DIY Natural Insect Traps

Hey! Who invited the flies to the BBQ???

I found a couple of great pest control DIY projects, so I am putting them together here for your Spring time enjoyment!

I took my family backpacking this weekend and we had a great time at Big Basin Redwoods State Park. We hiked the Sunset and Skyline to the see trails and camped out at the Sunset Trail Camp.  I supposed you would have to be ON the trail to actually see the sunset, because from camp the only thing we saw were trees and MOSQUITOES!!!  There were a TON of mosquitoes (inspiration for this post no doubt…).  I really dislike mosquitoes… I know, they feed birds and dragonflies, and we are supposed to tolerate all of nature (this is a natural living blog after all) but really,.. mosquitoes???

And flies!  Only slightly more useful to the universe than mosquitoes…

“Benefits of flies to mankind. As in other kinds of insects, there are in the Order Diptera many flies that are beneficial to mankind. Flies that visit flowers are helpful in the pollination of flowering plants. The maggots of hover flies are welcomed by gardeners because they feed on aphids, reducing numbers of those pests. Many flies are parasitic, feeding on moth caterpillars, beetle grubs, and other pest species. Some species of gall midges, fruit flies and other families have been introduced to North America as weed biocontrol agents. Species of Drosophilidae have been used extensively in studies of genetics because of their short lifespans, giant salivary gland chromosomes, and ease of culturing.”

That’s all well and good, but I just hate having them around while I am trying to work or enjoy my BBQ. Having animals and kids on my property we seem to get infested with flies in our house for at least a month of the summer, we usually vacuum them or Michael gets his club out and beats the little buggers… So while researching online I found a great DIY gadget made from a 2 litter soda type bottle that can be used for either fly or mosquito catching!!!!

Supplies:

• A two-liter soda bottle (used)
• Sharp knife
• A wire hanger
• Match, lighter, or stove gas flame
• Electric tape
• Bait
  • For flies use a piece of meat or even animal poo mixed with water
  • Meat could help attract meat bees and wasps away from your party as well. 🙂
  • For mosquitoes use a mixture of
    • 1 cup water
    • 1/4 cup sugar
    • 1/2 tsp yeast (creates the carbon dioxide that attracts the mosquitoes)

Directions:

1. Remove the bottle cap.
2. Cut through the bottle about an inch or so below the shoulder.
3. Place the bait in the base of the bottle (the bottom two-thirds).
4. Invert the top third of the bottle, and slide it into the base.
5. Tape or glue the two pieces of the bottle together.
6. Bend some wire into a U shape (for hanging), with ends angled inwards.
7. Insert the wire into the bottle, you can do this by heating up the ends of the wire, and pressing with the hot wire through the plastic of the bottle.
8. Make sure the wire is securely hooked into the bottle.

The diagram below shows how it looks when you are finished. 🙂

Now you can feel free to enjoy your summer BBQ in less bug infested space. 🙂

If you can think of any other bate to trap other insects please post in the comments.

Cheers!