Fly Bait Recipes

Liquid Yeast Bait

Ingredients:
2 quarts tepid (not hot) water (95-105 F)
1 cup + 3 oz. active dry yeast (baking yeast)
2 tablespoons ammonium carbonate (optional*)
*Ammonium carbonate is available from chemical supply houses and will improve the odor of the bait.
Mixing the bait
Use a plastic (not glass) narrow-necked gallon jug with a screw cap for mixing, ripening, andstoring bait. Bleach or milk jugs work well. Wide-mouth containers will not produce effectivebait.
Mix all the above ingredients in the jug. Important: With cap lightly sealed, allow mixture tobegin to ripen (see ripening instructions below). It will foam up at first. After it subsides (1-2days), tighten the lid and continue ripening till very smelly (2-9 additional days). Gases mustescape while bait is foaming up (loose cap), but bait must finish ripening without air (tight cap) toattract flies.
Ripening the bait:
Allow bait to ripen 4-10 days in a place where temperatures remain above 60 F during the nightand day. Bait is ripe when it is very smelly, with a musky, penetrating odor. Warm daytimetemperatures will make up for slightly cooler (less than 60 F) nights, but in general, the warmerthe average temperature, the faster the bait will ripen. Because of its heavy odor, the bait shouldbe ripened in a well-ventilated area where it will not offend people. Do not ripen or store the baitin direct sunlight. Extreme temperatures can build within the jug, kill the yeast, and cause gasesto expand enough to pop off the lid or break the jug.
Storing the bait:
To maintain potency, store bait with the cap kept tight. Open the jug only when necessary torefill the bait pan. Do not store in direct sunlight.
Note: Ripened bait should be treated as a decaying food material. It can cause gastro-intestina disturbances if ingested.
Using the bait:
Stir or shake the bait supply each time before adding to the bait pan. Pour about 1 cup (8 ounces)of bait in a wide pan on a level surface under the trap. Be sure the edge of the pan is higher thanthe bottom edge of the trap frame.
The bait is effective in the pan for at least 3 to 5 days. It attracts more flies on the first day, andthen gradually declines thereafter. Don't let the bait dry out.

Beltsville Bait

This makes a dry bait that can be easily stored for a considerable time. It must be mixed with water before using.

 
Ingredients:

 1 pound granulated sugar
 1 pound baking powder (double-acting type)
 2 ounces dry active yeast (baking yeast)
 6 ounces air-dried blood or freeze-dried fish meal
 1/4 cup honey
 2 tablespoons* water
 

*Quantity of water needed may vary with humidity of air when mixing. Use only sufficient water to bind dry ingredients together when they are compressed.

 
Procedure:

Mix ingredients thoroughly. Press mixture into a plastic ice-cube tray to form cubes. Invert the tray to dump the cubes, and let them dry to form hard blocks. To use the bait, add 2 cubes of bait to 2 quarts of water. Place bait in a wide-mouth pan beneath a cone-type trap. Flies are attracted to this bait from only a short distance, so traps should be placed within 6 feet of areas where flies are active. Bait pans should be cleaned and baited every 1 to 2 weeks and should be kept filled with water.