With warm weather and flies abound I made a fly trap that is easy to gather flies for feeding my mantids. Within a few hours of adding fresh bait to the trap it has 3 dozen flies or more trapped inside - as long as it isn't raining. Depending on your area the flies will vary, but my fly traps usually contain house flies, blue bottle flies, horse flies, and others (and all sizes of each).
Update - see my post below for better bait and pests.
Update - The top 6" portion of a 2 liter bottle works easier for the cone, and another works much better for the top lid area to remove the flies. Updates added below in the instructions. Or view my new instructions on building a fly trap from 2 liter bottles.
Using the finished fly trap -
Materials Needed -
Step 1
Update - see my post below for better bait and pests.
Update - The top 6" portion of a 2 liter bottle works easier for the cone, and another works much better for the top lid area to remove the flies. Updates added below in the instructions. Or view my new instructions on building a fly trap from 2 liter bottles.
Using the finished fly trap -
- Remove the fly trap lid and put in your fly bait in the bottom between the side and cone. Bait wise, there are commercial versions available; however, for cheap/free the best results are rotten meat or any fresh animal manure (cat, dog, cow, etc). With all the pets in this house it is easy to put on some latex gloves and drop in some manure (free and keeps litter boxes clean). Then replace the lid.
- Put the fly trap in a shady area for best results, and gripping the dowel rod legs press them gently into the ground so the fly trap isn't blown over by the wind.
- To collect the flies for feeding unscrew the pill bottle lid and quickly put your feeding bottle over the fly trap opening. Some good bottles are empty 2-liter bottles, large pill bottles, Dmina's feeding bottles, and such. Hold the bottle on the opening with one hand, and with your other hand slightly shake the fly trap to coax the flies into your bottle. Repeat as necessary to fill your bottle.
- If you are using the Dmina feeding bottles you can feed your mantids directly with it, otherwise the best option is to chill the flies for a few minutes in a refrigerator and use tweezers to feed them to your mantids.
- Tip - if it rains or has been hot for a few days, more fly bait will need to be added for best results (especially with manure as it will dry out and not attract flies)
Materials Needed -
- 1 quart plastic container (or larger, gallon tub will work even better) - With a removable lid to easily add new bait
- 2 liter bottle works great or Screen mesh (I used aluminum mesh and recommend it for the mesh cone if nothing else)
- Empty plastic pill bottle or 2 liter bottle works much better
- 1/4" or 1/2" dowel rod
- X-acto knife
- Scissors (to cut screen mesh)
- Hot glue gun with glue sticks
Step 1
- Remove the center area from your container lid and hot glue in mesh.
- On the sides of the container it is best to cut out a single section and glue in mesh one section at a time completely, so it retains the container shape. I also leave a 2" inch gap between both section ends for stability.
- UPDATE - a better method is to add the top off a 2 liter soda bottle instead of the pill bottle, the top 6" or so that is shaped like a cone. It allows the flies to come out much easier.
- Next take a pill bottle and remove 3/4 of the bottle, leaving only the top portion.
- With your scissors remove a small section in the middle of the lid's screen mesh and hot glue the bottle in the container lid.
- Then cut out the entire bottom of the container to insert the mesh cone in step 3.
- UPDATE - A easier method to make the trap cone is to cut the top 6" off a 2 liter bottle and insert it into the bottom of the trap. It gives a quick and easy cone with great results.
- It's time to create the screen mesh cone to trap the flies, and allow them to enter the container. This is where the aluminum (metal) mesh is preferred over the plastic type as it is easier to roll into a cone and hold it's shape.
- Take a large piece of screen rectangular in shape and roll over one corner.
- The cone base needs to be larger than the bottom of the fly trap bottom hole. The top of the cone needs to be 1/2" to 1" at most for best results.
- Roll the cone and test fit as best as you can (remove the lid to use both hands) - the top of the cone should top out half to 3/4 of the height inside the trap.
- Once you got the cone shaped hot glue the overlapping mesh areas. Also hot glue the cone inside the container from the bottom and trim off the excess cone length from the bottom of the fly trap with scissors.
- The last step is to cut the dowel rod into three sections for legs, I use about 7" lengths.
- Hot glue each dowel rod in a triangle pattern on the outside of the container overlapping it a few inches on the container for best results.
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I know my mantids have been eagerly filling their guts from all the flies the traps catch. 
