Easy DIY Fly Trap

Catch those pesky flies this summer with an Easy DIY Fly Trap made in a mason jar using household items.

Hi! I’m Amanda from Life at Cloverhill and I live in an old farmhouse in the country…which means we get plenty of flies every summer. In the past, I’ve bought those sticky ribbon tapes that hang from the ceiling and expensive fly trap syrup, without great success. After a friend told me about this Easy DIY Fly Trap that I could make with things I already had on hand, I was excited to try it.

This easy DIY fly trap uses no pesticides or chemicals, and I was able to use household items. So far it’s been working really well to catch flies and it’s easy enough to whip up another jar when we need it. The idea is that the flies are attracted to the sweet and smelly scent, fly down the cone funnel and can’t make their way back up.

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you’ll need:

mason jar
paper
2 parts sugar
1 part water
1-2 drops dish soap
optional: a piece of raw meat or extra ripe fruit

Roll the paper into a cone that will sit in the opening without falling into the jar. Tape the edge to secure it. Snip a corner of the paper, leaving a hole just big enough for a fly to get through.

Mix 2 parts sugar with one part 1 water, stirring well to combine. You’ll need just enough of the mixture to fill the jar about a third to halfway. Mix in a drop or two of dish soap to keep the flies in the water when they enter the trap. Add a piece of raw meat or extra ripe fruit, to help lure the flies to the trap. Flies love sweet and smelly things, so the longer you let it ferment, the more they’ll like it.

Put the cone back into the jar and secure in place with a couple pieces of tape. Set in a sunny place, near where you have any flies. When the jar gets too full, dump the mixture and make a new batch.

For more household ideas, come visit my blog Life at Cloverhill!