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

 

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

 

• I have never hung a flytrap and had it remain empty for long. The downside is the smell, and they are not so appealing to look at. But – fly control at the horse barn is a multi-pronged approach – you need to attack all stages of the fly life cycle.

 

• 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.

 

 

A sticky trap version of things.

 

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.

 

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?

 

 

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!