How to Make Your Own Fly Paper

By
Erin Huffstetler
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. She's covered money-saving advice and tricks for numerous publications, including The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and Forbes, among others. She is the owner of "My Frugal Home," a money-saving, frugal living how-to guide.
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Updated on 03/18/22
Reviewed by
Amanda Rose Newton
Amanda Rose Newton
Reviewed by Amanda Rose Newton
Amanda Rose Newton holds degrees in Horticulture, Biochemistry, Entomology, and soon a PhD in STEM Education. She is a board-certified entomologist and volunteers for USAIDs Farmer to Farmer program. Currently, she is a professor of Horticulture, an Education Specialist, and pest specialist.
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Fact checked by
Emily Estep
Emily Estep
Fact checked by Emily Estep
Emily Estep is a plant biologist and fact-checker focused on environmental sciences. She received a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and a Master of Science in Plant Biology from Ohio University. Emily has been a proofreader and editor at a variety of online media outlets over the past decade.
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homemade fly paper

The Spruce / Jorge Gamboa 

Project Overview
  • Working Time: 20 - 30 mins
  • Total Time: 1 - 2 hrs
  • Skill Level: Beginner
  • Estimated Cost: $10

Flies can be a real nuisance. With all the gross things that they come into contact with, you don’t want them in your home and around your family. But that doesn’t mean you have to spend money on products to get rid of them.

Just follow these simple steps to make your own flypaper. It works just as well as store-bought varieties, and since it’s so cheap to make, you’ll be able to switch it out more frequently. Because while it’s satisfying to see all those flies stuck to the flypaper, it sure doesn’t do anything for your decor.

You'll need just a few common household items to make your homemade flypaper.

materials to make fly paper
The Spruce / Jorge Gamboa 
Featured Video

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

  1. Cut Paper Bag

    Cut a brown paper bag into strips.

    Tip

    If your grocery store doesn't offer paper bags, save restaurant takeout bags or use paper lunch sacks. A roll of Kraft paper from the dollar store will also do the trick. For maximum stickiness, allow the paper strips to sit in the sugar water mixture for several hours or overnight.

    cutting brown paper bags into strips
    The Spruce / Jorge Gamboa 

  2. Mix and Heat Ingredients

    Combine equal parts corn syrup, sugar, and water in a saucepan. Heat, constantly stirring until the sugar dissolves.

    Adding ingredients to a saucepan
    The Spruce / Jorge Gamboa 

  3. Submerge Strips in Mixture

    Remove the pan from the heat, submerge the strips in the sugar-water mixture, and allow them to sit long enough to become saturated.

    dipping paper bag strips into the sugar mixture
    The Spruce / Jorge Gamboa

  4. Let Strips Dry

    Remove the strips with tongs—careful, they'll be hot—and place them on drying racks overtop cookie sheets.

    Allow the strips to drip dry until they’re completely dry to the touch. It shouldn’t take long. Then, hang your flypaper wherever flies are a problem. It’s super sticky stuff, so be sure to hang your homemade strips out of the way of people and pets.

    letting strips dry on a cooling rack
    The Spruce / Jorge Gamboa 

Tip

Your homemade flypaper will dry out over time. When it loses its stickiness, just wet it again, or replace it with a fresh batch.

One-fourth cup of corn syrup, 1/4 cup of sugar, and 1/4 cup of water make for a lot of flypaper, so don't use more than those amounts in your initial batch (unless you plan to hang the strips in an area dense with flies, such as in a barn or horse stall). The paper strips will be hot after you heat them, so resist the temptation to just pluck them out of the pan—use the tongs.

More Ways to Catch Flies

If you don't want to mess around with sticky flypaper, you can also make a fly trap in just a few minutes. And, there are plenty of other inexpensive ways to get rid of flies. If you're battling a swarm of fruit flies in your kitchen or bathroom—they can thrive and bring disease and bacteria to even the cleanest environments—get rid of them quickly with a simple, homemade trap.

fly paper with flies stuck to it
Room 76 / Getty Images