# What is the best way to catch flies?



## Crazy4mantis (Jun 21, 2012)

What is the best way to catch Houseflies from outside? The traps I've set haven't caught anything. What is the best bait?   There are plenty around my house, but they never seem to be there when I need them.


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## agent A (Jun 21, 2012)

take a big    in the middle of the yard and stand by with a net :tt2: 

no lol, microwave deli meat and set it out in the sun, attracts flies like a magnet


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## Termite48 (Jun 21, 2012)

I can tell what works the best. If you get a small plastic cup of at least four ounces, but preferably 8 oz. and place at least two ounces of fresh dung in it. It matters not the species, but all mammalian dung works well including human. Then it will take only a few minutes and houseflies to the largest Blow flies are going to be in the cup. The next thing is to get them in your grasp. The way I do it is I use a medium sized (at least 12" x 12" preferably a bit larger than that) piece of mesh cloth that you can easily see through. I cover my face with the cloth as I approach the cup. Moving slowly and making sure there are at least three to four up to twenty flies can be caught at one time. You must cover the cup loosely and very quickly without being detected till it is too late. Give the flies a small tent over the top of the cup in which they can escape the cup, but be captive to your mesh tent. Then carefully fold up the bottom ends to there is o way of escape. You can take this mesh tent full of flies directly to you enclosure, or place in a 32 oz. deli cup in put in the freezer to stun the flies. This way you can easily distribute over a few enclosure or feed by hand as needed. You can experiment how long it takes your freezer to stun the flies. My freezer, which is fairly new and efficient does not take more than two minutes to stun most flies. I hope this helps you. I have caught over eighty nice big blow flies in a day when I needed to do so. 

Rich


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## agent A (Jun 21, 2012)

Rich S said:


> I can tell what works the best. If you get a small plastic cup of at least four ounces, but preferably 8 oz. and place at least two ounces of fresh dung in it. It matters not the species, but all mammalian dung works well including human. Then it will take only a few minutes and houseflies to the largest Blow flies are going to be in the cup. The next thing is to get them in your grasp. The way I do it is I use a medium sized (at least 12" x 12" preferably a bit larger than that) piece of mesh cloth that you can easily see through. I cover my face with the cloth as I approach the cup. Moving slowly and making sure there are at least three to four up to twenty flies can be caught at one time. You must cover the cup loosely and very quickly without being detected till it is too late. Give the flies a small tent over the top of the cup in which they can escape the cup, but be captive to your mesh tent. Then carefully fold up the bottom ends to there is o way of escape. You can take this mesh tent full of flies directly to you enclosure, or place in a 32 oz. deli cup in put in the freezer to stun the flies. This way you can easily distribute over a few enclosure or feed by hand as needed. You can experiment how long it takes your freezer to stun the flies. My freezer, which is fairly new and efficient does not take more than two minutes to stun most flies. I hope this helps you. I have caught over eighty nice big blow flies in a day when I needed to do so.
> 
> Rich


very good idea

now where did my mom put those laxatives :tt2:


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## patrickfraser (Jun 21, 2012)

agent A said:


> very good idea
> 
> now where did my mom put those laxatives :tt2:


No need for laxatives. A good enema will work every time.


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## MandellaMandy123 (Jun 21, 2012)

I also notice that they tend to land on my garden hose when it's stretched out in the sunlight. And at nighttime, find some weeds where they sleep. I sweep my net through the evening primrose at 7PM and catch 20+ flies at a time


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## Termite48 (Jun 21, 2012)

Alex: If you are eating healthfully there is never a need for a laxative. I am sure you are just joking.


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## agent A (Jun 21, 2012)

patrickfraser said:


> No need for laxatives. A good enema will work every time.


just thinkin abt it makes me wanna drop a load

maybe tomorrow when i scheiße, since it will be my birthday, my first poop as a 16 yr old will be lucky and attract infinite flies

if it does i can sell it to other forum members so they can do the same :shifty:


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## agent A (Jun 21, 2012)

Rich S said:


> Alex: If you are eating healthfully there is never a need for a laxative. I am sure you are just joking.


yes i am kidding, i have my latin teacher's sense of humor :lol:


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## Termite48 (Jun 21, 2012)

Wolfpuppy: That is a good idea. I find that flies need a source of warmth and also moisture so you have it there in your technique of sweeping the Primrose. 

This is surely a cleaner, less smelly way to get flies. Have you noticed how some of the wild caught flies are absolutely enormous?


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## Termite48 (Jun 21, 2012)

Alex: That is cool.


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## Davedood (Jun 21, 2012)

I go out at night in a bushy area, I use a High power LED flashlight (1000 lumens &gt;=) but you don't need that hehe) and I hold a 32oz cup with the flashlight at the bottom outside of the cup. Usually within 1 min. I have 20 flies inside, then I cap the cup with lid while light is still on. Flies in 1 min. works good for me.


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## MandellaMandy123 (Jun 21, 2012)

Yes - I love the giant flies. Something else interesting is that it seems they like to roost together. one primrose plant will have 15 and the one next to it won't have any... Interesting...


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## patrickfraser (Jun 21, 2012)

Wild caught flies are larger, because they have had time to grow and they are not hatched and put to death by mantis immediately. Flies do grow to be quite larger if given time and good food.......and I'm not talking sh!t, either. lol


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## agent A (Jun 21, 2012)

i find tons of huge bottleflies like to congregate around yew trees


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## angelofdeathzz (Jun 21, 2012)

Horse flies around here get very large, like .75 inches! But if they find you first you'll know it and be missing a piece of skin as well. Thanks to my 2 dogs  one being a Mastiff I have no problem getting flies from outside using a cheap fish net, but most are green-bottles which are a bit smaller than the BB's I buy from Rebecca.

If your only feeding a few mantis wild caught are the way to go, some people don't know but flies are one of the best pollinators we have, in turn making them a good food choice for mantis.


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## Crazy4mantis (Jun 21, 2012)

Woah, thanks for the quick answers guys!!! I will definately try some of these tips!


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## mkayum (Jun 21, 2012)

I'd use a mashed banana and mix it with a bit of vingear and put it in a cup. You may mircoware it for 10 seconds. Then leave the cup in sun spot... the flies like being in hot spot.

You would give yourself a little effort by catching them in feeding on banana with a net. I once caught a huge fly that I had never seen before. It's double than blue bottle flies! I decided to let it go because it's too special to be eaten lol.

I _sometimes_ use my cat's  if I'm that lazy lol.

*Or *

 

*Your choice. lol.*


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## happy1892 (Jun 30, 2012)

Just put some fruit or rotting fruit in a shaded place outside in a bowl and comeback after a little bit of time and bring plastic cup with something to use as a lid like a flat piece of plastic. If there are a bunch of flies (there will almost certainly be) cup them with the cup and put the lid on and shake the the cup until they stop moving and put them in another container and do this over and over again. This takes a lot of time to catch many flies so it be better if you just buy pupae from mantisplace or somewhere else.


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## sueb4653 (Jun 30, 2012)

seems like all the flies and moths at my house have gone into hiding


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## Mvalenz (Jun 30, 2012)

I find it easier to just take my mantids outside and holding them up to the fly. Mantids catch them and everyone is happy.


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## massaman (Jun 30, 2012)

put raw or cooked meat in a deli cup or a bottle and make sure the lid has a large enough hole in it so flies can fly in and leave it in a sunny spot and move if rain or what not and in a day or 2 will have flies all over the place and they will lay eggs on the meat and you also will have maggots if left longer outside but this works well for me or you can use a bag and put dog feces in the bag and put that bag in the other bag for flies to fly into as well!


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## eyes (Jun 30, 2012)

sueb4653 said:


> seems like all the flies and moths at my house have gone into hiding


Same here, at least for flies. It's like all the bottle flies and house flies went away. Weird.

I have resorted to butterflies and dragonflies but they're both a PITA to catch.


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## Sneaky123 (Jun 30, 2012)

Get a jar, cut a couple pieces of banana and put them in the jar and leave it out. It will attract a lot of flies.


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## angelofdeathzz (Jun 30, 2012)

$2 will get you one these, very easy and quick way to get 5-6 or more at a time.


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## Crazy4mantis (Jun 30, 2012)

eyes said:


> Same here, at least for flies. It's like all the bottle flies and house flies went away. Weird.


It's a fly conspiracy!!! :lol: It's happening to me too! For a while, there were a ton of flies around my house. And then when I got my mantis, they all disappeared! Do they know?!


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## happy1892 (Jul 1, 2012)

angelofdeathzz said:


> $2 will get you one these, very easy and quick way to get 5-6 or more at a time.


No need. A cup works just as well.


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## sueb4653 (Jul 1, 2012)

I have both a net like above and a butterfly net I have a cup set outside with goodies in it and I think they see me coming I get within a couple of feet and woosh they are gone sneaky little critters.


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## stacy (Jul 9, 2012)

Rich S said:


> I can tell what works the best. If you get a small plastic cup of at least four ounces, but preferably 8 oz. and place at least two ounces of fresh dung in it. It matters not the species, but all mammalian dung works well including human. Then it will take only a few minutes and houseflies to the largest Blow flies are going to be in the cup. The next thing is to get them in your grasp. The way I do it is I use a medium sized (at least 12" x 12" preferably a bit larger than that) piece of mesh cloth that you can easily see through. I cover my face with the cloth as I approach the cup. Moving slowly and making sure there are at least three to four up to twenty flies can be caught at one time. You must cover the cup loosely and very quickly without being detected till it is too late. Give the flies a small tent over the top of the cup in which they can escape the cup, but be captive to your mesh tent. Then carefully fold up the bottom ends to there is o way of escape. You can take this mesh tent full of flies directly to you enclosure, or place in a 32 oz. deli cup in put in the freezer to stun the flies. This way you can easily distribute over a few enclosure or feed by hand as needed. You can experiment how long it takes your freezer to stun the flies. My freezer, which is fairly new and efficient does not take more than two minutes to stun most flies. I hope this helps you. I have caught over eighty nice big blow flies in a day when I needed to do so.
> 
> Rich


Wow, tyvm for info


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## massaman (Jul 9, 2012)

what one needs to do to find flies and other feeder bugs is if there is any woods to go into those areas and look around on leaves and may take a bit of looking or walking around but it will work and it has for me and it keeps working as I always find stuff for my mantids and never have problems finding flies or what I need being theres woods all around!


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## patrickfraser (Jul 9, 2012)

I wish I had some woods around me.


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## Termite48 (Jul 9, 2012)

To follow up on my comments, for those few that are interested and live in the city and therefore have no woods to which to hunt for insects: After the lure material dries up in the sun and you have made a few to many visits to collect the flies that have been lured, you may check thoroughly and often you will find some wriggling larva or maggots as some call them. If you separate these from the medium in which they were, you can get yourself some nice wild pupae and therefore harvest some eclosing BBs or whatever you get in your yard. Actually in my yard there are an abundance of Green Bottles and a species of Sarcophagiidae (quite large) that has the grey striped coloration on the large part of their abdomen from the dorsal view. I place these in a small cup (the maggots) and let them swim to thir hearts; content in oatmeal, then after a few days when they are about ready to pupate place about 1/2" thick layer of corn meal over them. When they want to pupate, they will migrate to the dry cornmeal, cleaning themselves in the process and you can harvest them in another day or so. There are usually about 25 or so in my findings. For a small number of adults to feed, this is all sometimes one needs.


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## aNisip (Jul 22, 2012)

This 'fly conspiracy' that you speak of could probably be related to the fact that most flies only have a week or two life span when adult...


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## Crazy4mantis (Aug 1, 2012)

Heard they live 30 days... But there are absolutely NO flies around my house! They're ALL gone!


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## angelofdeathzz (Aug 1, 2012)

The best way to catch flies bar none is, to sleep with your mouth open.


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