The No Fly Cone is a fly trap designed as a cylindrical cone to be placed on top of a natural fly attractant such as dog poop. Regardless of whether or not you place the cone, the flies will still be drawn to the dog’s fresh poop.
The inside of the cone is lined with strong adhesive glue that does not let flies escape once they get stuck on it. The idea behind No Fly Cone was that while the flies would be attracted to the poop and sit on it, they would not be able to escape from the cone once they entered. The cone would then be disposed of, and the poop scooped up.
How Did He Come Up With It?
Bruce Gaither was a poker player turned horse trainer and also gave horse riding lessons. He came up with the idea while he was working in his barn one day and was being disturbed by all the flies. Frustrated, he thought of a solution and immediately decided to invent it.
He worked on his project for five years and even made it to the stores, but due to its unique design, people didn’t know what it was. That was when he decided to bring his product to the popular TV show Shark Tank in the hope of receiving $25,000 in exchange for a 15% stake in his business.
How Did The Shark Tank Pitch Go?
Barbara Corcoran also called it the worst sales presentation she had ever heard and did not want to invest.
Kevin O’Leary was not convinced and was almost immediately out.
Lori Greiner was intrigued by the idea, but she said she ‘personally felt disgusted’ and did not want to invest.
Marc Cuban wanted no part in it either and stepped out.
Daymond John asked how many sales he had made so far, to which Bruce replied he had only sold 3000 fly traps so far. He then said he was out of the deal.
Robert was not interested in the investment opportunity either and stepped out as well.
Unfortunately, none of the Sharks made a deal with Bruce; he left the stage empty-handed. But his journey did not end there. He found a distributor on Facebook and launched a website to sell his product.
They were also available in all ACE hardware stores in the United States and sold in packs of five and ten cones. But, In April 2018, the website was inaccessible as the servers were down, and since then, the product has not been available in the market.
Our Review of No Fly Cone
Flies are a menace and can be a huge problem, especially for gardeners and farmers. They buzz around making that annoying sound as well as getting in the way of work. Flies feed on decaying organic material such as poop, fermented fruit, juices, and any uncovered food items on the table.
They can spread disease and carry germs from poop and trash onto food on the table. Therefore, it is important to rid your house of flies and never leave food uncovered if there are flies nearby. Use net covers or lids to keep yourselves and your families safe.
Sadly, No Fly Cone did not get much attention from being on the show Shark Tank either and didn’t stay in the market for long. We think that while the idea was unique, it was well pitched and demonstrated, but the idea of leaving poop lying around waiting to be attacked by flies and then having a dome of dead flies was too disgusting.
It was considered that poop could be replaced by something less gross, so it could also be used to get rid of flies in the house, such as an open soda can or a bowl of candy. Other methods seem to be taking care of the problem, such as repellants and hanging flue strips. It would be best if the natural attractant did not have to be poop.
Pros of No Fly Cone
- Inexpensive
- Nontoxic and chemical-free
- Simple and straightforward
- Effective
- Easy to use and dispose of
Cons of No Fly Cone
- There needs to be an alternative to dog poop as an attractant
- The idea of dog poop and hundreds of flies stuck to a cone is a bit gross
- Leaving poop un scooped on the floor would leave a mark and can be very smelly
- Only suitable to be used outdoors
Who is No Fly Cone For?
This is a product specifically for farmers and gardeners who spend most of their time outdoors with animals. However, it can be used by anyone who wants to rid their house or an outdoor picnic spot of flies and mosquitoes.
It can also be used by people who have many pets in the house and have a problem with too many flies in the house.
Are There Any Alternatives?
There are no known competitors for the No Fly Cone. There are many other fly repellants available, as well as sticky strips that can be hung to which flies can get stuck. But, there has been nothing like the No Fly Cone so far. Something that is nontoxic and chemical-free and designed like a glue dome.
Our Final Thoughts
We think that while it was a great invention for Bruce Gaither, who spent a lot of time in his barnyard and could place cones over a pile of dog and horse poop, it wasn’t the kind of invention that could have other applications other than for barns.
Most people would just stay out of the barn and use regular methods of repelling flies. Leaving poop out covered in cones is not the most pleasant sight for the eyes, and ideally, anyone would want to just clean that shit up!
