DIY Fly Trap

Are you tired of those pesky flies constantly buzzing around, landing on everything from your food to your face? Not only are they extremely irritating, but flies also carry a ton of disease causing bacteria from contact with things such as garbage, rotten food, animals and fecal matter. The last thing you want are flies contaminating your house, food and body. But no matter how many flies you swat, they just seem to keep coming back.

You may have noticed that flies are attracted to things such as wine, vinegar, pungent or rotting foods and fruits. As bothersome as this is, it can actually be an advantage, as many of these foods can be used to make a simple, inexpensive DIY fly trap to keep those flies away.  Keep reading to learn four easy ways to make your own DIY fly trap at home.

Apple Cider Vinegar Trap

Ingredients:

• Apple Cider Vinegar
• 1 tsp. dishwashing liquid
• 1 overripe banana cut into fourths
• Glass Jar
• Plastic Wrap

Directions:

1. Fill the jar with apple cider vinegar until it is half-full.
2. Squeeze about a tsp. of dishwashing liquid into the jar.
3. Add the banana pieces to the jar.
4. Place the plastic wrap on top of the jar and secure with tape or a rubber band.
5. Poke several holes in the plastic wrap to allow the flies to crawl through.
6. Make several fly traps and place them around your house or outside where flies are abundant.
7. When the jar is full of flies, empty and repeat the process to make a new fly trap.

Homemade Fly Paper

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of honey
• ½ cup of sugar
• 1 large paper bag
• Scissors
• String or thread

Directions:

1. Cut the paper bag into strips 2-3 inches wide.
2. Cut a slit at the top of each strip and tie the string to make a hanging loop.
3. Mix the honey and sugar in a small bowl.
4. Cover one side of the strips with the honey and sugar mixture.
5. Hang the strips in the house or outside to attract flies.
6. Make sure to hang the strips over a cleanable surface in case the honey drips.
7. Once the strips are covered in flies, discard and repeat the steps above.

Wine and Mango DIY Fly Trap

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of red wine
• 1 tsp. vinegar
• 1 cup of overripe mangoes
• Wine bottle

Directions:

1. Mix the red wine and vinegar in the wine bottle.
2. Add two tablespoons of water and mix.
3. Chop the mangoes and place them in the wine bottle.
4. Set the bottle where there a many flies to allow them to crawl down the neck of the bottle and become trapped.
5. Empty and refill when the bottle is full of flies.

Honey and Banana DIY Fly Trap

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of raw honey
• 1 overripe banana
• Glass jar
• Plastic wrap

Directions:

1. Fill the jar with honey until it is half-full.
2. Add the banana to the jar.
3. Cover the jar with plastic wrap and secure with tape or a rubber band.
4. Make a few holes in the plastic wrap to allow the flies to fall in.
5. Place several traps around your house or outside.
6. When the jar is full of flies, empty and repeat the process.

As you can see, there are a ton easy ways to make your own fly trap with materials you already have at home. While there are many expensive fly traps on the market, these DIY traps are a fraction of the cost, and are so simple to make! Try a few different recipes an