We chose apple cider vinegar as the bait, but use whatever you have on hand. Luckily, flies are attracted to anything sweet — old wine, sugar water, ripe fruit, honey or syrup are some of best bait for a homemade trap. You'll also need dish soap, which helps drown the flies in the liquid.
Sweet or fermented liquids such as syrup, liquor, soda and vinegar.
Common house flies are attracted to decaying organic filth such as feces and rotting meat, whereas fruit flies seek sugary substances and feed more commonly on overripe fruit, spilled soda, and alcohol.
Science buddies conducted an experiment testing which bait works best for a homemade fly trap. They used molasses, maple syrup, honey, and corn syrup. Their results showed that honey was the best bait out of the other sweet substances to attract and trap the most flys.
We chose apple cider vinegar as the bait, but use whatever you have on hand. Luckily, flies are attracted to anything sweet — old wine, sugar water, ripe fruit, honey or syrup are some of best bait for a homemade trap. You'll also need dish soap, which helps drown the flies in the liquid.
Cinnamon – use cinnamon as an air freshner, as flies hate the smell! Lavender, eucalyptus, peppermint and lemongrass essential oils – Not only will spraying these oils around the house create a beautiful aroma, but they will also deter those pesky flies too.
Add ½ cup of white vinegar to the bowl and a few pieces of rotting fruit. Dash two drops of dish soap into the mix. Pull your ziplock bag over the top of the bowl and use a rubber band to keep it in place. Poke holes into the top of the bag for the flies to get in.
One way is to set a trap — a bowl containing one part water, one part sugar, and one part white vinegar. Add five to eight drops of dish soap. Leave the bowl overnight, and adult drain flies should be attracted to it. Another method is to create a do-it-yourself spray containing equal parts warm water and dish soap.
Sugar Water: A simple mixture of sugar and water creates a sweet, irresistible attractant for flies. The sugar mimics natural nectar and can lure a wide range of fly species.
A bottle of wine, beer, vinegar, or ketchup works great for this kind of trap. Get some plastic wrap, or even a plastic baggie, and cover the top of the bottle snugly. Poke a couple of holes in the plastic using a pen or similarly-sized tool.
Vinegar Fly Trap
Fill a cup or small bowl with white vinegar or apple cider vinegar for flies, then add a few drops of dish soap. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and secure it with a rubber band. Poke holes in the wrap to create entry points for the flies.
Soda bottle traps
Pour a sweet liquid, like sugar water, in the larger, bottom third of the bottle. Turn the top third of the bottle upside-down, making a cone shape, and place it in the opening of the larger part of the bottle. Flies will find their way into the bottle but will be unable to get out.
Flies hate it. Don't use Pine Sol straight from the bottle, though. To make your Pine Sol fly repellant mix ⅓ water, ⅓ vinegar, and ⅓ Original Scent Pine Sol. You can add a dash of Skin So Soft or Citronella to the mix if you like, too.
Choose from either chemical sprays, household cleaners, or hairspray. Chemical sprays kill flies instantly upon contact, though they contain harsh chemicals. You can also spray the flies with household cleaners, like Windex or Formula 409, or with an aerosol like hairspray. All of these sprays will help you kill a fly.
The greatest fly attractant tested is banana, because it attracts an average of forty-seven flies. Strawberry is the next greatest attractant with twenty-nine flies attracted.
Homemade fly repellent spray: A mixture of dish soap, water, baking soda, and vinegar can be filled into a spray bottle. The mixture should contain a few drops of dish soap and a tablespoon each of vinegar and baking soda per cup of water. A few sprays of this mixture can be an effective fly repellent.
They're attracted to easy rich food sources such as faeces, rotting meat, decomposing animals and fruits. After all, flies still have a primitive digestive system. They only seek nutrients they can easily process. Aside from easy rich food sources, flies are also attracted to things that resemble nature.
In addition to making your house smell minty fresh, herbs like spearmint and peppermint can also keep flies at bay. Mint grows quickly and makes an excellent addition to your backyard garden or your windowsill. For those who lack a green thumb, spearmint or peppermint essential oils can also prevent fly infestations.
Biting flies are strongly attracted to blue objects because they mistake the colour for an animal they want to feast on, scientists have said. The finding may help the fight against diseases that are spread by flies, such as sleeping sickness, by making traps more effective.