DIY Fly Trap: Your Complete Guide to Making Effective Homemade Fly Traps

Flies can be a nuisance in both indoor and outdoor spaces. While commercial fly traps and insecticides aim to solve the issue, making your own fly traps at home using simple, natural ingredients is a more eco-friendly and cost-effective approach. 

Why Flies Are Attracted and How to Control Them Naturally

Flies are attracted to many areas where decomposition is occurring as this is where their larval stage develops. For indoor spaces, areas near garbage cans, drains, and pet areas tend to draw them in. Outside, compost heaps and other moist organic matter are fly magnets.

To successfully trap flies, it’s crucial to understand what draws them in and repels them. Flies are highly attracted to sweet, fermenting scents that mimic the smells they associate with laying eggs or finding food. Some key fly-attracting ingredients include:

• Vinegar: The acetic acid and fermented scent lure flies in.
• Fruit juices and pulps: Flies seek ripe, rotting fruit for egg-laying and as a food source for larvae.
• Sugar water: The fermentation process occurs quickly, releasing carbon dioxide and alcohol, which flies hone in on.
• Wine/beer: The alcohols and sugars appeal to flies much like an open trash can or fruit would.

On the other hand, certain smells confuse and irritate flies, driving them away from an area. Key repellents include:

• Citronella oil: Studies show citronella is an effective natural fly deterrent.
• Eucalyptus oil: The camphoraceous scent masks attracting odors and irritates flies.
• Peppermint oil: Menthol creates an unappetizing smell that repels flies.
• Garlic: The pungent aroma confuses flies and shields an area. Minced or oil works well.

By combining both attracting and repelling elements, DIY fly traps trick flies into entering and keep them from escaping, safely removing them from the area.

DIY Fly Trap Indoor with Apple Cider Vinegar

One of the most effective homemade fly traps uses apple cider vinegar as the key attractant. Here is a simple step-by-step guide:

Materials:

• 1 cup apple cider vinegar
• 8 oz water
• Clear container like a jar or bottle
• Plastic bag
• Rubber band or string

Instructions:

• Mix the vinegar and water in your container. This dilutes the strong scent making it even more appealing to flies.

• Secure your plastic bag of choice over the container opening with the rubber band or string so it hangs loosely inside. Make sure it is large enough to collect trapped flies without touching the liquid.
• Place your trap where you’ve noticed fly activity, such as near windows or food prep areas. The acetic acid aroma will carry and lure flies in within a day or two.
• Periodically check your bag to dispose of trapped flies safely out of reach of pets or children. Refresh the vinegar solution every 1-2 weeks for best results.

This simple trap utilizes flies’ natural attraction to fermented scents very effectively. The plastic bag provides an easy way to dispose of captive flies without worrying about them escaping again.

DIY Fly Trap Indoor without Apple Cider Vinegar

For those looking for a vinegar-free option, homemade fly water is another great DIY indoor fly trap. Unlike vinegar which targets adult flies, this recipe attracts and drowns fly larvae and eggs:

Materials:

• 2 cups warm water
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• Clear glass or jar
• Plastic wrap
• Rubber band

Instructions:

• Mix the sugar, lemon juice, and warm water in your container until the sugar fully dissolves.
• Stretch plastic wrap tightly over the container opening and secure with a rubber band. This creates a humid microclimate that is attractive to egg-laying flies.
• Place your trap near windowsills or areas with fly activity and larval hazards like trash cans.
• Within 1-2 weeks, the sugar-water solution will be teeming with drowned fly larvae and pupae trapped underneath the plastic. Dispose and refresh the solution every 14 days.

The fermenting liquid mimics rotting fruit flavors to lure egg-laying flies in. The plastic cover prevents escape but allows eggs and larvae to fall through and drown, slowly shrinking the indoor fly population over time.

DIY Fly Trap Outdoor

While indoor fly problems can often be solved with traps alone, outdoor fly swarms may require multiple deterrent tactics. Here are instructions for a highly effective outdoor DIY fly trap plus complementary repellent methods:

Materials:

• 1/2 rotten/overripe fruit (banana, melon etc)
• 1 cup wine or vinegar
• Clear container
• Plastic sheeting
• Staples or tape

Instructions:

• Place the rotten fruit at the bottom of your container to maximize fly-attracting aromas.
• Pour the wine or vinegar over the fruit. The combined fermenting scents will carry far.
• Stretch plastic sheeting tightly over the opening and secure with staples or tape. Cut slits or holes along the top edge.
• Place your trap near outdoor fly activity magnets like compost, garbage, or pet areas.
• Check periodically to dispose of trapped flies through the openings.

For even better results, use this trap alongside a second line of defense. Hang diluted essential oil mixes, citronella candles, or plant fly strips around perimeter areas. This will confuse and deter new flies whilst your trap removes the existing problem population. With a multifaceted approach, you can banish outdoor flies for good.

Homemade Fly Trap Vinegar, Sugar

A simple but undeniably effective homemade fly trap uses basic pantry ingredients – vinegar and sugar. Here is a recipe perfect for indoor or outdoor use:

Materials:

• 1 cup white vinegar
• 1/2 cup sugar
• Clear jar or bottle
• Plastic sheeting
• Rubber band

Instructions:

• In your jar or bottle, stir the vinegar and sugar until fully dissolved. This fermenting “fly soda” mimics fruit flavors.
• Stretch plastic sheeting over the opening and secure with a rubber band. Cut a small hole in the center to allow fly entry.
• Suspend your trap from a tree branch, rafter, or other high spot near flies. The sugar-vinegar aroma travels well.
• Check periodically to dispose upwards collected flies. Refresh the mixture every 1-2 weeks.

Thanks to its dual attractants of fermented scents and sugars mimicking fruit degradation, this vinegar-sugar trap attracts flies with incredible potency. Hang multiples of this cheap, fuss-free trap for swift control of problem fly areas anywhere!

FAQs

What are the Best Homemade Fly Trap Ingredients?

When it comes to making DIY fly traps, the two key ingredients for success are:

1. Apple cider vinegar or wine/beer – as the top fly attractants exploding flies’ senses with fermenting aromas.
2. Sugar – whether in a sugar water solution or added directly to other liquids like vinegar or fruit juice. Sugar enhances fermentation odors that mimic rotting fruits flies seek.

Additional highly effective trap components include:

• Overripe banana or melon – the putrid decaying fruit stench calls flies from afar.
• Citrus juice (lemon, lime especially) – enhances the attractiveness of other ingredients whilst repelling with a bitter tang.
• Garlic or onion – deters while masking the scent of other ingredients using flies’ confused senses against them.
• Wine, especially red – the alcoholic and sugary blend broadcasts fly magnet smells extremely well.

For best results, combine main attractants of vinegar/sugar or fruit with one repellent like citrus or garlic. Multiple traps using these gold standard ingredients placed strategically are virtually guaranteed to solve any fly problem.

What Smell Do Flies Hate?

Flies have an incredible sense of smell that both attracts and repels them. Some scents fly strongly dislike due to naturally confusing or irritating properties, include:

• Citronella – clinical studies prove this lemon grass oil deters and drives away flies.
• Eucalyptus – the camphoraceous aroma hampers flies’ navigation abilities.
• Peppermint menthol creates an unappetizing smell that repels flies seeking food.
• Clove – flies steer clear of this spice’s pungency, masking other scents.
• Lemongrass – similar lemon notes as citronella confuse and overwhelm flies.
• Lavender – the floral fragrance overpowers attracting scents and repels bugs.

What Naturally Catches Flies?

Some natural materials that are very effective at catching and trapping flies include:

• Sticky fly paper/strips – These paper strips coated in non-toxic adhesive allow flies to easily walk onto but not escape.
• Herbal fly strips – Strips infused with essential oils like eucalyptus or peppermint that attract and trap flies on contact.
• Spider webs – The gluten-like strands of an outdoor spider web will effectively capture flies in the same way they do other insects.
• Flour/cornmeal traps – Flies will land on and get stuck in natural powders like flour or cornmeal scattered around problem areas.
• Bowl/jug traps – Placing open containers of fermenting bait partially submerged so flies fall in but can’t climb out.

How Do I Get Rid of Little Flies ASAP?

To quickly eliminate small indoor fruit flies or drain flies, the best strategy is to:

• Target the breeding source – Clean drains, and garbage disposal and seal all entry points.
• Use an apple cider vinegar trap – Place some vinegar mixed with a few drops dish soap in a bowl near the problem.
• Release a fly predator – Mealybug destroyers or green lacewings eat larvae and can eliminate an infestation within days.
• Apply boric acid or diatomaceous earth – These natural powders dehydrate any remaining flies and prevent more from breeding.

How do you keep flies away permanently?

To prevent fly issues and keep areas fly-free long-term:

• Take out trash frequently and line cans with bags to block odors from escaping.
• Fix any leaks, drips, or standing water sources where flies may breed.
• Store food in sealed containers and clean counters/surfaces regularly.
• Use fly traps and repellent recipes placed outdoors and around entry points.
• Plant natural fly deterrent shrubs like lemon balm, lemon thyme, or citronella grass.
• Release beneficial insects like parasitic wasps that control fly larvae populations.
• Screen or cover all windows and doors during warm months when flies are most active.

Keeping food/water sources limited and introducing integrated fly defenses makes for a hostile environment where flies are very unlikely to settle.