make your own fly traps

Fly traps – the good, the bad, the homemade!

 

In a nutshell, fly traps are awesome. You can buy them, or make your own.

 

 

  • So you have attacked the source of fly food and egg-laying goodness (manure) and provided your horses with a breeze, from fans or the wind! But you still have flies. So time to work on getting rid of the adults flying around.

 

 

sticky fly trap hanging in a barn

A sticky trap version of things.

 

big bag fly trap

This bag holds 40,000 flies. This is a lot of flies. A LOT.

 

 

How to make your own fly traps:

 

  • It’s easy – you only need a few things. A container, some bait (AKA really stinky stuff), and also a place to hang it. Away from the people. A location far away does a few things – keeps the stink away, and lures the flies away from the horses.

 

What you need to make a bottle type fly trap:

 

  • A two-liter bottle. You can also make smaller traps with smaller plastic beverage bottles, but then you may just be making more of them more often.

 

  • Some bait. This is what lures your flies to their doom. Insert ominous music here and also maybe some diabolical laughter. You have a few choices for fly trap bait:

 

    • Decaying fruits and veggies
    • Manure of some sort. Horse, dog, cat. It may not be effective when dried out.
    • A sugar-water solution. Add vinegar or not, your choice.
    • Some sort of meat product. This makes the biggest stink, so good luck with that.

 

fly trap parts

A craft so simple even I can do it.

 

 

It’s that simple. The how-to of making your trap:

 

  • Cut your bottle so that you can separate the top from the bottom, about 1/3 of the way down.

 

  • Fill the bottom with your fly bait of choice.

 

  • You may want to fill the trap with some water and a drop of dish soap to really mix things up. The water and soap will also drow the flies. Fantastic, right?

 

  • Put the top into the bottom upside down and secure with tape.

 

  • Hang your trap!

 

 

Do you use fly traps around the barn? Why or why not?

 

go shopping button for horse products

 

You can order some fly traps here. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases, and there is no extra charge to you! I’m also eternally grateful for your support.

 

RESCUE! FTD2 Disposable Fly Trap, 2-Pack

Thank you!