Tired Of Flies Flying Around Your House? Kill Them With These Do-It-Yourself Traps

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Summer is almost here. And unfortunately, that means that flies may soon find themselves inside of your home. It is hard to keep them out when your kids are running in and out as they play outside, or as you open the door to bring in food from your barbecue. While fly swatters can help you get rid of these pests, you have to be fast and it can be time consuming if you have multiple flies in your home. Here are a few traps you can make yourself to kill any flies that happen to make their way into your home.

Fly Funnel Traps

If you have flies flying around your kitchen or living room, a fly funnel trap can help you to catch the flies and contain them until they die. Follow these steps to make your own fly funnel traps:

1. Roll a standard-sized piece of paper into a funnel shape. The opening at the bottom of the funnel should be slightly bigger than the size of a fly.
2. Select a cup or jar. The cup or jar should have a mouth that your funnel fits into, while also being long enough so that your funnel sits about halfway down into the cup or jar. You don't want the cup to be so short that the funnel goes all the way to the bottom of the cup or you can't trap flies.
3. Stick your paper funnel in the jar and adjust it as needed so that it rests in the cup as it should. Use tape to secure the edges of the paper in place so the funnel holds its shape.
4. Remove the funnel from the cup or jar and line the bottom of the jar with honey. Honey is perfect as it is sweet. If you don't have any honey, you can use sugar water or even fruit. Anything sweet will attract the flies.
5. Place the cone back in the cup or jar and position your jar in an area where flies are present. The flies will smell the sugar and fly into the trap. Unfortunately, once they are inside, they can't figure out how to get out and the funnel helps prevent them from leaving. They will eventually die. Empty out your trap and refill it as needed to control the fly population in your home.

Fly Paper

Another way to deal with pesky flies flying around your home or patio area is to make your own sticky fly paper. The flies will stick to the paper and find themselves trapped. Follow these directions to make your own fly paper:

1. Cut brown paper bags into strips. The strips should be about 1 to 2 inches in width and about six to ten inches in length. Punch a hole in the top of each strip and tie a piece of string through the hole.
2. In a sauce pan, combine two cups of water, two cups of sugar and two cups of honey, corn syrup or maple syrup. Heat on low until all of the items combine and the sugar is no longer gritty. Allow the mixture to cool so that you can touch it without burning yourself. However, don't allow it to completely cool or it will begin to harden and be too hard to work with.
3. Dip your paper strips into the mixture. Hang them up to dry. Be sure to place foil, wax paper or a baking sheet underneath the strips as they will drip as they dry.
4. Hang the strips in areas affected by flies. The flies will stick to the strips and be unable to free themselves, ultimately dying. Use your best judgement for when the strips are full and should be replaced.

Fly funnel traps and fly paper are two ways to kill flies that have entered your home. However, if your home is infested or these methods are not working for you, you may need to call in a professional pest control company. If flies have begun laying eggs in your home, their population can quickly increase and you may need more than homemade traps to control the problem. A pest control company can determine where the flies are coming from, spray to kill the current infestation, and provide you with advice on controlling the infestation in the future.

20 May 2016