Making a fly trap/killer

Thread Starter

Wendy

Joined Mar 24, 2008
23,415
I'm wondering if blue LEDs will draw flys to a sticky trap. I seem to have a problem with them lately. What do you guys think?
 

nerdegutta

Joined Dec 15, 2009
2,684
In my line of work, pest technician, we use two type of color on our Fly traps. One with blue-ish color, and one with green-ish color. One for flying insect durin day time, and the other color for night active insects with wings.

Usually different kind of flies, and different kinds of moths.

I've installed lots of this type:
halo.jpg

We allways try to find out why the flies are there in the first place. Perhaps some easy measures can be made...?

What kind of flies is it?
 

cmartinez

Joined Jan 17, 2007
8,220
I'm wondering if blue LEDs will draw flys to a sticky trap. I seem to have a problem with them lately. What do you guys think?
It is my understanding that some insects can see in ultraviolet end of the spectrum, like bees. But I'm not sure that using a single blue frequency will lure them or not... I guess there's only one way to know
 

atferrari

Joined Jan 6, 2004
4,764
In Navy vessels the "insectocutor" consisted of a small black light tube surounded by several wires in fence-like style to zap the bugs.
 

ian field

Joined Oct 27, 2012
6,536
In Navy vessels the "insectocutor" consisted of a small black light tube surounded by several wires in fence-like style to zap the bugs.
All the bug lanterns I've bought so far had very short tube life, so I'm wondering exactly the same thing as the TS.

It conjoured up an idea for the actual killing though, a Youtube clip shows someone setting off match heads with the laser diode from a scrap DVD - maybe a single blue LED to lure critters into the beam of a DVD laser..................
 

cmartinez

Joined Jan 17, 2007
8,220
All the bug lanterns I've bought so far had very short tube life, so I'm wondering exactly the same thing as the TS.

It conjoured up an idea for the actual killing though, a Youtube clip shows someone setting off match heads with the laser diode from a scrap DVD - maybe a single blue LED to lure critters into the beam of a DVD laser..................
Interesting... you could lure them into some sort of a slit, where a small sensor awaits them and fires off the laser. Maybe the scent of burnt insects will attract even more insects.
 

#12

Joined Nov 30, 2010
18,224
We allways try to find out why the flies are there in the first place. Perhaps some easy measures can be made...?

What kind of flies is it?
Wendy lives in the most famous cattle area on the planet. Where there are cows, there are flies.
You can either kill flies or teach them they don't like cow poop.
I think killing them is easier for small areas.
If you figure out the teaching method, India wants to see you. :D
 

Dr.killjoy

Joined Apr 28, 2013
1,196
My favorite fly trap was a old style fly trap that had a round circle type black light bulb and in the middle there was motor and a disc with like a cheese grater cuts that chop bug to pieces..
 

ian field

Joined Oct 27, 2012
6,536
Wendy lives in the most famous cattle area on the planet. Where there are cows, there are flies.
You can either kill flies or teach them they don't like cow poop.
I think killing them is easier for small areas.
If you figure out the teaching method, India wants to see you. :D
I'm pretty sure dung beetles are the answer.
 

nerdegutta

Joined Dec 15, 2009
2,684
Wendy lives in the most famous cattle area on the planet. Where there are cows, there are flies.
You can either kill flies or teach them they don't like cow poop.
I think killing them is easier for small areas.
If you figure out the teaching method, India wants to see you. :D
Does she live on a farm? Or in a suburb? Anyways.... it's a cool idea to use LED.
 

Glenn Holland

Joined Dec 26, 2014
703
On the subject of fly traps, there's a huge spider living in the track of a vinyl window frame for my living room.

It built a large triangular web on the outside of the window and it hides in the track until something comes along. At least two flies have wandered too close and have been trapped. Then the spider runs out from the track and snatches the prey for lunch, dinner, or a snack.

These spiders are probably not hazardous to humans and if I could get a few more of them to build a web, it makes an environmentally friendly insecticide. :)
 

cmartinez

Joined Jan 17, 2007
8,220
On the subject of fly traps, there's a huge spider living in the track of a vinyl window frame for my living room.

It built a large triangular web on the outside of the window and it hides in the track until something comes along. At least two flies have wandered too close and have been trapped. Then the spider runs out from the track and snatches the prey for lunch, dinner, or a snack.

These spiders are probably not hazardous to humans and if I could get a few more of them to build a web, it makes an environmentally friendly insecticide. :)
That's great for outdoors, if the spider is, let's say, human compatible... for indoors I'd rather have (and I do have) a cat :)
 

Glenn Holland

Joined Dec 26, 2014
703
Once I mounted a computer fan on the light pendant - as moths circle ever closer to the bulb they get sucked into the fan and chopped up.

In the end, I got fed up with being hit by bits of moth.
In the 1970s, a company had a vacuum cleaner fan unit connected to a bag and a yellow light below the intake to attract the bugs.

The problem was more bugs would come than the bag would hold and it would fill up too fast. It was also a classic case of nature could make more bugs than man could get rid of.
 

cmartinez

Joined Jan 17, 2007
8,220
In the 1970s, a company had a vacuum cleaner fan unit connected to a bag and a yellow light below the intake to attract the bugs.

The problem was more bugs would come than the bag would hold and it would fill up too fast. It was also a classic case of nature could make more bugs than man could get rid of.
Maybe they could've used the bugs as fertilizer or something useful?
 

DickCappels

Joined Aug 21, 2008
10,152
At night sometimes the in-laws set up a UV florescent lamp on a pole above a tub of water. The insects they find in the tub the next morning are usually cooked and sometimes seasoned before they are eaten. No kidding.
 
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