How To Make A Flysphere

The rain stopped and the flies multiplied. Trying to find a solution that does not involve spraying toxic chemicals all over the place is not an easy task! In the past I’ve tried fly traps that you make and put in the garden, but they only caught small flies and not those truly horrible blow flies, then I tried making fly paper which worked but doesn’t look all that great when flies are stuck to it.

Grant bought a bunch of electrical fly zapper thingies which worked when actually turned on but the sound of flies getting zapped when you have people over for dinner is quite disturbing.

I am now losing the battle, fly swats are not keeping up (and dead squashed flies – yuck) peppermint oil is supposed to help, but they don’t seem to care anymore and just keep coming. Out of frustration I turned to our website and found this post on how to make a Flysphere.

I haven’t tried making one yet but it’s on the cards for this weekend – right after I buy a few San Pellegrino Limonata sodas that come in the perfect sized glass bottles, I’ve tried to find All Good Sparkling water which is NZ made but they don’t seem to be available anymore. If anyone knows where to get them please drop me an email, [email protected], as I’d prefer to buy NZ made.

How To Make A Flysphere

First published 16 January 2015 by Wendyl Nissen

Just before Christmas I came across a product called Flysphere which is a stylish glass version of plastic bags filled with water that they use to deter flies at taco stands in Mexico. The theory is that the refraction of the water, amplifies colours and movement that makes the fly nervous, scaring it away.

I liked the look of the glass blown creation, which is made in Mexico so I ordered one online.
Up north we have a big problem with blow flies which seem to think that our front door is the way to heaven because they all fly in, like it’s their flight path, and then get trapped inside. One day when I was cooking a curry there were hundreds of them.

So I put up a fly curtain, which Paul immediately got tangled up in and broke, and was considering a chain mesh one when I saw the Flysphere.

So I hung it up, making sure it has plenty of light and colour by the front door and hey presto – no more flies! We can’t quite believe it. The odd one does get in through other windows and doors but we seem to have deviated the flight path.

I can thoroughly recommend these if you don’t mind paying the USD$85.00 from this website.

But…you could try my new low budget version below

I’m a big fan of the All Good Sparkling waters which are little flavour bombs of juice and yes … sugar. But these are small and a little treat now and then isn’t too bad. I saved the bottles because they have screw-on lids and I thought they would be great for tomato sauce or other sauces I might make.

Then I realised they have the same shape as the Flysphere and so I made one and hung it out the other side of the house.

And…it worked. So buy yourself a nice drink and re-use the bottle later to get rid of flies.”

How to make it …..

All you need to do is buy a few drinks in the right shaped bottle with a screw top lid, then drink them, clean out the bottle and fill with water, replace the lid, get some strong string and tie it around securely looping back and forth, leave enough string to make a loop to hang it up and tie it off.  Tie your flysphere in an area that you have the most fly traffic, it needs to have a lot of light and is best to have colours around it, pictures, plants and the like, to create reflections that then keep the flies away.