How to Make Your Own Fly Paper
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The Spruce / Jorge Gamboa
Flies can be a real nuisance. They congregate in areas where the air is still, enjoy spending time in places like kitchens and bathrooms and come in contact with all kinds of gross things, like garbage, scum, and rotten food.
You definitely don't want flies hanging around your home, especially near your food. Pest control can get expensive, but fly control is a puzzle that can be solved with a few simple DIY fixes.
If you're dealing with house flies and you're interested in making your own fly paper, this guide is for you. When you're done, it will be satisfying to see all those flies stuck to your homemade fly strip, but it sure won't do anything for your decor! Making your own fly paper means you can change your fly paper out more frequently for less cost.
Click Play to Learn How to Make Your Own Fly Paper
What You'll Need
Equipment / Tools
- Scissors
- A saucepan
- Cookie sheets and drying racks
- Tongs
- A large spoon for stirring
Materials
- A brown paper bag
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup corn syrup or honey
- 1/4 cup water
Instructions
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The Spruce / Jorge Gamboa
How to Make Homemade Fly Paper
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Cut a Paper Bag Into Strips
Cut a brown paper bag into strips about 12" long and 2" wide.
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Mix and Heat Ingredients
Warning
Heating sugar syrup can be dangerous if it gets too hot. Be careful when heating your sugar mixture, and don't heat it too long. If hot syrup comes in contact with your skin, be sure to follow proper burn first aid.
Combine equal parts corn syrup, sugar, and water in a saucepan. Heat, constantly stirring until the sugar dissolves.
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Submerge Strips in Mixture
Remove the pan from the heat and carefully submerge the strips of paper in the sugar-water mixture. Allow them to sit long enough to become saturated.
For maximum stickiness, leave the strips soaking in the sugar mixture for several hours, or even overnight. Be aware that removing them from the cold mixture could get messy.
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Let Strips Dry
- Place a drying rack on top of a cookie sheet. It might be helpful to line the cookie sheet with parchment or wax paper first to make for easy cleanup.
- Remove the paper strips from the sugar mixture with tongs. If you didn't let the strips sit for a long time, be careful! The sugar syrup might still be be hot.
- Place the strips on the drying rack and allow them to sit out until they’re completely dry to the touch. Now all you need to do is hang your flypaper wherever flies are a problem and admire your handy-work!
- Your fly strips will be super sticky. Be sure to hang your fly paper in a place where it won't come in contact with people or pets. Otherwise, you might have to deal with a sticky (and possibly furry) mess.
One-fourth cup of corn syrup, 1/4 cup of sugar, and 1/4 cup of water make for a lot of flypaper. It is not recommended that you multiply the batch unless you plan to hang your fly paper in a larger area that is dense with flies such as in a barn or horse stall.
More Ways to Catch and Repel Flies
If you don't want to mess around with sticky flypaper, you can also make a fly trap in just a few minutes out of a bottle and some other simple supplies.
There are plenty of other inexpensive ways to get rid of flies, too. Consider trying the following:
- run fans to keep flies disoriented
- keep your spaces tidy and free of smelly messes
- move garbage receptacles away from structures
- keep kitchen compost and garbage sealed with a lid
- make sure door and window screens are not damaged
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