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Got Flies ? Make This Easy DIY Fly Catcher out of a Soda Bottle

Make this simple but effective fly catcher from an empty soda bottle.

Flies are more than a nuisance in your chicken run.  

They carry disease and spread bacteria which can lead to E. Coli, Salmonella, Listeria, New Castle Disease, Dysentery and other germs that are harmful to both your family and your flock.

If your chickens and ducks then eat the maggots that hatch in the wet feed, that can also lead to botulism in your flock. 


 Got Flies ? 

This past winter was so mild that the flies have returned in droves this spring.  They are drawn to moisture and puddles, wet bedding, damp feed and chicken poop.

Here are some basic ways to keep the fly population down | 

  • Keep your coop scrupulously clean with fresh, dry nesting material
  • Remove wet feed (or better yet, never feed inside your coop - only outside)
  • Rake out the run periodically to remove the droppings  
  • Dump out waterers each night and refilling them each morning with clean fresh water
  • Sprinkle food-grade Diatomaceous Earth around the feeders and in the coop and nesting boxes
  • Add some Diatomaceous Earth to your chickens' feed. Flies are not supposed to be attracted to the feces of animals who eat DE
  • Hang sticky fly strips up high enough that the chicken's won't get stuck to them. They are inexpensive and they do work.  

We've also tried the Big Stinky which is basically a large glass jar you fill with water and a dead fish...and yes, it stinks !  

It works, but it really reeks.  

So I just bought this Captivator, which is the same type thing. There's an attractant that you put inside and then you hang it in your run.  The Captivator seems to be catching gnats more than flies, so I decided to make my own fly catcher.

I tried a few different ways to repel the flies, but this DIY Fly Catcher is easy to make, effective and an inexpensive way to rid your chicken run of flies.

DIY Fly Catcher out of a Soda Bottle


What you Need |

One or two liter plastic soda, juice or other large bottle
Sharp knife
Stapler
Hole Punch
Fishing line
Something that will rot and stink: Raw fish, eggs, fruit or meat scraps 
Something sweet: Sugar water, honey, molasses, maple syrup
Something to repel honeybees: Vinegar

What you Do |

  • Using a sharp knife, cut the top off a clean soda bottle right before it starts to curve inward. 
  • Turn the top upside down inside the bottle and line up the cut edges then staple around the edge to secure in place. 
  • Using a hole punch, punch three holes equidistant from each other along the top rim. 
  • Then string some fishing line through each hole and tie securely, leaving three long tails. 
  • And tie the three lines together in a knot about a foot or so above the bottle. 
  • I found a few freezer-burned shrimp in the back of the freezer, so I chopped them up and slid them into the bottle.And then followed them a bit of maple syrup. 
  • One thing you don't want to do is catch any beneficial honey or bumble fees in your fly catcher. I have been told that adding some vinegar to the catcher will deter bees but still attract flies, wasps, yellow jackets and hornets.  So vinegar goes in.  I didn't really measure anything, just poured in a healthy amount.
  • Then hang the fly catcher in your run, preferably over the feeding area.  
The premise is that the flies will fly in, attracted to the stinky decaying fish and also the sugars in the maple syrup, then get stuck in the syrup and not be able to fly out again.

Of course your chickens will give it that 'what the heck is she hanging in our run NOW !??!?' look!  Inexpensive, easy and hopefully effective! 

Scroll to the bottom to hear how it worked! 















Update #1 | Two days later...a few flies in it, not a lot, but oddly, there are fewer flies around the feeder the last day or so....hmmmm.  Inconclusive so far, I'll leave it up and keep you updated.

Oh, and a fan suggested adding a bit more liquid, so I did pour some water in to double the amount of liquid inside.

Update #2 | The added liquid plus the decomposing shrimp is sure starting to attract flies.



As you can see, just flies have been caught. No bees. So that's good.

I will have to make a few more of these.



For more ideas on natural fly control, read HERE.

To learn how to make a fly catcher using a wine bottle, read HERE.


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