How To Catch Flies In The House

Vinegar is your best friend if you are wondering how to catch flies in the house. The pungent smell of vinegar is reminiscent of rotting fruits, which fruit flies love. 

Before you start, gather all the necessary materials. You will need everything mentioned below:

• Apple Cider Vinegar
• Dish soap
• Container (read below to select the right one)
• Plastic Wrap

1. Picking the Container

An important thing you need to catch flies with vinegar is a container. You can use any container, from plastic bowls to glass, as long as it is transparent. 

A transparent glass or plastic bowl is ideal because you can see the flies you have caught without getting up close and peeking from the top. This visibility is convenient and lets you know whether your trap is working. 

2. Pour Apple Cider Vinegar

Pour half a cup of apple cider vinegar into the container. Do not add too much because the scent may become diluted in the surrounding air, making it less attractive to flies.

Additionally, a higher volume of liquid without the right balance of dish soap can allow flies to land and escape, as the surface tension might remain intact.

3. Add Water

After that, add water to the container to dilute the solution. Avoid adding too much water, or it will weaken the vinegar's intensity. Water allows vinegar's scent to linger in the air for a little longer, trapping more fruit flies and increasing its overall effectiveness.

4. Dish Soap

Another element in the fly trap solution is dish soap. This surfactant liquid does the actual trapping by making the vinegar solution slippery when you mix it in the solution. 

The flies cannot escape once they land on the solution and eventually drown. You can use dish soap, but fruit-scented ones make the trap more enticing.

5. Stir the Mixture

After adding all the ingredients to the container, stir the solution gently so that all the elements dissolve evenly.

Avoid stirring harshly, as it will result in a frothy mixture. The bubbles create a barrier, making it harder for the flies to land directly on the liquid surface. Cease stirring if you notice the bubbles. 

6. Wrap Plastic

Let the solution settle for a few minutes and move on to cover the container. The dish soap makes it difficult for flies to escape, but not impossible. They are adept at saving themselves. 

Therefore, you should cover the solution with a cellophane and poke holes. Poking the right-sized holes can be tricky since they need to be large enough to allow the flies to enter but small enough to prevent their escape. 

Alternatively - Go For a Paper Funnel

An environmentally friendly alternative is to replace the plastic with a paper funnel. A paper funnel is best suited for glass jars with slightly narrow openings. 

Grab one end of the paper and make it into a cone with a small hole at the tip, just enough to allow the flies to enter the container but prevent their escape. The tip should be inside the container.

Once you have placed the funnel in the container, secure it with glue or tape so it does not come undone. Also, do not let the cone touch the solution, lest you want to wet the paper.

7. Secure with a Rubber Band

The plastic wrap, too, needs to be secured. After covering the jar with the wrap, secure it with a rubber band.

Check whether the wrap is secure and for any potential route, the fruit flies may escape from.

8. Set the Trap

Now that the trap is ready, install it in your preferred location. Opt for high fly-traffic areas such as kitchens, fruit bowls, around flowering plants and fruits, or near a trash bin.

Remember, your fly trap is as effective as the location you place it, meaning there is no point in setting the trap in an area where flies will not go. Place the traps where you anticipate them the most, and if necessary, you can set multiple traps. 

Do not discard your soda bottle once you finish it. You can repurpose it to make a hanging fly trap. The mechanisms are similar to vinegar traps. Entice the flies to fly into the bottle with a sugary treat and prevent their escape with the narrow opening, where they will eventually die. 

Before we teach you how to trap flies, these are the tools and materials you should have on hand:

Materials

• Soda bottle
• Wire or twine for hanging the trap 
• Sweet bait

Equipment/Tools

• Permanent marker
• Knife
• Hole punch 

1: Unpeel the Cover

Unpeel the cover of a soda bottle of any size to make it transparent. This transparency allows you to see if you have caught any flies. The cover should have a loose corner or seam on the bottom.

Pull the seam gently to lift the edge of the label. Keep the label at a low angle and pull it off slowly to avoid tearing for smoother removal. You can also use any other plastic bottle or juice carton, provided you can make a large enough opening for the flies to enter.

2: Mark the Cutting Point

You need to cut the bottle into two parts for a container to hold the bait and a funnel. With a marker, draw around the bottle where the curvature of the bottle starts from the bottom. The line does not have to be perfectly straight. 

Draw a line under the natural crease that forms the triangular top if you are using a plastic milk carton. You do not have to draw around the handle.

3: Cut along the Marked Line

To cut along the marked line, use a tool you are comfortable with and is also sharp enough to slice through the plastic bottle. Plastic bottles are slippery on the tabletop, so add friction with a slightly damp cloth or towel. Once you are sure the bottle will not slip from your grip, cut along the marked line carefully to prevent any injuries. 

After cutting, you should have a funnel and a container. To make the trap extra effective, coat the insides of the two sections with olive oil or petroleum jelly. Pour the oil or jelly on a paper towel or cloth and wipe the insides. This technique makes the trap slippery, making it difficult for the flies to escape. 

4: Prepare Bait Solution

Part of knowing how to catch and kill flies means distinguishing between different flies. Most flies you encounter are either houseflies or fruit flies. Houseflies are larger than fruit flies and fly erratically around the house, garbage bins, food, or pet waste. Fruit flies are tinier and hover near drains, fruit bowls, or wine bottles. 

Additionally, houseflies prefer sugary, rotting, or fermented foods, while fruit flies prefer vinegar, overripe fruit, or wine, so bait the flies accordingly. You can get rid of the houseflies with honey and fruit flies with vinegar.

Dilute whatever you have chosen to use with dish soap and water. Use one teaspoon of dish soap for a cup of water. The dish soap or the surfactant liquid breaks the surface tension and drowns the flies. 

5: Secure the Funnel Over the Container 

Cover the container with a funnel. The funnel allows the flies to enter but not exit the trap. Tape the two sections along the cut edges with transparent tape. Then, create a handle by punching two holes an inch below the edge of the trap with a hole-puncher or scissors. 

Connect the hole with a 12-inch string. The string should be sturdy enough to hold the trap weight and withstand any wind that might blow it around. You can use a twine or an old shoelace.

6: Pour the Bait Solution 

Pour the bait solution inside the trap through the funnel. Pouring at least 2 inches as too little solution might create a strong enough scent to attract the flies, while too much may make it easier for the flies to escape. 

However, you may need to adjust this amount according to the length of your trap. Ideally, aim to fill the trap at ⅓ full. 

7: Set Up Your Trap

Set the trap on a small table or stool to elevate it slightly, or hang it on a fence post or a lower branch of a tree. Do not hang it too low. Four feet from the ground is enough to catch more flies effectively. 

Do not set and forget. You should check the trap periodically to ensure you have done everything right. If the trap is empty even after a few days, move the trap to a different location where you've seen the flies or where flies lay eggs, or try another bait.

Once the trap is full, flush the solution, and the dead flies down the toilet. You can refill the trap with a bait solution and use it again. 

Commercial fly traps are ideal if do-it-yourself fly traps are not your style and you don’t mind spending. Here are some of your options.

Sticky Traps

Sticky traps are attractively colored sheets or ribbons coated with a sticky substance that captures flies once they land and eventually die. These traps are easy to set up: you only have to peel off the backing and flat surfaces or windows. They are perfect to use even after all the common things that attract the flies are removed. 

The dead flies are visible on the paper, unlike the advanced traps that keep their kills hidden from sight. You can see how effective the traps are, but users can use other methods if they cannot stand the sight. On average, you will need to replace these adhesives every few weeks, but this may vary depending on the volume of flies in your area. 

Electric Fly Zappers

Electric fly zappers come with a UV LED light that naturally attracts flying insects like flies and kills them instantly with an electrified grid often placed around the UV bulb. They produce a little crackling noise while zapping flies, but the sound is tolerable.

Depending on the size, these zappers can cover a site indoors or outdoors measuring anywhere from 500 square feet to an acre, as long as they are attached to an electrical outlet. The bright LED lights can also function as a nightlight once the sun sets. This means they may be less effective during daylight hours because flies cannot see the light. 

Liquid Bait Traps

Liquid bait traps are like the soda bottle traps mentioned above, minus all the craft work. The bait solution comes in a container to attract flies and prevent their escape with a sticky surface or a funnel. 

These traps emit a potent scent and should be at least 10 feet away from your hang-out spots. The scent is only enticing to the flies, not humans.

Once the trap is full of flies, you can remove the container, empty the contents, refill it with bait solution, and add water to activate it. The refills are sold separately at an affordable price to help keep your home pest-free year-round. 

Fly Bags

Fly bags are best to use for a larger infestation. The bags contain gourmet bait even the most stubborn flies cannot resist, luring the flies into the trap with no way out, thanks to its unique trap doors. All you need to do to set them up is add water to the bag to activate the bait packet.

These bags come with a hanging hook to be suspended 5 feet high and 25 feet away from areas with maximum flies, including dog kennels, compost piles, animal waste areas, and dumpsters. Keep the traps away from common areas.

Pesticide

Pesticides are not really for trapping flies, but if you need something that kills them fast without needing residual control. These aerosol fly sprays contain pyrethrins or chemicals that terminate the pesky insects upon contact. 

It is not necessary to spray the pesticide directly on the insects. You may spray in the air to create clouds where flies can be suffocated as they pass through or on surfaces on which flies are likely to land. The treated areas can also keep away other bugs.

Pesticides are safe to use around people, pets, food, before or during picnics and outings, and around areas where flies lay eggs.