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The Best Way to Catch Flies

You have probably heard the old saying that it's easier to catch flies with honey than it is with vinegar, but in real life that is not true at all. Flies can't resist apple cider vinegar. If you want to catch some flies of your own, either because you want to feed them to a pet reptile or because you prefer humane pest control, you can make a quick, easy-to-use fly trap with things you may already have in your kitchen that cost less than a dollar.

Things You'll Need

Empty water bottle
Scissors
Apple cider vinegar
Sugar
Twigs

Instructions

- 1
  Empty a regular plastic water bottle and cut off the top quarter of the bottle with scissors.
- 2
  Remove the cap from the bottle if you haven't already done so.
- 3
  Fill the bottle with an inch or two of apple cider vinegar.
- 4
  Mix about a 1/4 teaspoon of sugar into the apple cider vinegar. This will make a very sweet, strong-smelling concoction that is sure to attract flies.
- 5
  Place a couple of small twigs in the bottle. The twigs should be just big enough to protrude from the vinegar about an inch. The point of the twigs is to give the flies something to rest upon once they enter the bottle so that they do not drown. If you want to kill the flies you trap, don't bother adding the twigs to the bottle.
- 6
  Invert the top portion of the bottle and insert it into the bottom portion like a funnel. If the twigs are preventing you from fitting the funnel into the bottle, break them into smaller pieces. Flies that can smell the vinegar mix will now enter the bottle, but they won't be able to get back out.

Insects & Science