How to Make a Simple DIY Fly Trap
Updated: Jan. 27, 2023
Wonder how to get rid of house flies around your home? Wash a plastic beverage bottle and cut off the top.
Rodents aren’t the only pests homeowners are looking to get rid of. Here’s an easy way to get rid of annoying flies around your home. Reuse a plastic bottle. Wash it and cut off the top. Stick the cutoff top upside down in the bottle’s bottom. Mark a line slightly below the bottle’s spout. This will serve as a “fill to” line. Fill with apple chunks, the riper the better, and 2 cups of white vinegar to deter bees from the trap. Place the cutoff top upside down in the bottle. Flies can easily get into the wide opening, but it’s difficult for them to get back out.
Note that the better the bait, the more effective these will be at getting rid of flies. Any type of decomposing fruit or vegetable will work, too. Try different ingredients to see what’s most effective in your house.
Because you are using rotting food to attract and trap the flies, make sure to place the homemade fly trap in a place where the smell won’t bother you or the neighbors.
How to Get Rid of Gnats
As household pests go, gnats don't represent as serious of a health hazard as mice or mosquitoes, but these flying bugs are a nuisance that you don't want swarming around your kitchen or anywhere else in the house. Fortunately, you can safely get rid of gnats (as well as fruit flies and drain flies) with a few common household ingredients that are probably sitting in your kitchen already. Here, you'll find four simple solutions for natural pest control, as well as one safe product you can buy to eliminate gnats before they take over.
The Best Homemade Gnat Trap
Gather a few small jars and pour in 4 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar and whirl in a few drops of liquid dish soap. With the lids off, place the jars wherever you see the most gnats. The gnats will be drawn to the smell of the apple cider, but once they land in the mixture, the soap makes it difficult for them to escape. These non-toxic traps work like a dream. I set them out one night and the next morning, all the gnats were in the jars! — Gina Kinnan
Household Ingredient Gnat Trap
Here's an homemade trap built around an old plastic bottle. Wash the bottle and cut off the top. Mark the center of the bottle with a permanent marker. This will serve as a “fill to” line. Dissolve 3 tablespoons of sugar in 1/4 cup of vinegar and pour it into the bottle. Add water up to the fill line. Place the cutoff top upside down in the bottle. The gnats can easily get into the wide opening, but it’s difficult for them to get back out. Place this on your kitchen counter or any area where you’ve seen a lot of gnats congregating.
Simple Three-Step Gnat Trap
Attracted by wet soil, gnats love houseplants. To get rid of them, spread a little honey on bright yellow index cards. Glue the card to a straw or chopstick and stick into the soil of the gnat’s favorite houseplants. Yellow attracts gnats because it’s the color of plants under stress whose defenses are weakened against predators. When the gnats come to investigate, they’ll get stuck in the honey.
Red Wine Gnat Trap
Make a homemade gnat trap with a shallow dish and red wine, which will attract gnats. Some people use a container with a small opening, like a water bottle, so it’s more difficult for the gnats to fly away after they investigate the wine. These traps also work on fruit flies, which are not the same as gnats.
