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DIY: How to Make Your Own Fly Trap

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Like so many of us in our cramped, window-free NYC apartments, I’ve been plagued with the summer invasion of fruit flies who absolutely refuse to leave but seem to really enjoy multiplying. Awesome. While the little guys are generally harmless, they’re not the most aesthetically pleasing while hovering over a fruit bowl or toothbrush holder, and I wanted to obliterate the bugs once and for all.   Without spending any money…

Though legend has it that more flies will be caught with honey than vinegar, the Internet proves the adage wrong, and cider vinegar or white vinegar with a bit of sugar seems to be the poison of choice.  As an at-home salad dressing aficionado, I had both, and decided to set up fly traps in my kitchen and bathroom. (And no, I’m not planning on making fruit fly vinaigrette…)

In my efforts to spend exactly zero money on this project, I took out a recycled plastic Whole Foods  Paycheck container and filled it about 3/4 of an inch with vinegar.  I mixed in some sugar packets from my local coffee shop and cut a plastic shopping bag to fit over the top of the container.  I slipped a rubber band around the plastic sheet to keep it taught and poked a few holes with a pen.

Only a few minutes, some household supplies, and voila, a fly-free apartment!

diy-fly-trap

Note: it can take a few days to catch all the flies, but the method is well worth it.

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Melissa Kravitz - Discount Diva

Melissa Kravitz - Discount Diva

While being New York’s most fabulous resident consumes most of her time, Melissa also enjoys excessive amounts of shopping, visiting museums, reading chick lit, crafting, cooking five meals a day, and befriending cute puppies. Melissa considers herself NYC’s ultimate pasta expert. Melissa also works as a publisher for Inside New York (www.insidenewyork.com). Read her blog (www.melissabethkravitz.com) or follow her on twitter (@melissabethk).