Designed and shipped from the USA! 🇺🇸

What are the best fly trap baits?

It’s pretty common knowledge that nobody has time for a fly infestation. If flies are traveling around your house or taking over your private spaces, the last thing you want is to be chasing them around with a fly swatter. If you want to effectively capture flies, then a proper strategy is needed. This usually consists of a mixture of homemade remedies and store-bought products, or homemade fly traps!

However, this still doesn’t guarantee success. To increase the chances of fly domination, we suggest learning more about what attracts flies. This can help you choose the trapping method that's best for you to keep them away forever, not just an afternoon. 

We get it, on the surface, controlling flies can seem like an impossible battle. They reproduce so quickly and are really difficult to catch. The best solution is a well-considered plan that will capture them with little effort. Nobody wants to be running around after flies all day, it just isn’t sustainable. 

Another important factor to consider is that flies aren't just annoying and gross. They can also carry germs and diseases. This makes it even more important to capture and remove them before it’s too late!

We thought we’d gather a few tips before we get started. 

For example, the simpler you make your fly-trapping plan, the more likely you’ll succeed with it. As you can imagine, complicated traps and chemical remedies might turn you off the process entirely. A strategy that is easily maintained and optimized is one that will see the highest chance of success. 

So, what do they like to eat?

A good place to start on your quest to defeat the fly is their food. The kind of bait you need depends on what kind of fly you have and what they are attracted to. The better the bait, the better your traps will be at capturing them. This will take time and you may want to try experimenting with different kinds of bait to find out which works best for the type of fly you are battling.

For house flies, we find a balanced combination of sweet meat works best to cover all bases. Mix scraps of meat with something sweet. The older and smellier the better! Flies love rotting food. Go nuts here, but lots of people suggest old fish as it's super stinky.

If you’re battling against the fruit fly, then use fruit! I know this sounds obvious, but we like to be thorough in our approach. The riper the better but any will work. You can also try apple cider vinegar, fruit juice, syrup, or wines and beers. We’ll talk about this a little more later on in the blog.

Fruit Flies 

Generally, there are a few different types of fly infestations that you might across in your life. However, one of the most popular types you’ll encounter is fruit flies. As the name suggests, they'll quickly swarm around fruit bowls as soon as they notice the fruit ripening, they also love an open bottle of wine on the tabletop too! Who doesn’t?

It may seem like they come from nowhere, but fruit flies are attracted to fermenting fruits and vegetables over time. They particularly thrive on high-fructose substances. They also like to lay eggs on them. Not ideal for mealtime, right? What’s worse, a female fruit fly can lay up to 500 eggs at a time! For that reason alone, it’s important to get moving and capture the little nuisances!

Here’s a quick trap that’ll capture fruit flies around your house…

Cut off the top from an old soda bottle, leaving a little left inside. Then, stick the cut-off top upside down in the bottle’s bottom. Afterward, mark a line down the bottle’s spout. This will kind of act as a guide on how full to fill the bottle. For added effect, fill with fruit like apple chunks. Finally, add 2 cups of white vinegar to the bottle. This won’t attract the fruit flies, but it’ll deter bees from the trap. Place the cut-off top upside down in the bottle. This is extremely effective as the flies can easily access the contraption. However, once they’re inside, it’s impossible to get out.

As we stated earlier, the better the bait, the more effective this trap will be. You can also try any type of decomposing fruit or vegetables - get creative! Depending on the specific case, try to use different ingredients to see what’s most effective. Different things will work in different homes. Again, sorry to state the obvious, but you’re dealing with really smelly stuff here. Therefore, place in an area that won’t bother you or your neighbors. Trust us, there’s nothing worse than fruit and veg that have turned bad. If you'd like to know how you can construct your own fruit fly trap from the comfort of your home, just visit this article where we go into great detail!

Housefly

The other most common type of fly you’ll come across during your time as a homeowner is the house fly. These are attracted to more than just fermented materials. If you suffer from an outbreak, you can literally find them anywhere from your dog’s bowl to your bedroom. They don’t discriminate. 

House flies are about ¼-inch long and grey. They are found almost everywhere people live. They can lay their eggs on feces, garbage, and rotting organic material. We did tell you they don’t discriminate.

Although a housefly infestation may not be a major concern for most, it does have the possibility to spread disease. However, this isn’t the time to panic, there are many safe and effective methods to prevent infestations. Let’s cover some of the basics…

A mixture of vinegar and dish soap will become your best friend when trying to trap the housefly. For this method, mix an inch of apple cider vinegar and a few drops of dish soap in a glass or dish. Then, cover the glass with plastic wrap. Finally, secure the plastic wrap with a rubber band and poke small holes in the top. That’s it, trap made.

This works as the flies will be attracted to the vinegar as they fly through the holes. However, the dish soap acts like quicksand, sinking the flies on their pursuit to the vinegar. This is super easy to make and really effective in household contexts.

DIY

Like we stated at the start of the blog, every summer seems to be a battle with the flies. It seems like no matter how hard you try, pesky flies seem to infiltrate our homes all season. We must remember, these annoying winged creatures are called pests for a reason. They feast on our leftovers, lay eggs, buzz around us all day, and spread germs at any given chance. It’s important to move quickly, adapting to the situation you’re placed in. That’s why DIY is often a good way to go.

DIY often gets a bad name, regardless of the purpose. However, homemade fly traps are simple, cost-effective ways to combat flies. We must agree however, their success varies, depending on the type you choose and how well you execute the construction. 

As soon as you see or better yet, hear, the flies, DIY a few of these fly traps we’ve suggested and spread them around your property. This way, you'll increase your chances of winning the war on flies!

Here are some traps you can make with common items you’re likely to find around the house.

Apple Cider Vinegar 

I know we’ve covered this briefly before, but apple cider vinegar needs more discussion. If you've got fruit flies buzzing around your house, there’s nothing more effective. As we already told you, you can create a simple trap to capture them with a dish, some plastic wrap and apple cider vinegar. Place a small amount of the vinegar in a bowl and cover it tightly with plastic wrap. 

This trap will work great because the flies can’t resist the smell. However, escape is almost impossible. There are also plenty of other household items you can add to the apple cider vinegar trap, but we’ve already covered that in a previous blog.

Next, dish soap.

If you find your fruit flies to escape your plastic wrap or other DIY traps, then try adding some dish soap to the mix. The trap will still work in exactly the same way. However, the dish soap causes the flies to quickly sink, meaning escape is virtually impossible. The beauty with this is, the longer you leave it, the smellier it becomes. This means it becomes even more attractive to future fly visitors. Quick disclaimer, although the smell is nice for the flies, its disgusting for us humans. Place far away from any area you’re likely to be in each day. Like we said before, your family will thank you and so will your neighbors!

Homemade Fly Trap

If none of the above methods work, it may be time to create a proper fly trap.

Fly traps are undoubtedly the best way to capture flies. In an ideal world, commercial traps are better as they have been tried and tested to capture flies. However, some DIY versions can be really effective if used in the correct manner. Another great advantage is that flytraps aren’t damaging to the environment as they don’t use any synthetic chemicals that can harm livestock or nearby animals. 

For example, take a wine bottle fly trap. These are often very successful and have been used by countless homeowners to capture flies (mainly fruit flies). Let’s face it, who doesn’t have a few wine bottles lying around? We’re certainly guilty of it. 

Fruit flies are attracted to sweet, red liquids. In other words, red wine is the perfect substance to get those fruit flies snooping around.

If you’re wondering how to make one of these bad boys. It’s pretty easy. Start by taking an almost empty bottle and leave a little bit of wine in the bottom. Then, find a piece of paper and wrap it into a cone shape. The size of the hole should be just big enough to fit the flies through. Finally, tape the paper cone around the opening of the bottle and you’re ready to go!

The fly will find its way into the bottle in their pursuit of the wine but are too stupid to get back out again! For us, this is super effective and really cheap! It’s also a great excuse to crack open another bottle…

Another fly trap option that works particularly well with fruit flies is a bait funnel. This works pretty similarly to the wine bottle. Simply find a tub or glass and fill it with something sweet. Things like juice or sugar cubes will work well to lure the flies into the funnel. Once again, when they’re in the trap, they can’t find their way out, thus creating their final resting place. A little cruel, yes, but necessary. Be sure to replace these traps with new ones every so often, they can fill up fast. The last thing you want is for them to overflow…

Finally, for waging serious warfare against the enemy, a range of UV bug zappers could be the way to go. The light attracts flying insects like flies, mosquitoes, fruit flies, and moths. Once they land on the light, the zapper electrifies them and they’re gone. What’s great about this trap is that it doesn’t discriminate. Any fly type that’s unlucky enough to come close will quite quickly find out they’ve made the wrong turn.

UV fly traps are more useful at night as the light is more noticeable to bugs. However, they still work well in the daytime too. 

Fly Trap

Ultimately, you can try all these methods and bait types to capture the fly you’re after. However, the best way to stop large-scale fly problems is via a trap that has been specifically designed to deal with the problem. DIY traps are great for smaller infestations, but larger properties will certainly need something bigger and better. 

That’s where we come in…

The Ranch Fly Trap

For over two years, we’ve been working hard to provide a set of products that stop flies in their tracks. Following rigorous product development and countless feedback sessions, we feel we’ve created the most effective fly-catching system available on the market today. Not only do our customers tell us it’s the best fly trap on the market, but the results speak for themselves. Don’t believe us? Check out this video and you’ll quickly see what we’re talking about. Bonnie Minder, in Arizona, set up 7 of our Net Traps on her farm and in just a few weeks each one had caught up to tens of thousands of flies. And that's just one of our super effective fly trap products, we also have a fully reusable Fly Trap - We call it the Barrel Fly Trap.

What’s great about the barrel trap is that is totally reusable, meaning you can catch flies all summer long without the need for disposal. The smart screw-top technology allows efficient empty and re-fill for different baits, including our own recipe available via our website. 

Our passion is to sleep easy at night, knowing properties all across the globe are protected. Before you ask, we’re not weirdos. You may be thinking, what are these guys talking about, they’re only flies? That’s where you’re wrong. 

We’re big animal lovers. That may sound ironic when our product is designed to kill flies but hear us out. Without us, flies torture the lives of livestock all over the US and beyond. Our traps are not only designed to kill flies. They’re designed to protect your horses, pigs, chickens, livestock, and any other animals you keep on your property.

The Ranch Fly Trap is for people who’re sick and tired of living with flies. They’ve been a nuisance for too long and it’s time to stop settling for less.

Your fly-free summer starts with a single click. Shop now via our website.