Keep flies out your house

How to Get Rid of Houseflies at Home Naturally and Safely

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Houseflies are one type of fly in the insect order Diptera, all of which have one set of wings. They are also known as “nuisance” flies. House flies are about ¼-inch long and gray.

Houseflies are found almost everywhere people live. They lay their eggs on animal feces, garbage, and in rotting organic material.

A housefly infestation may not be a major concern, but it can also spread disease. There are many safe and easy ways to prevent infestations or get rid of them when they happen.

In many cases, housefly infestations are often just a nuisance. However, houseflies can also carry viruses and bacteria that can spread when they bite. Diseases house flies might carry include:

food poisoning
cholera
E. coli
typhoid fever
dysentery
tuberculosis
eye infections
tropical infection called yaws

It’s possible, and often even preferable, to get rid of houseflies naturally, without pesticides. Potential methods include:

Herbs and flowers

Herbs and flowers can be planted both in your garden and outside to keep flies away from your house. Herbs and flowers that can repel flies include:

basil
marigold
lavender
bay leaves
catnip

As a bonus, some can be used for cooking as well.

Vinegar and dish soap

A mixture of vinegar and dish soap can help you trap flies. To use this method, mix about an inch of apple cider vinegar and a few drops of dish soap in a tall glass. Cover the glass with plastic wrap. Secure the plastic wrap with a rubber band and poke small holes in the top.

Flies will be attracted to the vinegar in the glass and will fly through the holes. However, the dish soap causes the flies to sink instead of being able to land on the vinegar.

Cayenne pepper and water

Cayenne pepper can help repel houseflies. Mix it with water and spray around the house to deter flies from coming in.

Venus flytrap

Venus flytraps are carnivorous plants that eat insects. If you plant them outside, they’ll naturally eat flies. Inside, you might need to feed the plant flies.

When a fly gets in the plant’s trap, it closes around the fly. It then secretes digestive fluid to dissolve the insect’s soft insides. It breaks down the insect over 5 to 12 days, then spits out the exoskeleton.

Natural trap bait

You can also use foods or drinks to which flies are attracted in order to entice them into traps. These include:

sugar (honey or molasses)
wine
fruit
meat

In addition to natural ways to get rid of houseflies, you can use insecticides and traps to kill or remove the flies.

Check out the following flytraps available online.

Pyrethrin-based insecticide

When you have a large housefly infestation, insecticides can be effective because they work quickly. However, they’re not effective in the long term, because flies have short life cycles and will develop resistance. Additionally, the effect of the insecticide goes away quickly.

If you do need or want to use insecticide, pyrethrin-based insecticides are most common for indoor fly infestations. Be sure that you buy an insecticide specifically for indoor use, ventilate the area well, and follow the directions exactly.

Light trap

Light traps are boxes with a light in the back that attracts flies. When the flies try to get to the light, they’ll either be killed with an electric zap or trapped, depending on what kind of light trap you choose.

Be sure to mount light traps away from entrances and windows, so they can’t be seen from the outside. They should also be mounted within 5 feet of the floor.

Sticky traps

Sticky traps are strips of sticky paper that can be hung or laid down throughout your house. They’re not as effective as other traps, but can be added to help remove infestations.

Many natural and other fly repellents can be used outside to keep flies away from your house. You can try planting herbs and flowers such as basil or marigolds around the house, or even plant a few Venus flytraps. You can also use sticky traps outside.

You can also use insecticides outdoors, although flies will still develop resistance to them. Residual pesticides, which remain active for longer than indoor pesticides, can be sprayed around your house.

Houseflies are mainly attracted by material in which they can lay their eggs. This includes:

rotting material, including food waste and other garbage
animal feces
manure

Bright lights at night can also attract flies.

The best way to deal with a housefly infestation is to prevent it in the first place. Make sure they don’t have areas to lay eggs and remove things that can attract the flies.

Make sure your windows, doors, and house vents are sealed properly and free from holes or other damage.
Use a garbage can with a tight-fitting lid, and take the bag out as soon as it’s full.
Store food properly in airtight containers.
Don’t leave dirty dishes or glasses out on the counter.
Don’t leave grass clippings or leaves out to decay near your house.
Turn off outdoor lights at night when possible. Flies are attracted to light.
Avoid using rat poison to kill rodents, because the carcasses can attract flies.
Clean up animal feces, such as in a cat’s litter box, right away.

Housefly infestations aren’t just a nuisance. They can also be hazardous to your health. By keeping your house clean — especially free from food waste — you can help prevent a housefly infestation.

If an infestation does occur, there are many natural and trapping methods to try.

How To Get Rid Of House Flies

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Are you wondering how to get rid of house flies in your home? The common pests — with a single pair of wings and compound red eyes — are known for breeding in kitchen bins, faeces, or on piles of spoiled food. To help you prevent house flies, we've done our research and have rounded up the best advice and natural methods to try.

While house flies might be frustratingly difficult to get rid of, there are some natural ways to keep them out of your home. We speak to the experts at British Pest Control Association and Rentokil to find out more...

How to get rid of house flies

"Prevention is better than cure. The best way to keep flies away is to limit a fly's access to food and water – particularly in your kitchen," Natalie Bungay, Technical Officer, British Pest Control Association tells Country Living.

House flies have a short lifespan, but they can reproduce quickly and in large numbers. If you are worried about an infestation of flies in your home, it is advised you call the professionals. BPCA has a list of qualified and audited pest professionals on its website.

Professionals will be able to safely and effectively deal with the pests, so it's always worth asking for help if you are unsure.

"The best way to deal with a fly problem is to prevent an infestation from forming in the first place. There are some easy and practical steps you can take to help deter flies from your home," David Cross from Rentokil tells us.

Ways to keep flies away include...

Make sure all food waste is correctly disposed of in a bin with a lid
Keep outside bins secure with sealed lids and away from windows and doors
Clean up food and water spills as soon as they occur
Keep your food covered to stop flies landing and subsequently feeding off your plate
Keep windows and doors closed or install fly screens to keep out home-invaders
Deny flies access by keeping doors closed after dark, or block out the light with curtains
Clean up after your pets, as faeces is the perfect breeding place for flies
Remove any dead flies, as these can be a food source for other pests such as carpet beetles

Homemade remedies to help get rid of house flies

Homemade remedies can also be a great way to naturally keep house flies out of the home — and brilliantly, too, they are incredibly easy to make yourself.

You can try to...

Put a few drops of eucalyptus oil onto a cloth and hang them near doors or windows
Place mint on kitchen window sills — this will also keep them away
Cut up fresh orange peel and place onto a plate
Citronella candles can help to keep flies away, especially in the garden
Grow certain flowers that are known for repelling house flies, including marigold, lavender, bay leaves and catnip.
Flies don't like the smell of pepper. One natural deterrent is to mix up a water and pepper spray and spritz it around your home

Natural products to keep flies out of the home

Are house flies dangerous?

"Keeping flies away from your food is vital for protecting your health. The adage 'if you followed a fly for a day, you wouldn’t eat for a week' is entirely accurate," Natalie continues.

"Flies feed by vomiting saliva onto your food, stamping their dirty legs up and down in the sick, and then sucking up the resulting liquid. The bacteria from its gut can transmit everything from food poisoning to cholera."

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What do house flies look like?

House flies have...

Six legs
A small, oval body
Antennas
They are usually grey in appearance and display four black stripes on their chest
Adult house flies are about 4 to 7.5mm long
Female house flies are usually larger than males

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What do I do if I have a lot of flies in my house?

Most often, if you find you have a lot of flies in your house, they are entering through small cracks in walls or doors. House flies can often be more of a problem during the summer months, especially as the weather gets warmer. As well as this, they also breed in filth (such as bins, rotting food and dirt), so one of the ways to keep them at bay is to ensure your house is clean. Seal any bins, keep surfaces sanitised and don't leave food out on the counter.

Don't forget to:

Check for any food waste which could be attracting flies
Empty your bins regularly
Clean under and around your appliances

What attracts flies in your house?

"Spotting a few flies buzzing around does not necessarily mean you have a serious fly problem, although you should probably start keeping an eye out for other tell-tale signs, such as small dark clusters of spots in light areas and the presence of maggots," David Cross from Rentokil continues.

Common house flies are attracted to rotten items such as feces, pet waste and rotting meat, whereas fruit flies are more likely to seek sugary substances such as overripe fruit, spilled fizzy drinks, and alcohol.

House flies are drawn to:

Dirty conditions
Spilt food
Sticky surfaces from drink spillages
Scum at the bottom of drains
Feces and pet waste
Alcohol

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Where do flies lay their eggs in a house?

House flies will commonly lay their eggs in any warm, moist material. When the weather is warm, eggs will hatch in around 12 to 24 hours.

Some places flies might lay their eggs include...

Piles of rubbish and waste
Decaying material such as grass clippings
Feces

Are houseflies harmful?

Houseflies aren't harmful, but are just a nuisance. One thing to note is that they do carry bacteria and germs, so be careful if they land on your food before eating. Some of the diseases they carry include:

Food poisoning
Cholera
Eye infections
E. coli
Typhoid fever
Dysentery
Tuberculosis

How to keep flies away outside

It's not only in the home that the flying creatures buzz around in: they regularly fly around our garden spaces (particularly if there's food involved). If you're looking for clever ways to keep flies at bay, one of the key ways of outdoor fly prevention is knowing what they don't like.

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Natural ways to keep them away outside includes. ..

Placing whole cloves into a ripe apple or a piece of citrus and placing it onto a plate
Growing lavender is also a natural way to keep flies away as they don't like the smell
Place citrus fruits and skins in a muslin cloth bag outside
Flies also don't like basil, so these are brilliant to have growing outside
Nasturtiums planted in the garden will also keep the flies away
Clean up any food spillages quickly, especially if you are dining alfresco

Browse our other handy pest control guides...

How to get rid of mice
How to get rid of slugs
How to get rid of greenfly

How to get rid of flies at home

Sometimes there are unwanted guests in the house, I mean flies. When there is only one of them, his presence is almost imperceptible, but when there are several, it can bother you. Usually you take a fly killer and kill them all, but you don't always have to resort to killing them to destroy them. , the idea is also to scare them away so they don't bother you or so you kill them.

There are also people who choose chemicals such as insecticides to kill them, but these types of products are harmful to your health, your family's health, or the environment. Chemicals, the less you use them the better.

But then how to get rid of flies in a natural way, and this is also effective? Flies are diptera, which means they have two wings, there may be over 1 million species of flies. Flies change their size as they grow and can be from smaller to several centimeters long. The house fly is a common fly, it cannot bite, but it is the source of diseases such as cholera, typhoid fever, dysentery and diarrhea. So the farther from home these flies are, the better, because they can transmit diseases through them too quickly.

The main reason flies get into homes is garbage or faeces (especially if you have cat litter in the garden or at home, or perhaps compost). Flies are also attracted to food that is left open and unprotected in the kitchen. Moreover, they grow in places with dense vegetation and weeds.

Index

1 Light traps
2 Basil to kill flies
3 Water bags
4 cinnamon
5 White wine
6 Kayensky pepper
7 Cucumbers
8 Domestic vinegar
9 with fan
10 Essential oils

but it may be better to choose other methods that serve to repel them rather than kill them.

Basil to get rid of flies

The smell of basil is an effective fly killer. Planting basil in the garden is a good fly repellant, you can also plant it on your kitchen window sill in small pots. Planting mint, marigold or lavender will also help keep flies away. . You can also enjoy its medicinal properties, what more could you ask for? Well, the top smells really good!

Water bags

Surely you have ever walked around the city and noticed water bags hanging from the windows ... The people who do this are very wise! Clear plastic bags filled with water will help keep flies away. They just won't try to get through!

Cinnamon

Flies hate the smell of cinnamon. If you want to keep them out of your home, you should use their scent in a natural air freshener. In addition to making your house smell wonderful, you can say goodbye to flies because they don't stay in your house for a minute.

White wine

This method is also designed to destroy them, because if you add some white wine and some dishwashing detergent , flies will be attracted and poisoned when they approach to drink from the container containing the mixture. This is an effective method of killing them, but if you can drive them away or otherwise remove them from your home, all the better, right?

cayenne pepper

You should put some water into a can of cayenne pepper spray and shake well. Then spray the entire house with this mixture because it acts as an insecticide, killing flies. But don't kill them unless absolutely necessary, there are always other options.

cucumbers

If you don't want flies to get into your trash, put a few slices of cucumber in your trash can to keep the flies from laying eggs inside the bin. Flies are repelled by cucumbers and they don't like the smell either. You can also put cucumber slices in your house and you will realize how suddenly the flies will fly away from your house. This method is simple and gives good results.

apple cider vinegar

Apple cider vinegar is one of the most effective methods, but it is also cruel because it involves killing them. Pour some apple cider vinegar into a bowl and add some liquid detergent, the surface will seem hard and the flies will come in due to its scent. When they get close, they won't be able to escape the deadly mixture and will drown in it.

With fan

If you are in the summer and there are a lot of flies in your house, one way to scare them away and send them to another place is to turn on the fan. That way they won't get close because they don't want to fight the force of the wind creating the fan.

Essential oils

Essential oils such as eucalyptus, peppermint, lavender or lemongrass can help keep flies away from your home for a long time. In addition to being fly-free in your home, you can enjoy its wonderful scent in every one of your rooms. You don't need to kill them, your house will smell good and they can live somewhere far away from you.

Preventive measures to prevent flies

If you do not want to have too many flies in your house some preventive measures should be taken into account. Please note:

Keep your home clean and sanitary.
The disinfectant for your cleaning needs to be of good quality.
Dispose of garbage regularly and do not store it indoors.
Garbage cans in your home should always have a lid.
There must be no stagnant water in the house.
If you have pets, you should clean their faeces regularly.

Do you know how else to get rid of flies?

How to get rid of flies in an apartment and in a private house

Contents:

Dangerous neighborhood
Why do flies try to get into the house?
Preventing is easier than defeating
How to give "turn from the gate" to uninvited guests?
Mechanical insect control
Household appliances for fighting flies
Chemical control agents
Natural repellents

Intrusive as a fly. It is no coincidence that the annoying insect became the "hero" of the saying. Once in the room, it continuously buzzes, unceremoniously climbs into the plate, crawls over the most sensitive areas of the skin. In the morning, when the dream itself, and strives to sit on the face. It especially annoys the residents of private houses, but the problem of how to get rid of flies is not alien to urban residents. In addition, psychological discomfort is the most harmless part of the fly neighborhood, much worse than pathogens that enter the apartment along with uninvited guests.

Dangerous neighborhood

Flies living with humans have become commonplace, they are even called houseflies. Sometimes we do not notice their presence, brushing aside, we eat bread, fruits, on which insects have managed to be noted. We are thinking about how to get rid of flies in an apartment, only when their number exceeds the permissible norms and begins to annoy. And the neighborhood is not so harmless.

Given that the main food source of flies is human food, they are carriers of dangerous intestinal infections, including:

diarrhea;
dysentery;
helminthic infestation;
typhoid fever;
tuberculosis;
cholera and others

As you can see, intrusiveness is not the only reason to get rid of flies and isolate living quarters from them as much as possible.

Pay attention! The full cycle of insect transformation (egg - larva - pupa - adult) passes very quickly - in 25-30 days. During the warm season it changes 6–9generations of flies.

Why do flies try to get into the house?

To paraphrase a well-known saying, we can say that the wings feed the fly. Randomly circling in the air is nothing more than a constant search for food, as well as a place to breed offspring. What attracts flies indoors?

First of all, decaying food and human and animal waste. First of all, the insect rushes to the trash can, to the toilet, to the cat's pot.
Flies will definitely land on available food. Favorite smell - meat, in second place in popularity - sweets. With this feature in mind, many homemade traps are made using sweet fermented filler.
Flies love the smell of sweat, stale linen, dirty kitchen towels. There were cases when the insect managed to lay eggs in wounds and abrasions on the skin of animals.
Pets, especially dogs, are the fourth most popular attraction for flies. The smell of wool plays a role here, as well as dishes, food leftovers, which, as a rule, are always in the house where four-legged pets live.

It should be remembered that flies are susceptible to smells - the more unpleasantly smelling dirt in the apartment, the more actively insects inhabit it. They are also keenly aware of frightening odors. Knowing them, you can effectively deal with insects.

Preventing is easier than defeating

In most cases, we first "invite" ourselves, and then look for ways to get rid of flies in the apartment. You need to start with the protection of the premises. We recommend prevention in two directions - blocking access to insects and eliminating sources that attract them. Here are activities that will significantly reduce the number of annoying neighbors.

Install mosquito nets on the windows, special curtains on the open doors of the veranda.
Keep the apartment clean, especially the kitchen. Always remove or cover food, even if it is fruit or candy. No blockages of dishes in the sink - wash them immediately after eating.
Keep trash cans closed and wash them frequently with disinfectants. Take out the garbage every day, preventing the smell from appearing in the room.
Do not put spoiled meat or fish skins in the bin, immediately throw them into the garbage chute or on the compost heap.
Wash pet dishes daily. Do not leave leftover food in the bowl.
Purchase a dirty laundry basket. You have no idea how attractive the smell of unwashed socks is to flies!
Put compost heaps, pits for food waste away from home. If possible, cover them with lids.

Insect control is more difficult if you raise poultry, rabbits or livestock, as is getting rid of flies in an outdoor toilet.

Place manure piles as far away from living quarters as possible.
Keep lavatory point and pit latrine closed. From time to time, sprinkle the contents of the outhouse with bleach.

How to give "turn from the gate" to uninvited guests?

There are many effective ways to deal with flies. Conventionally, they can be divided into 4 groups.

Mechanical. Assume the capture or destruction of the insect. These include fly swatters, all kinds of traps, Velcro, bait.
Physical. We are talking about household appliances that destroy or repel flies using an electric discharge, ultrasound, electromagnetic waves.
Biochemical. These are insecticide-based fly repellents (kill) and repellents (repel).
Prophylactic. There are chemical and natural repellents that prevent the penetration of insects into the room.

Consider the principle of action, the pros and cons of the most popular methods of dealing with flies.

Mechanical insect control

Among the advantages of mechanical methods of struggle is harmlessness to humans and animals. But chasing flies or trapping them, achieving 100% results is problematic. However, if this is a city apartment, where insects are randomly flown single specimens, mechanical traps may be quite enough.

Adhesive tape

Came to us from the Soviet era, but quite effective remedy for flies - sticky tape.

It works like this. Strips of paper are impregnated with an attractant (attractive aroma), the surface is covered with a sticky substance. Ribbons are hung near lighting fixtures, in the kitchen, baguettes. Flying on the smell, the flies stick and cannot get out of the sticky trap.

The disadvantage of this method is the aesthetically unattractive appearance of the sagging stripes.

Traps with light

This is a modern version of sticky tape that performs the same function - lure and destroy. Only pretty flashlights or neat screens attract flies not by smell, but by bright light. Inside is a sticky substance. Once bogged down, the insect will not get out.

Traps with food bait

Effective fly repellant - poison bait trap. It is easy to make it with your own hands from an ordinary plastic bottle. How it works?

A sweet liquid is poured into the bottom of the trap, to which a poisonous substance is added. The insect gets to the bait through the inverted neck of the bottle, but there is no way back. What can be prepared for a "treat"?

Add a pinch of ground black pepper to sweet syrup or jam.
Soak a piece of bread with a mixture of milk (a quarter of a glass), soda (1 tablespoon), formalin (half a teaspoon). This bait can simply be laid out on saucers and placed in places where flies accumulate.
Soak bread, a napkin with a solution of honey with the addition of saccharin. A glass of warm water will need 10-15 g of sweetener. Despite the love of sweets, insects cannot stand it.

Household fly control equipment

On the Internet you can find many tips and recipes on how to get rid of flies using homemade devices. But the game is not always worth the candle. It is much easier to purchase inexpensive and effective devices for repelling or killing insects. Their Benefits:

harmless to humans;
100% cleaning guarantee;
small size;
modern, aesthetically pleasing look.

Electric trap

This device is a screen with a light source, covered with a metal grate, through which a weak electric current is discharged. The ultraviolet light attracts the flies, but when they touch the energized grid, they drop dead.

Fumigators

A device that has received popular recognition - an electric fumigator from flies. The principle of operation is simple - from an electric charge, a plate impregnated with fumigants begins to heat up and evaporate the poisonous substance - vaportrin. It is absolutely harmless to humans and warm-blooded animals, but paralyzes the respiratory system of insects.

Arguments in favor of the fumigator.

The device is easy to use.
Durable, only plate or fluid bottle needs to be changed.
The fumigant is odorless.
Broad spectrum - flies, mosquitoes, midges, wasps.

The shortcomings of the fumigator include the rapid consumption of plates. If the house is large, you will need several appliances.

Chemical control agents

If you need to quickly kill a large number of insects, the best remedy for flies is insecticides. They must be used carefully, especially if there are small children, animals, aquarium fish in the house. Insecticides are produced in the form of aerosols, granules. Modern means, in addition to the immediate destruction of flying pests, have a prolonged effect, they prevent the appearance of flies after processing the premises.

Sprays, aerosols

The choice of how to poison flies is large among aerosols. The most famous drugs:

Reid;
Raptor;
Mukhoyar;
Dichlorvos.

The disadvantage of this method of fighting flies is the need for thorough ventilation of the premises after treatment.

Granular insecticide Agita

Among the new generation insecticides is Agita from flies. This is a granular preparation, which, in addition to a toxic substance, contains a sex pheromone. It attracts flies, and having tasted treats, they quickly die. Agita does not smell, has a wide spectrum of action - cockroaches, fleas, ants, wasps will additionally die. The drug can be diluted for spraying or lay out granules in places where insects accumulate. After processing the premises, there will be no flies for 4-8 weeks.

Pay attention! Other insecticides have characteristics similar to Agita. Flybait retains the effect for 3 months (once sprayed and for the whole summer). Jet kills adult insects, larvae, eggs. The executioner emulsion will destroy all flying, crawling pests in the apartment.

Natural repellents

There are many repellents in nature, with the help of which you can both block access to the room and get rid of flies. What smells are annoying insects afraid of, how to use it to fight them?

Plant lavender, snapdragons, ferns, tansy, flies next to the windows, the front door will fly around your house.
The same effect will produce indoor plants - geranium (pelargonium), myrtle.
Fill the room with scents that are unpleasant for flies. In aroma lamps, use essential oils of mint, eucalyptus, lavender, and cloves.
Sachets with these plants, bouquets of dried flowers will perform the same function.
Learn more