Natural Homemade Fly Traps and Pesticides

Flies are not only annoying when they find their way into your home, but they also potentially carry diseases which could make you and your family ill. You could choose one of a number of commercial fly traps or pesticides to treat these flying insects, but store-bought products can be expensive and contain potentially hazardous chemicals. Making your own fly traps and pesticides is a less expensive alternative that allows you to use natural ingredients.

Box cutter

Plastic 2-liter bottles

Soda

Mixing bowl

Egg

Whisk

Terry cloth washcloth

Eucalyptus essential oil

Use a box cutter to remove the top of a cleaned, plastic two-liter bottle just below the beginning of the neck. Repeat this procedure with a second two-liter bottle. Set the cut-off tops of the bottles aside.

Place 12 oz. of a sugar-based soda, such as regular cola, into a mixing bowl. Add one egg to the soda and whisk it to combine.

Pour half the egg mixture into each of the two cut bottles.

Place the cut-off tops of the bottles back on the bottoms by turning the tops upside down. When you do this, it looks as if you are holding a funnel in your hand.

Place your fly traps in areas you are experiencing fly infestations. The flies are attracted by the egg mixture in the bottles, fly down the inverted necks and then become trapped in the bottles, eventually drowning when they cannot find their way back out. You can remove the tops of the bottles and dump the contents out when they become full of dead flies. Then rinse the inside of the bottles and fill them with fresh egg mixture before replacing the tops.

Cut up an old terry cloth washcloth into three-inch squares.

Use an eyedropper to place five to 10 drops of eucalyptus essential oil onto each square.

Place the squares around your home in areas you are seeing a lot of flies. This can include around trash cans, on countertops or in the bathroom.

Apply additional doses of the essential oil every two or three days for continued effectiveness.

Although you may think of a pesticide as something used to kill, according to the National Institute of Environmental Health Services, a pesticide is also anything that repels or controls plants and animals.

When using a box cutter, use caution to avoid cutting yourself. Always wear work gloves to prevent potential injuries.