How to keep pesky flies away from your BBQ

Its summer and the perfect BBQ weather. Who doesn't like BBQ pork ribs or some grilled steak?? Nevertheless, one thing everybody hates are those stupid flies that fly around your face and land on your food. You can buy expensive bug zappers but why when you could take the safe and humane approach?? Just by taking 5 minutes, you will have a fly free BBQ.

Step 1: What you will need

What you will need:
A clear plastic sandwich bag (you can get these at wal-mart or any other grocery store).
2 1/2 cups of water.
A bottle of lime juice.
2 teaspoons of salt.
Two or three paper clips
And some shiny pennies.

You will also need a bowl and a spoon which is are not in the picture.

You should have these things around your house. Therefore, they should not be that hard to come by.

Step 2: Add the water

First off add 2 1/2 cups of water to a bowl.
Next add two teaspoons of salt. (table salt will work fine)
Mix it with the spoon to get the salt off the bottom of the bowl.

Step 3: Add the lime juice

Now add two or three squirts of lime juice. There is no exact amount it just keeps the pennies shiny. Stir this mixture to blend it all together. I will just look like regular water but by adding these ingredients its affects will last longer.

Step 4: Add the mixture to the bag

Now pour the water in to the sandwich bag. Fill it until its 3/4 full.
Then drop the pennies in to the mixture. Seal the bag and this is what you should have.

Step 5: Add the papper clip

In this step, we will add the paper clip onto the bag. The paper clip will hold the bag up where ever you put it.
First off bend, the paper clip like so. It will make it simpler to add to the bag.
Now slide the paper clip through the top of the bag. Make sure it's above where the bag seals.
Feed it through the rest of the way so the top of the bag is in the middle of the paper clip. If you don't understand look at the third picture.
Finally push the part of the paper clip that was out in so that it will have a stronger connection.
Good job you are almost done.

Step 6: Installing your apparatus

You are done. Now just hang this above your BBQ and enjoy. I am not sure how it works but it has been keeping my families BBQ's fly free for three years now.
Thanks for reading.
Killer~SafeCracker.

Evilrick says: Jan 20, 2010. 5:08 PM

People have been taping zip-lock bags to house doors for years for the same reason. Never heard of putting the salt, lime, and pennies in the bag. I know it works without them.

ede566 in reply to EvilrickOct 23, 2011. 5:56 AM

Ingedients are to water not putrefy i think

stickmop in reply to EvilrickApr 24, 2011. 6:48 AM

Up in Newfoundland (and I think in parts of the South), they tape or pin inflated paper sacks over the screen door. Seems to work. Same theory as mentioned here - flies apparently think it's a hornet or wasp nest.

vthibault says: Jul 11, 2011. 10:13 AM

I thought mythbusters had busted that one for good...

georion in reply to vthibaultOct 10, 2011. 12:52 PM

mythbusters aside---the bag is FULL--i first heard of this with bag HALF FULL--i think if anyone is interested they should try several diff amts of water to give it a FAIR tesr.

lvardalzin in reply to vthibaultAug 18, 2011. 10:20 PM

I saw that episode, and to me it looked like they didn't give the files anywhere else to go, and they also used more rotting meat than the average person could accumulate in a month. I think the attraction of that overwhelming amount of food overrode whatever effect the bags had on the flies.

mazelady says: Jul 12, 2011. 5:28 AM

I would like to see the rotating cylinder idea expanded to be able to attach to something like a dumpster. In the summer, flies get into the garbage and by the time we roll it to the front for pickup maggots are everywhere. I mean outside around the trash can too.

I'll try hanging a bag of water over the trash can to see if that helps.

slaughter says: Aug 18, 2009. 8:32 PM

i heard this works cuz fly's land on it and see their reflection and get scared and leave i have heard you could use it with the pennies also but i guess the more shiny it is would be better

mmartin7 in reply to slaughterJul 11, 2011. 9:45 PM

Then you could hang a mirror or even glass would scare em away.

nibbler125 says: Jul 11, 2011. 9:39 PM

now for the water to be ripe it needs to be aged in direct sunlight for atleast 72 hours or else it will taste bitter

pyrorower says: Oct 21, 2010. 3:47 PM

I grew up in southern Alabama, and we always did this with just water in the bag. However, I was always told it repels flies because they think it's a wasp nest or beehive. I think though that the movement theory is more probable than mine though.

64runners says: Mar 8, 2010. 4:18 PM

Hm...Interesting....Does this work with Bees and Mosquitos?? <-- Think I spelt that wrong.

georion says: Jan 1, 2010. 6:49 PM

One more comment for your collection !!!! i first heaed of same thing---just 1/2 full of water--nothing else--and works also!!!(light defraction messing up the flies?????????) gonna use you recipe now..

bounty1012 says: Dec 19, 2009. 2:07 PM

Thanks for the instructable, the flies are really irritating and then the little candles that are supposed to keep them away do not work. 5/5

Killer~SafeCracker (author) in reply to bounty1012Dec 19, 2009. 2:14 PM

Yeah, And the best part is that this is almost free.

S1L3N7 SWAT says: Jul 16, 2009. 2:18 PM

That's interesting. Makes sense though, flies are quite skittish and will avoid any movement, and the water magnifies those movements. I wonder if the same result can be achieved by something as simple as a rotating paper cylinder with alternating black and white sections. Since the transitions from light to dark would alert the flies they may feel inclined to stay away.

Sandy44444 in reply to S1L3N7 SWATSep 6, 2009. 8:49 AM

nerd

S1L3N7 SWAT in reply to Sandy44444Sep 6, 2009. 4:18 PM

Yeah.......................

Benjoe96 in reply to S1L3N7 SWATJul 30, 2009. 10:52 AM

That really is brilliant

Pizzapie500 says: Sep 6, 2009. 2:29 PM

Would lemon juice work too? Im all out of lime juice.

Killer~SafeCracker (author) in reply to Pizzapie500Sep 6, 2009. 2:41 PM

Yes it would work.

lemonie says: Jul 16, 2009. 2:02 PM

I tend to find that smoke works pretty well, but I'll take from this that you know how to run a BBQ properly (without geet-big clouds of smoke) - good stuff. L

Killer~SafeCracker (author) in reply to lemonieJul 16, 2009. 2:07 PM

Yes I do know how to run a BBQ. Smoke does work well but it is easier and more safe to hang this over your BBQ.