5 DIY Fly Traps to Catch Pesky Flies Indoors

Ashlyn is a freelance writer with 6 years of experience covering home-related content. She holds an English degree from Appalachian State University, and loves blending her passions of writing and home decor into compelling, helpful reads.

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It's that time of year when house flies find a home on your windows and ledges. House flies are common in most homes, not to mention a nuisance to deal with. If you're noticing a buildup of flies in your home, there are several DIY fly traps you can make with everyday ingredients. The good news? You likely already have these items, so you won’t have to make a special trip to the store.

Tip

Dish soap is a key ingredient in DIY traps. Dish soap breaks apart the surface tension of water so tiny bugs that can usually stand on top of water now sink in and drown.

Here are five DIY fly traps to catch pesky flies indoors to keep these pests away for good.

Method #1: The Two-Liter Trap

Before you throw away your favorite soda bottle, wash it out to make this super easy DIY fly trap.

1. Clean out your empty two-liter bottle or milk jug. Take a pair of scissors and cut off the top to create a funnel that will be used in later steps.
2. Mix together one cup of vinegar and a few dashes of dish soap in the bottle/jug. Opt for fruit or sweet-scented soap to attract the flies.
3. Add one cup of water and two tablespoons of sugar. Mix everything together.
4. Take the cut-off end of the bottle/jug and flip it upside down to fit in the opening. Tape it in place.
5. Sprinkle some honey or syrup in the funnel before coating it with sugar.
6. Set a bottle/jug in the fly-infected area and wait for flies to be trapped. Once all the flies are in the bottle/jug, throw it away immediately.

Why This Method Is Effective

Flies are attracted to the sweet, sugary smells. Having the mixture inside the bottle of vinegar attracts the flies before they are caught in the sticky honey and syrup mixture. The honey and syrup make it hard for the flies to escape, thus trapping them in the bottle.

Method #2: The Syrup and Wine Trap

Maple syrup makes its debut for attracting flies. Before you run out of wine, keep the last remnants bottle to rid your home of flies.

1. Take your wine bottle with a bit of wine left and add two dashes of maple syrup.
2. Add to the mixture two dashes of dish soap.
3. Use a piece of paper to create a funnel. Stick it on the top of the wine bottle.
4. Sprinkle syrup onto the inside of the funnel, set on the countertop, and wait for the flies.

Why This Method Is Effective

Similar to the previous method, the syrup attracts flies as well as the fermentation in wine. This combination is very powerful for drawing flies that will then get stuck in the syrup.

Method #3: The Vinegar and Dish Soap Trap

Vinegar is a multi-purpose ingredient beneficial for making DIY fly traps. Mixed with fruit-scented dish soap, this trap is mighty for getting flies out of your home.

1. Grab a shallow bowl and mix together a few inches of apple cider vinegar and a tablespoon of sugar.
2. Dash in a few drops of fruit-scented dish soap.
3. Cover the dish with saran wrap but poke a few tiny holes to attract the flies.
4. Set on the countertop in the problem area for the flies.

Why This Method Is Effective

The fruit-scented soap and apple scent from the vinegar attract the flies. When the flies fly into the holes of the saran wrap, they have nowhere to go and in turn, drown in the mixture.

Method #4: The Rotting Fruit Trap

Rotting fruit is a top culprit of flies in the home. Reuse rotting fruit by placing it in a plastic baggie or bowl to make a fly trap.

1. Pull out a small, paper bowl you don’t mind throwing away. Add ½ cup of white vinegar to the bowl and a few pieces of rotting fruit.
2. Dash two drops of dish soap into the mix.
3. Pull your ziplock bag over the top of the bowl and use a rubber band to keep it in place.
4. Poke holes into the top of the bag for the flies to get in.
5. Drizzle some honey on top of the bag and holes.
6. Set the bowl on the counter to lure the flies. Throw the bowl away once it’s full or empty it out to repeat the process if you have a lot of flies.

Why This Method Is Effective

Rotting fruits attract flies into the house due to their overripe smell. This method is very effective for getting rid of the flies (and fruit). Once the flies sink into the holes, the vinegar and dish soap cause them to drown while the ziplock bag makes it hard for the flies to escape.

Method #5: The Premade Trap

Flies are a common house problem, which means there are plenty of fly traps on the market if you need to use this option. These traps have a variety of methods and work off of electricity or producing an odor that flies are drawn to.

Though they are both flies, house flies and fruit flies have a few differences. Fruit flies are a lot smaller than house flies and tend to stick around in the kitchen since they are drawn to fruits (hence the name). House flies can be found in a variety of rooms, but are more drawn to garbage and rotting foods.

These homemade DIY fly traps feature universal ingredients that may or may not work on other insects, like vinegar and rotting fruit.

Flies are attracted to rotting foods and garbage around the home, so the key to preventing this problem in the first place is by practicing proper sanitation. Routinely cleaning your home, throwing out rotting food, and taking out the trash are great steps to prevent flies from invading your kitchen.

The Spruce uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

1. Fruit Flies. University of Kentucky College of Agriculture.
2. Ishii, Yuri et al. Effective trapping of fruit flies with cultures of metabolically modified acetic acid bacteria. Applied and Environmental Microbiology, vol. 81, no. 7, 2015, pp. 2265-73. doi:10.1128/AEM.03678-14
3. Buzz kill: Auburn Researcher Offers Advice for Ridding Homes of Pesky Fruit Flies. Auburn University.
4. Controlling Houseflies. Texas Extension Disaster Education Network.

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