Liquid Yeast Bait
(from Satrom and
Stephens 1979)
This recipe
makes 7-9 portions of liquid bait for use with a trap and a bait pan. It can
be stored 20-30 days once it is ready for use.
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, and storing bait. Bleach or milk jugs work well. Wide-mouth
containers will not produce effective bait.
Mix all the
above ingredients in the jug. Important: With cap lightly sealed, allow
mixture to begin to ripen (see ripening instructions below). It will foam up
at first. After it subsides (1-2 days), tighten the lid and continue
ripening till very smelly (2-9 additional days). Gases must escape while
bait is foaming up (loose cap), but bait must finish ripening without air
(tight cap) to attract flies.
Ripening the bait:
Allow bait
to ripen 4-10 days in a place where temperatures remain above 60 F during
the night and day. Bait is ripe when it is very smelly, with a musky,
penetrating odor. Warm daytime temperatures will make up for slightly cooler
(less than 60 F) nights, but in general, the warmer the average temperature,
the faster the bait will ripen. Because of its heavy odor, the bait should
be ripened in a well-ventilated area where it will not offend people. Do not
ripen or store the bait in direct sunlight. Extreme temperatures can build
within the jug, kill the yeast, and cause gases to 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 to refill 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.
The bait is
effective in the pan for at least 3 to 5 days. It attracts more flies on the
first day, and then gradually declines thereafter. Don't let the bait dry
out.
Beltsville Bait
(from Pickens, et al. 1994)
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.
