How to Make Sticky Traps for Flies & Bugs

Flies and bugs infiltrate your home via drains and open windows. They also invade outdoor areas such as porches and gardens. Such pests carry diseases and damage plants, fruits and vegetables found inside and outside the home. Pesticides that contain harmful chemicals destroy flies and bugs, but such pesticides are also harmful to humans and pets. A homemade sticky trap attracts and captures a variety of bugs and flies, and does so without the use of any dangerous chemicals.

Things You'll Need

• Cardboard paper
• Water
• Corn syrup
• Spoon

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Instructions

• 1

  Choose a color for the cardboard paper. Black flies are attracted to darker colors, such as navy blue, according to the University of Minnesota Extension Service website. White flies are attracted to brighter colors, like yellow.

• 2

  Mix water with corn syrup inside a cooking pot. The Pest Cemetery website recommends using a quart of each ingredient. Heat the ingredients on the stove until the mixture comes to a boil.

• 3

  Spread the sticky mixture onto the paper with a spoon. Spread an even layer over the paper and don't worry if there is mixture left over.

• 4

  Place the trap wherever you wish to catch flies, such as over a drain or in a garden. To hang the trap, use a hole punch to place a hole at the top of the paper. Then, insert a hook or piece of string into the hole, and hang the trap wherever you wish.