. Elna@YoNature says

    July 23, 2020 at 1:44 pm

    My grandma used to say when you find flies around your vegetables and fruits it’s a good sign. It means there isn’t a lot of chemicals in them, if insects like them, then they are good for you also. Fact remains that these flies can become real annoying though. Thanks for sharing. Cheers, Elna

    reply to comment
    • Kayla- Prairie Homestead Assistant says

      July 24, 2020 at 11:19 am

      That’s an interesting theory!

      reply to comment
  42. Jagadeesh Peruri says

    October 21, 2020 at 5:35 am

    Thats great… Its a simple yet more powerful DIY tip.

    reply to comment
  43. Sparky Reads Blog says

    November 9, 2020 at 4:03 am

    I am going to give this a share, been fighting flies for years here in Californa, maggots in the can.

    I’ll post how it goes, thanks for the info everyone. 🙂

    reply to comment
  44. syam c says

    January 19, 2021 at 12:27 pm

    Wantrn mosquito killer and mosquito trap buy from us. We offering insect killer, mosquito killers, fly killer, fly catcher, mosquito killer machine. Wantrn is leading insect killer manufacturer and fly killer machine with glue pad models
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  45. syam c says

    January 19, 2021 at 12:27 pm

    electric Insect Killer Machine for Restaurant use most recommendable model 40W – 2 Feet Size cover area up to 300 sqft, uv lights attract house flies
    https://www.wantrn.com/insect-killer-machine

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  46. syam c says

    January 19, 2021 at 12:28 pm

    Glue pad fly catcher machine used for food industries and cafe. glue pads we can replace on machine very easily.15 days once or a week time need to replace glue boards
    https://www.wantrn.com/glue-pad-insect-killer

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