Dan Owsley enjoys spending time in his large backyard during the summer months, but he does not like the horseflies that inevitably appear, especially around food. After trying several unsuccessful methods to get rid of the pests, he decided to build his own trap.
Owsley made the design simple. He built a wood basin, supported by four legs. He then lined the basin with a large, black trash bag and propped two pieces of plexiglass over it.
The glass was set at a 45-degree angle in order to be invisible to the flies. In the last step, Owsley filled the lined basin with soapy water. The trap works by attracting the pests to a dark object, but they fly into the plexiglass instead.
This stuns them, and they fall into the water and drown.
The glass must be cleaned and the water changed every day to maintain the effect.
Owsley said the simple trap has been very effective in his backyard. He and his family are now able to enjoy barbeques and recreation without having to constantly swat away horseflies.
Another major benefit is the trap is non-toxic to people and animals. Owsley shared his idea online where it quickly went viral and drew many positive comments.
