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Fly Trapby CapnChkn on July 4, 2007

Table of Contents

intro:   Fly Trap . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

step 1:   Fly Behavior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

step 2:   Technique . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

step 3:   Materials and Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

step 4:   Cutting and forming the funnel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

step 5:   The bait chamber . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

step 6:   Assembly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

step 7:   What should be obvious . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

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intro:  Fly TrapFly traps are an ancient solution to the fly problem. Surprisingly not used as much today. You have a fly problem and the usual response is to grab a can of poison. Themain problem with poisons are that they kill not only the bugs you want dead, they also kill the ones you might like to keep alive, not to mention the idea of yourself orloved ones coming into contact with them.

Over the thousands of years Humankind has dealt with garbage and other wastes, they have had to deal with the biological duties of Flydom. Though flies are dirty andcarriers of disease, the world would be buried in crap and carcasses if it weren't for their intervention. However, they carry disease and are really dirty, so control is anissue.

Some of the earlier controls were to take a certain poisonous mushroom and float it in milk, stinky baits with a similar funnel setup, sticky traps, and the Dog. These formsare not pragmatic for whatever reason, the dog gets full, it takes days to get the stink just right, the stink is stinky, and lack of mushrooms come to mind.

This trap is pleasant enough to keep in the house and works much better, is more efficient, than any of the other methods commonly used.

Image Notes1. =========== Fly Cage =========== The purpose of the fly cage is to keepthe flies contained. It can be made of any material.2. ======== Bait Chamber ========= This should be make of an opaquematerial. If not, it should be painted a flat black3. ============ Fly Slot =========== I like them just big enough for the fly.Allows the smell of the bait to get out, and flies to get in. Neither sleet, nor rain,nor gloom of stormy night shall stay these disease ridden and filthy couriersfrom the swift completion of their appointed rounds.4. ======== Funnel O' Doom! ======== Like the screen door in your house,this is needed to let the flies in!5. ========== Fly Hole! =========== Allows Ingress and hopefully foilsegress of flies allowing you to collect them in large numbers.

Image Notes1. ======== Bait Chamber ========= This should be make of an opaquematerial. If not, it should be painted a flat black2. ============ Fly Slot =========== I like them just big enough for the fly.Allows the smell of the bait to get out, and flies to get in. Neither sleet, nor rain,nor gloom of stormy night shall stay these disease ridden and filthy couriersfrom the swift completion of their appointed rounds.3. ======== Funnel O' Doom! ======== Like the screen door in your house,this is needed to let the flies in!4. ========== Fly Hole! =========== Allows Ingress and hopefully foilsegress of flies allowing you to collect them in large numbers.

step 1: Fly BehaviorBefore we can defeat our enemy, we must understand his habits. Besides being attracted to feces, garbage, and unwashed individuals, flies are just plain too fast tocatch. In that devious little brain lies all the factors that have kept him and his ancestors to the Nth degree in business. So to defeat him we must study him.

The easiest way to do this is to find a big pile of dog crap in the yard and watch it closely. This is a great activity for the family and friends over a few beers during acookout. We usually cut out little fly wings for the kids and play games like "catch the fly" where one of them takes off making buzzing sounds and have all the other kidschase after them with nets. The dogs join in and it's just fun all around. Anyway, if you watch long enough you will start to see things like me, and realize that when fliesget done with whatever they do there, they do two things:

1) They fly straight up.2) They go towards the light.

See, when flies handle their sacred (Sacred to Flies. What did you think I meant?) functions in the great scheme of life, they seek out stinky dead things all over. If ithappens to be in a tight place, they crawl around following the smell until they get to the spot they need to be. Getting back out is a little harder, because in an enclosedspace they can't smell anything but stinky, so follow the light. Now you know why they always seem pretty stupid about realizing they can't get out THROUGH the windowglass.

The other problem flies have is nobody seems to think of them as pets. Either somebody is trying to eat them, or just plain doesn't like them for some reason.Understandably, they have a real persecution complex, so over the millions of years they've been in existence have developed these paranoid responses which, notingtheir habits, have worked out pretty good for them.

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Beyond the fact that his egress is not likely to be down and under that pile of poop, the most vulnerable time for our leetle friend is when he's taking off. Considering theshortest distance between two points is a straight line, getting airborne is simply a matter of getting there fast. Now catch him.

step 2: TechniqueMaking one of these is a matter of Art. One could use modern materials such as space age polymers, fullerenes, carbon nanotubes, and californium, however this willgenerally not improve efficiency. On the other hand, trying to create this from mud and bent sticks could result in a heart crushing disappointment. The best policy is toform this from cheap and readily available materials such as:

+ Tin/Steel Cans+ Screen (Aluminum Wire is my favorite, fiberglass works too.)+ Glass or Plastic jars+ String+ Hair Ties+ Needle and Thread+ 2 Liter Bottles+ Glue+ Reusable/Disposable food containers+ Spray paint+ Copper wire (Coat hangers rust unless you paint them.)

My problem originated with attempts on my part to cook a meal out in my yard. As soon as the fire was lit, flies would gather in conspiracy. You could almost see thebranches and leaves moving with the masses of them rubbing their little fore feet in anticipation of the hamburger, pickles, and mayonnaise being set out so they coulddescend in clouds. Then for dessert go across the road to the horse stable.

I could set out the raw hamburger, turn around and lose it in a mass of gray, green, and blue bodies. Needless to say my sex life suffered. I surfed the web for weekstrying to understand my problem, coming across pages of instructions making fools of flies by using 2liter bottles, sticky traps, stinky baits, and learned a new word,"pong!"

Several stinky years of experimentation later, I found a site that gave me a clue as how to design this trap. The model I built, made from 2 liter bottles, caught dozens offlies in the first 15 minutes I set it out. Cheap and easy to build, the open end of the bottle doesn't confuse the flies as much and the light coming from underneath allowedthe flies to make up their own minds where to go.

For my second model, I took screen from a cloth screen and stiched it into a funnel with a relatively small hole in the tip of the cone. About 6mm (1/4 Inch), it's big enoughto let the fly in and small enough to keep him confused so he can't get out. You will have to decide between longer thinner and short squat funnels, the flies can findthemselves out if too short, and can't find their way in if too long.

My last model was to take Aluminum wire screen and fashion the entire cage - funnel assembly out of it. I then placed a riser to hold the assembly off the bottom of a 5gallon black bucket. My hypothesis being the buzzing sound the flies make as another attractant.

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Image Notes1. YEEHAW! One of my jar traps working complete with FLIES!

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step 3: Materials and ToolsI thought the concept self-explanatory, but I got criticism from folks who thought I had written a beginning, an end, and left pretty much the middle out of the story. I willsay that building the funnel takes a little finesse, but the rest is sloppin sum pante on tu make it luk gud.

To disambiguate, I have put together the steps I took in creating the trap in the photograph, which looks pretty good considering the state of my camera. Enjoy!

Materials:

+ Big Glass Jar+ Screen+ Beeswax+ Reusable/Disposable food container+ Elastic Hair Tie+ Tuna Fish can+ Plastic Cement+ Plastic Cement Thinner

Tools:

+ Scissors+ Sharp Knife (Box Cutter, Exacto Knife)+ Drawing Compass, or big circle of some kind like an overturned pot.+ Needle and Thread+ Marker

Image Notes1. =========== Fly Cage =========== This is the container for the flies, in this case a gallon jar that used to hold Kosher Pickles.2. ======== Funnel O' Doom! ======== The trapping mechanism. Flies check it out but don't check out. This one made from a section of cloth (Nylon I believe)screen. It's held in place with an elastic hair tie.3. ========= Bait Chamber ========= Chamber for holding the bait. Slots are invisible here because of the nature of light. This one is made from a reusable foodcontainer you can get at the grocery store spray painted flat black.

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step 4: Cutting and forming the funnelTo form the funnel, you will need to determine the size you wish to use. Take your compass or large circle, and map the size of the "pie cut" you will need to form thefunnel. Obviously the funnel has to be able to cover the mouth of the jar completely. You will need, at most, a half circle of screen. A semi-circle will produce a short squatfunnel. The larger the diameter of that circle, the longer and thinner you can make the funnel.

Roll the screen around to shape the funnel and place it in the jar to see how large you would like it to be. The longer the funnel, the harder it is for the files to get out of,however it will be harder for them to get into as well. In contrast, a shorter funnel will channel the files in more quickly, however the decreased surface of the outside willallow them to more easily find their way back out.

Even the straight edges, trim to an overlay 1 cm (1/2 inch) of the screen, and taking the needle and thread lubricated with beeswax (Beeswax sticks the thread togetherand stiffens it, making it easier to work with.), stitch a knot at the edge to secure it. Then stitch it closed toward the tip of the funnel. When you get close to the tip of thecone, trim the tip to allow a 6 mm (1/4 inch) hole. Continue the stitching to the end, double the stitch back toward the edge of the cone about 2 cm (1 inch) and knot itthere using a double half hitch.

Take the plastic cement and dissolve some with the thinner. It should be very thin, useless for gluing plastic models together. Paint your knots with this, allowing it to soakinto the knot and set aside to cure. This will keep the knots from unraveling.

Image Notes1. A semi circle will create 2 funnels with a 45 degree slope.2. At 120 degrees, you can make 3 funnels at around a 30 degree slope.

step 5: The bait chamberThe bait chamber is specifically designed to fool the flies into thinking there is one easy way out. It's nothing more than an enclosed space with a big hole in the top andslots cut in the side(s). I used a reusable/disposable food container you can get in any grocery store nowadays.

Construction is a no-brainer. Cut hole in lid smaller than the mouth of the jar. Cut slots in the side of the container with sharp knife. Spray paint the outside black and setaside to cure.

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step 6: Assembly1) Take the funnel, invert it in the mouth of the Jar.2) Fasten the funnel there by stretching a hair tie over the mouth of jar and funnel.3) Place bait in used Tuna Fish can.4) Place Bait Tray in Bait Chamber, attach lid to Bait Chamber.5) invert Jar-funnel assembly over hole in top of Bait Chamber.6) Catch Flies.

Image Notes1. This sad photo from my ailing Digital Camera is the result of one days catch using two jar traps baited with old Mac N' Cheese, and some old Ricotta I found. Onetrap was by the kitchen door outside, the other in my kitchen.

step 7: What should be obviousBasic construction and theory covered, we need to look at the factors involved in getting the bugs to think of your trap as a good idea:

1) The bait doesn't have to be stinky. Forget having to find raw hamburger and letting it sit for several days. Leftovers are just fine. Think what flies like, beer, oldspaghetti, bread.

2) I like to keep the slots in the bait tray about 1/4 inch. It keeps them from finding their way out of the bait tray back to the environment, and channel them toward thegreater light to the cage. More slots allow the smell to circulate, flaps help to keep the light down.

3) The smell is the best attractant. If the smell doesn't get out then the flies won't come to it. While you can construct the trap with solid pieces of plastic cut from say a 2liter bottle, it's better to just take apart an old screen.

4) You will need to cure the smells from the glue and paint. Flies avoid petroleum because they will get stuck and/or poisoned.

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5) Having one big trap will work best in areas where you need to catch a lot of flies, like Cow Barns, Baseball Games, Horse Stables, and Church Socials. Having severalsmall traps set around the yard will catch more flies in the general sense.

6) The longer the traps stay out, the more flies you take out of the local population. That translates into less flies able to breed. I just take the cage and put it in the freezerfor an hour or two. The flies grow numb, stop moving, and then freeze to death.

7) If you have Fish, Turtles, or Chickens, you can make food out of them like this. If you want to save your flies, keep them in an airtight jar in the freezer. They get nastyand full of maggots (Yeah Really!) if you keep them next to the fishtank.

8) Save your Tuna Fish cans. Using them as bait holders in the bait chamber saves hours of cleanup time, especially after the flies have started a little family in the baitthere. Throw out the old bait, rinse out the can, put in fresh bait! Breeding flies would be self-defeating...

9) Having other foods around like an uncovered trashcan will attract more flies. They will want to hover there rather than the smell of the trap.

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Comments40 comments Add Comment

 dodo91 says:  Feb 18, 2009. 9:11 PM  REPLYGROSS picture, but COOL at the same time! =b

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 tehjigsawkiller!!! says:  Jan 29, 2009. 1:16 PM  REPLYabout the flies mouth:O_o

 oldpunk666 says:  Sep 7, 2007. 12:55 PM  REPLYwickedness. i have something similar for wasps.might the smarter flies escape though? and breed a new race of highly intelligent superflies? hehe

 DesignerUserName says:  Jun 20, 2008. 1:42 AM  REPLYLike Jeff Goldblum?

 egriff says:  Jan 21, 2009. 5:03 PM  REPLYahhh Brundle fly!

 theophilus says:  Dec 28, 2008. 6:56 PM  REPLYapparently if you take a fly trap and turn it upside-down, it becomes a bee/wasp trap... go figure!

 mh!ne22 says:  Nov 19, 2008. 4:03 AM  REPLYit was so great..

 mmzdaniel says:  Jul 27, 2007. 4:15 PM  REPLYlol this is coool!I WILL OWN THOSE FLIES!

 itsmanofpopsicle says:  Aug 21, 2008. 7:23 PM  REPLYyou mean PWN!!!!

 pyroman22 says:  Jul 8, 2008. 8:23 AM  REPLYcouldnt the branches and leaves be moving 'cause of the wind?

 HoldOnTight says:  Feb 25, 2008. 5:50 PM  REPLYExcellent constructible...the theory and the practice. Lovin it! Now, what to do with all those dead flies?

 wishes says:  Jan 11, 2008. 2:07 PM  REPLYawesome tut, this is exactly what my friend needs. However a correction i must add. Flys dont die when put in th freezer, they just go really really slow andstop until defrosted, then they fly away again. My brother used to freeze them as a child, then pull them back out a few months later, let them defrost and tryand fly away (by this time they were usually attached to a matchstick aircraft however or had no wings)

 CapnChkn says:  Feb 2, 2008. 6:07 PM  REPLYIt sounds more like he was refrigerating them. Once the stuff inside the fly is frozen to a solid block, that leetle sucker is dead...

 wishes says:  Feb 2, 2008. 9:28 PM  REPLYNope, it was a chest freezer. I think they basicly slow their system down when frozen to a certain degree. Perhaps if it was extremely cold they woulddie, but ive heard of them lasting up to 12 years before re-animation (when it was found many years later at the bottom of the freezer). Cant findmany links other than this describing why http://www.taiga.net/yourYukon/col063.htmlhttp://www.taiga.net/yourYukon/col063.html

 CapnChkn says:  Feb 6, 2008. 12:31 AM  REPLYMAN I like this one! Sorry Buddy, but the fact of the matter is Flies, Humans and Fish are made of cells. Cells are basically membranes withsome goodies inside that cannot transgress the laws of Physics when they are subjected.

If you look at the Chinese tradition, they will place houses of straw in the fields to allow the spiders to "hibernate." The fact is it's the same aswhen you put your plants under a cover on the cold nights. They just don't freeze. Yes they go into a dormant state, they stop moving, growing,and whatever life does there, but they don't go into a cryogenic state, or frozen like the wooly mammoths in Alaska, or some Bacteria in theAntarctic.

All "cold" blooded forms of life have an ability like this. Some actually have an Anti-freeze. Fish when frozen in lakes in the winter can still surviveif they are loosened, by a thaw, before their flesh is frozen solid.

See, water compresses until it reaches about 4 degrees C. Then it rearranges itself into a new configuration, the reason Ice expands when it

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freezes. This bursts the cell walls unless the tissue is very thick and resistant, or the tissue contains a chemical that resists freezing.

The same principle holds true here. HOKAHEY (It's Lakota, it means "Let's Go!")! Don't ever forget this feeling. Question everything. Look for theevidence before making up your mind. This is the stuff of greatness!!!

 CapnChkn says:  Feb 6, 2008. 1:21 AM  REPLYUm, flies don't have to have any of that good stuff. When 99% fo them die, the one percent makes the next generation.

WWWWOOOOOOO!!! YEAHHHHHH!!!! B3ta! Woo Yay!

 driftwolf says:  Nov 4, 2007. 9:05 AM  REPLYWell done instructable. I agree with comments above that including some of the theory is nice so that problems can be solved. The detail level is about righttoo.You're also solving the problem you claim to solve, unlike some other instructables I've read recently.

Nicely done.

 dwrenne says:  Aug 31, 2007. 6:02 AM  REPLYCool Idea, but maybe a bit complicated!!! I lived in Fremantle in Western Australia for a few years. In Summer there are loads of "blowies" (flies to you andme) that make sitting the the Back yard with a beer impossible. As it is so dry there, flies love to come to Gardens for the moisture.One day I got an empty 2 liter water bottle, sliced the top off just below the thread, and then cut it in two again at the 2/3 mark from the bottom. Invert the toppiece to form a funnel and tape the top to prevent any egress (I haven't used that word in ages). Put in some kitchen scraps, some salt, sugar, some coldmeat, etc and put it in a sunny spot for a few days. It takes a while to get going but after 3 days, I found the first few dead ones, then a few more the next dayand after a week, I had killed about a LITER of flies. That is a shit load of them. After a while it is the smell of dead flies (hardly noticeable) that kept thebastards coming. What I found interesting was that they were killed in 3 main lots and each had a distinctive colouring. So it seemed that different hatcheswere being killed. After 2 weeks there were hardly any around and my neighbors found that they had very few as well.Now I am back In Ireland, and it is the wasps that drive one demeted, especially with small kids and soft drinks. We have loads of apple trees and thewindfalls keep them coming. The solution was a jam jar with a hole rammed into the top to allow .... ingress . I added some apple juice and a some mashedup apple. Again, with a bit of sun, and by removing the windfalls (with the lawnmower) they get killed by the dozen. Its amazing how few get killed and it isthen you realise that there are only a few around.

 jbarby says:  Aug 8, 2007. 11:55 PM  REPLYExcellent simple yet effective. And I can now wage war against those little buggers.

I would like to make a few for inside my house as I have one or 2 flies that enter my house everyday that fly around my head and annoy me.

What is a good local attractant I don't want to pull flies from the neighborhood and I also don't want my home to smell preferable a bait thats long lasting.

Also you mentioned that the bait container could develop maggots after a while. Would a screen over the bait so the flies are attracted but cannot get to thebait then fly up and get caught in the trap? Would this fully prevent maggots?

 CapnChkn says:  Aug 9, 2007. 9:18 AM  REPLYGood Idea on the Screen Cover of the bait, I'm actually experimenting with that now.

OOOoookay. Maheo!

Fly fishermen know to check the stream to see what the fish are eating before they tie-on their first fly. I don't know what your flies eat. If it's dry, usesomething moist. If you have problems with flies hanging around your PB&J, use Peanut Butter, Jelly, or Peanut Butter and Jelly!! If you use rotting meat,you will catch Carrion Flies. I've used one kind of bait and ended with one species of fly, and the next time I used it a whole different catch!

<heyoka> See, what we did here is talk about the flies so you could learn to think like a trap. Like computers, where there is only one button you canpush to make it work, you can only use one food to attract flies. Flies are meticulous and picky eaters. I have seen them ignore certain dishes simplybecause it wasn't served with the correct wine or was too well done. </heyoka>

This trap catches flies. Flies of all kinds! If you need to catch fruit flies what would you bait the trap with? For cry-eye people! Quit asking this question.Use food. What purpose do flies have? Were they put on Earth to bother you exclusively? Flies seed the detritus of death with the beginnings of life todecompose it, and recycle. They are hanging around your house for some reason. If they're not hanging around because of food, whether before, during,or after the act of ingesting it, you don't need to build this trap, you need to take a bath.

Remember, Flies, Computers, and Women all work on Magic, and certain rituals and paraphernalia are necessary to make things work properly, so youwill need my book and video, "Trolling for Flies". Send $29.99 (US) to:

Trolling for FliesGeneral DeliverySturgis SD 12345

 sabarblatoe says:  Aug 6, 2007. 10:51 PM  REPLYWell, you have tought me a valuable lesson. When good instructables are ridiculed, dont bother defending them. And unless your 100 years old..then noyour not old enough.

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 billien says:  Aug 7, 2007. 9:21 PM  REPLYSabarblatoe please don't be to offended, in my day they use to wash your mouth out with soap if you used such colourful language :)

 sabarblatoe says:  Aug 5, 2007. 10:53 AM (removed by community request)

 CapnChkn says:  Aug 5, 2007. 5:19 PM  REPLYsabarblatoe, I appreciate your enthusiam, but I think I'm old enough to be your grandfather. Dchall6 raises a valid point. The problem is he showed mesomething he thought obvious, while assuming the same as I did, like the Chilton car fixing manuals they assume you know what you are doing.

Zenomax pointed out the same in more succinct terms. I posted something without "showing," leaving the rest to the imagination of the reader. I bow tomore experienced masters, Indian rules. I realized what they were saying when I started to write the section on building the funnel. While still simpleenough to build using your own imagination, I thought back to my taking a hollow door, taping paper to it, drawing the semi-circle, tacking a screen to it,and cutting it out. Non-inventors wouldn't have that ability, or the ability to create that technique.

I am sorry buddy, but your comment is just abusive, and I have requested it be taken out. I think I did it right.

 treeheart says:  Aug 3, 2007. 8:57 AM  REPLYFantastic instructable! I've been pulling my hair out over flies here in this subdivision. Moved from rural country area, with few flies, to a more "upscale"place, and there are flies EVERYWHERE. Go figure.

The only thing I can think of to improve this is to add some example screen sizes in step 4, like "for a widemouth mason jar, you can use [common lid, pot, orcan size]," etc. Also, I'm wondering if dental floss wouldn't do well as a replacement for the beeswax-coated thread.

I think I got the joke at The End...that's a tombstone, right? Or what? All in all, a very fine, very NEEDED instructable, written with wit and flair.

 larrybo says:  Aug 2, 2007. 8:15 PM  REPLYYou did a great job. This is going to be my weekend project. Thanks.

 samando says:  Aug 2, 2007. 6:14 PM  REPLYin a way that is somewhat like a wasp/bee or fish trapGood idea though!

 txtsttoo says:  Aug 1, 2007. 5:41 AM  REPLYNice one, have you any idea for a cochroch trap ? sorry for my spelling . thanks buddy.

 locofocos says:  Jul 31, 2007. 3:46 PM  REPLYHmm.... I'll have to try this.

 clydeman33 says:  Jul 31, 2007. 11:45 AM  REPLYand what would you be baiting the traps with? My neighbor uses chicken skin and urine and does it stink! Ycchhh.... Tell me the simplest, most effective baitthat you've found.

 Ouroboros439 says:  Jul 30, 2007. 6:42 PM  REPLYWell CapnCnkh it did not take me long to make mine and for a try out I took it to my uncle's dairy farm. He has asked me to make him 10 more, I think itworked.Thanks A Lot

 andrew101 says:  Jul 29, 2007. 10:53 PM  REPLYthis is cool i have bee traps that look like this picture (kinda not really) the hole is bigger and you use pop (Ornge works best) as bait in it i forgot where i gotthem from but ive got like three and i cought at least 6000 bees/wasps/yellowjackets since i got them

http://www.instructables.com/id/Fly-Trap/

 billien says:  Jul 29, 2007. 7:13 PM  REPLYExcellent instructable, Easy to understand. The theory is great because you can troubleshoot the finished product. Also I like the way us inventive types canuse what ever is a avaible (like Mc Guyver) and not have to spend a fortune at walmart cause we can,t figure out what the tuna can is used for.

Grumpy Instruction book writers that don't understand this instructable maybe you should use plain old fly spray, or even better, write an instructable on howto use it, cause I alway get the stuff all over my face :). There are many well written instructables out there that i don't understand, the fault is my ownbecause i am not familar with the science behind it

 Trust_in_Dust says:  Jul 28, 2007. 11:00 PM  REPLYThis is a more entertaining read than I could ever have imagined a fly trap instructable to be. Thank you!

 dchall8 says:  Jul 27, 2007. 10:19 PM  REPLYYou said..."Step 3 What should be obviousBasic construction... "

I love it when people say that. I used to be in the professional instruction manual writing business. You'll have to trust me when I say, no, it is not obvious.When instruction manuals came to me like this, I had the unfortunate job of returning it to the writer and not paying him. This Instructable needs constructiondetails - preferably illustrated. What you have now is too heavy on theory and only cryptic on construction. The three pictures in step 2 are from threedifferent designs and completely unrelated to the pictures in the introduction, do I understand that correctly? I'm just lost.

Please search for the Instructable that tells how to make a good Instructable.

 CapnChkn says:  Jul 27, 2007. 11:39 PM  REPLYDchall! BUdddeeee!

The reason the heading is labeled "What should be obvious" is because it isn't! If I'd thought it were, then I would have left it out entirely.

Jim, an old farmer, was visited by his neighbor while his wife was away. "Hows things then? How are you feeding yourself?" Jim replies, "Well I picked upa cookbook and the first line read, 'First you get a clean plate.' I just had to stop right there."

The form is the same in all cases. Funnel pointing up, cage to contain the flies, bait underneath, light dominant in the "up" direction. Materials andconstruction are up to the individual. I could make you one, or you could make your own.

 zenomax says:  Jul 28, 2007. 8:25 AM  REPLYI totally agree with dchal8! I get the basic theory (although, frankly, until you wrote "bait underneath" in your reply to him/her, I wasn't sure exactlywhere you were putting it -- just inside, outside and underneath, up in the funnel). I get that "the form is the same in all cases." Still, in order to makemy own, I'd have to go through something like the process you went through -- reinventing the wheel, so to speak. It would be helpful if you gave stepby step instructions for making a trap you personally have made and found effective. (Cut a two-liter bottle here, glue a funnel here, don't use elmer'sglue here, use duco cement, keep the trap three inches off the ground, etc.) Then your readers could take that example and, with the theory you offer(and your writing is wonderfully hilarious), adapt it to their own needs. But as is, your "instructable" is more an introduction to the theory of trappingflies and to the issues you should consider when inventing your own fly trap than it is the sequence of step-by-step instructions for building one thatpeople expect here.

 CapnChkn says:  Jul 28, 2007. 10:28 AM  REPLYWell, if you look carefully you would see that in the drawings number "2" is the "Bait Chamber." I'm not trying to be ambiguous intentionally. Toalleviate further confusion I'll diagram the steps I took in making the Jar traps as they would take the least amount of work, most effective for thematerials, and are small enough to set around.

 TenLeftThumbs says:  Jul 27, 2007. 9:06 PM  REPLYOutstanding!!

I really need one of these - for when ...my dog is full?? Yech.

An exit funnel to siphon off the little buggers into - say - a ballon that you could pop at some less well-loved relative's place would be a great addition!Thank you for this inspirational, eloquent and perfectly presented Instructable.

Although that fly reminds me of my next door neighbour...And that buzzing noise coming from the kitchen sink...

Mom?

 rimar2000 says:  Jul 27, 2007. 4:34 PM  REPLYEXCELLENT.

I have made traps for small fishes, traps that should surely be good also for flies with very small modifications. The traps were made with two bottles ofplastic. To both bottles I eliminated them the bottom part and to one of them I cut the funnel of the pick and I put it in substitution of the bottom; then it unitedthem with duct tape; then I cover them with small holes so that the water and the air could circulate. I put inside them pieces of grease bread to attract thefish, that entered for the funnel of below and then they didn't find the exit.

Pardon my English, I am using http://www.epals.com/translation/translation.e from spanish.