How to Make a DIY Barn Fly Trap

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To help reduce the number of annoying black flies and deer flies around your barn, you can repurpose a 2-liter pop bottle into a fly trap.

It’s more efficient than a fly swatter, and safer for your livestock and pollinators (like bees and butterflies) than using a chemical spray.

This homemade fly trap is shaped like a funnel. The flies are drawn into the trap by the scent of the bait that you use. Once inside, they can’t find their way back out and end up drowning in the soapy water.

Materials for Making a DIY Barn Fly Trap

• 2-liter pop bottle
• Knife, scissors, etc. to cut the bottle
• Water
• Fruity-smelling dish soap
• Bait (fruit or meat)
• Epoxy or super glue
• Hole punch or leather punch
• Wire to hang the trap

We used apples and a little bit of apple cider vinegar in our first fly trap as bait. It worked pretty well. In the second trap we made, we used some pulled pork. I personally think stinkier bait is more attractive to the flies.

Directions for Making a DIY Barn Fly Trap

1. Cut the top off of a 2-liter pop bottle. You only need an inch or two below the opening. I used the top border of the label as a reference point for cutting
2. Remove the lid from the pop bottle
3. Put a few inches of water in the bottom of the pop bottle, along with a squirt of soap

4. Add your desired bait to the bottom of the pop bottle, fruit or meat work well!
5. Mix up some epoxy or get your super glue ready

6. Apply epoxy or super glue to the inside edge of the pop bottle containing the water, soap, and bait

7. Turn the top portion of the bottle (that you cut off in step 1) upside-down and place it into the part containing water, soap, and bait
8. Push down until the edges are flush and hold until the epoxy or glue reaches its initial set

9. Punch holes through both parts of the bottle at 2 sites where you want to attach the hanger
10. Cut a piece of wire and bend the ends
11. Insert the bent wire into the punched holes and hang up the fly trap
12. Watch the trap fill with dead flies!

Sam

Mother, farmer, author, and teacher by trade… She loves tending to things and watching them grow!