How to Make a Fly Trap From an Empty Soda Bottle

Shoo away flies for good with natural trap baits

How to Make a Fly Trap From an Empty Soda Bottle

The Spruce / Adriana Sanchez

Project Overview
  • Working Time: 30 mins - 1 hr
  • Total Time: 30 mins - 1 hr
  • Skill Level: Beginner
  • Estimated Cost: $10

Are houseflies constantly invading your space? Consider DIYing this easy and inconspicuous fly trap made from an empty plastic soda bottle. The trap is sure to stop houseflies from buzzing inside your home.

Baited with a liquid that attracts flies, like sweetened water, honey, or apple cider vinegar, a DIY fly trap set in a hidden area will quickly lure ordinary houseflies. The best part? Thanks to the incorporation of natural ingredients, you no longer have to rely on pesticides or chemicals.

Here's how to make this simple, homemade fly trap yourself.

Why This Trap Works

Flies smell the sweetened bait and fly into the bottle to get to it (either to lay eggs or to feed). Once inside, they are easily caught by the sticky, sweet ingredient of choice as they fly down the neck of the trap. Flies will become trapped because they can't navigate back up the narrow opening, or they will be unable to fly if their wings get wet. This can be used to get rid of flies outdoors as well as indoors.

Some of the tried-and-true methods of controlling houseflies indoors have drawbacks: flyswatters are messy and pesticides can be harmful, potentially releasing chemicals into the air. Instead, here are the steps to make a natural bait trap that's bound to stop flies in their tracks.

Homemade Fly Trap Bait Options

  • Fruit-flavored dish soap
  • Sugary water
  • Honey
  • Syrup
  • Old fruit 
  • Apple cider vinegar
  • Old wine
  • Rotting meats (outdoor trap)

What You'll Need

Equipment / Tools

  • Serrated knife
  • Permanent marker
  • Cutting board
  • Hole punch (optional)

Materials

  • 1 two-liter soda bottle
  • Bait, such as ripe fruit
  • 1 bottle of vinegar (optional)
  • 1 piece of wire to hang your trap (optional)

Instructions

How to Make a Homemade Fly Trap from an Empty Soda Bottle

materials for making a fly trap out of a soda bottle

The Spruce / Michelle Becker

  1. Mark a Cutting Line

    Draw a line all the way around the bottle using a permanent marker, just below the tapered neck.

    drawing a cutting line on a soda bottle

    The Spruce / Michelle Becker

  2. Cut the Top off the Bottle

    Use a sharp knife with a serrated blade to cut along the line, severing the top of the bottle. Cut on a cutting board so there's no damage to your counter or table surface.

    cutting the top off of a soda bottle

    The Spruce / Michelle Becker

  3. Assemble the Fly Trap

    Remove the soda cap, then flip the top of the bottle upside down and slide it into the bottom of the bottle, like a funnel, to complete the fly trap.

    inverting the top of the soda bottle into the bottom

    The Spruce / Michelle Becker

  4. Bait the Trap

    Remove the "funnel" from the bottle so you can place the bait. Choose a bait for your trap.

    Flies are attracted to nearly any decaying organic material. Though it is meat and feces that flies seek out to lay eggs (the larvae, which we know as maggots, will immediately feed on those materials when they hatch from fly eggs), few people will want to use that as indoor bait. Consider these pleasant ideas for bait:

    • Slightly over-ripe fruit
    • A 50/50 water and sugar mix
    • Water mixed with honey or maple syrup for a stickier solution
    • Fruit-scented dish soap

    If you are using this trap outdoors, use a more pungent bait like a few small pieces of meat.

    Tip

    You can also trap wasps with this method since they are drawn to sweets as well.

    baiting the fly trap with fruit

    The Spruce / Michelle Becker

  5. Make a Handle for the Fly Trap

    If you prefer a hanging trap, use a hole punch to punch two holes on opposite sides at the top of the bottle. Make sure they go through both layers of the trap. Then thread a piece of wire through the holes, crimp the ends, and your trap is ready to hang.

    Tip

    If you notice gaps between the edges of where the "funnel" rests in the bottom of the bottle, tape them up just in case a sly fly decides to squeeze out and escape.

    adding a handle to the fly trap

    The Spruce / Michelle Becker

Additional Tips to Get Rid of Houseflies

  • To prevent fly outbreaks from occurring, set out a fly trap during the first of spring when the sun begins to warm. This catches flies early when they first appear.
  • In some environments, trapping flies may be an almost constant affair. Flies continue reproducing throughout the year in warm climates such as animal pens or pastures. In all climates, keep your DIY fly traps in place during the warmer months of the year.
  • Empty your fly trap out regularly for continuous use. If you use animal droppings or meat, remember to clean your trap thoroughly with soap and water for a fresh trap.
  • Keep your home properly sanitized inside and clean by throwing away your fruits when they start to go bad. Since flies are attracted to the fermentation in acidic fruits, removing them from your kitchen will decrease these pesky varmints' presence.

Other Natural Fly Repellents for Indoors and Outdoors

There are several additional options for making a natural fly trap for indoor and outdoor use to reduce a run-in with flies. If you have an essential oils diffuser inside, use a variety of scented oils from lemongrass to lavender and eucalyptus to provide a scent that combats flies. Or, you can make a mixture of water and cayenne pepper inside a spray bottle and spray the entrance of infested rooms to keep flies from coming in.

Whenever you're outdoors enjoying a nice meal or relaxing, lighting a citronella candle nearby or hanging up a store-bought fly trap should do the trick.

FAQ
  • Can I make a fly trap without apple cider vinegar?

    Don't have apple cider vinegar? There are other solutions you can make for a homemade fly trap that works. The key is to select ingredients that give off a sweet smell to attract the flies. Substitute apple cider vinegar for extra drops of fruit-scented dish soap, granulated sugar, regular vinegar, or even bread yeast. Bread yeast works when mixed with granulated sugar and water, but it might take longer to produce results compared to other options.

  • Why do you put vinegar in a fly trap?

    While flies are attracted to sweet scents, they're also attracted to the acetic acid or fermentation that's found in vinegar. When you use vinegar in a soda bottle, the smell attracts the flies down the slim funnel of the bottleneck that makes it impossible to escape so the flies have nowhere to go, which causes them to drown.

  • What smell will keep the flies away?

    Once your homemade fly trap has served its purposes, preventing the issue from occurring again is the next step. Flies hate the scent of cinnamon and essential oils such as lavender, eucalyptus, and lemongrass. Light candles with these scents or make sure to throw away your fruit once it starts to go bad to keep your home fly-free.

Originally written by
Erin Huffstetler

Erin Huffstetler is a frugal living expert who has been writing for over 10 years about easy ways to save money at home.

Learn more about The Spruce's Editorial Process
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. Chemical pesticides and human health: the urgent need for a new concept in agriculture. Front Public Health.