Fly into Fall - Fly Trap Tutorial

The first week of school is rough, so I haven't done much crafting this week, but one of the things that is driving me crazy are the fruit flies in my apartment. I hate them, I have a lot of them, and I can't seem to get rid of them. I have had them before, and usually if I get rid of the fruit or dirty dish that was attracting them, they would go away. But this year, they are just getting worse. They are expecially bad in the bathroom where the cat's litterbox is, and in the kitchen, especially over the sink. I had tried some things to get rid of them, but to no avail!! First, the super sticky, super stinky fly paper....this worked somewhat...

I also tried smashing them against the mirror in my bathroom...I used this book in hopes the flies would, in fact, be "EASY TO KILL." =)

When I called my dad this morning to complain about the flies, he said he used a piece of fruit and a vacuum cleaner. So I tried that.....but mostly spent my time waving the vacuum around while the flies mockingly laughed and the cats fled in terror (of the vacuum, not the flies' mocking laughter). So then, I did some research, beyond the old "call dad" trick, and found some tutorials on the internet. There are some good ones on instructables.com, my favorite one is here. So...I'll walk you through my process.

First, gather some supplies. For this first one, I used an empty V8 bottle, some packing tape, and the bruised part of a pear. You can also use a soda bottle.Cut the top off of the bottle and take the lid off. Put the pear inside the bottle, then turn the top upside down and put it inside the bottle. I put some tape over the opening since it was a bit large. Don't make it too small though!Put tape around the top of the bottle to seal it, then put it somewhere where the flies are. Mine is right next to the sink.

I wanted more than one (I have a LOT of flies in here), so I made another one using the same process, only using a small Coke bottle and cider vinegar instead. And finally, I made one using a wide mouth bottle, some cardstock, and some hot glue.

First, cut a slit into the center of the piece of paper. I cut the corners off, but you do not have to do that. Then, cross the slit over each end to make a funnel shape and tape it together. I had to tape the inside and the outside. Next, cut the tip of the funnel off, but again, make sure it isn't too big!

Pour some cider vinegar into the bottom of the jar, and plug your glue gun in...

Make yourself a glass of chocolate milk while you wait for your glue gun to warm up.Once your glue gun is warmed up, glue around the inside edge of the jar, right at the top. Make sure the glue goes all the way around, no gaps!Press the funnel down into the jar immediately so that the glue will seal it off. I put mine on top of the litterbox in the bathroom. Hopefully this will eliminate the flies!!

UPDATE - After a few hours, I can say that the funnel trap is not as effective as the bottle ones, and that cider vinegar works better than fruit. 2 cider vinegar traps attract MANY more flies than one trap, even away from food. =)

UPDATE 2 - either I have smart fruit flies, or I didn't empty the traps quickly enough....I suggest that you empty them every 10-12 hours or so. I also have had some success with the vacuum....I use the traps to attract the flies to one area, then use the vacuum to suck the little buggers up. I WILL win this battle.