Natural Ways To Rid The Home Of Flies This Summer

1. Vinegar and Dish Soap

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You can make a natural fly trap with ingredients out of your kitchen! A mixture of vinegar and washing up liquid can help you trap those pesky flies. Mix some cider vinegar with a few drops of dish soap in a glass then cover it with plastic wrap. Poke a few holes through the plastic and let it get to work. The flies are attracted to the vinegar but once inside the trap they will stick to the dish soap!

2. Cayenne Pepper

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Cayenne pepper is super irritating to flies and lots of other bugs, so is a great option for a natural repellant. You can mix it with water to make a spray you can spritz around your house, or you can just simply sprinkle it near entry points and let it act as a barrier to ward off flies.

3. Venus Flytrap

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A Venus flytrap is a carnivorous plant that eats insects. If you plant them outside in your garden they will naturally eat flies, but they don't work quite so well inside just FYI! The flies get stuck in the trap and is broken down over around 5-12 days then the venus flytrap spits out the exoskeleton. Gross. 

4. Honey

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Honey is a great natural bait for flies. Anything sugary flies are attracted to but actual powder sugar won't work too well in a trap. Honey on the other hand is sticky, so the flies are attracted to the smell but get too close and become stuck. A great option to put in a dish as a make shift trap.

5. Light The Way

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Definitely one of the more humane ways to get rid of flies is to simply direct them to the exit. This works best when most of the flies are in one room. The trick is to darken the whole room except one exit point. So close all your blinds and darken the room as much as possible, then on a sunny day leave one small window open and light the way for their exit. The flies will always go towards the light!

6. Basil

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What better natural remedy for flies than one that gives you a benefit too! Simply growing herbs like Basil and having it in pots around your house or by your exterior doors can work to repel flies. Flies hate

the smell of basil, so won't want to come anywhere near your house!

7. Wine

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Flies like wine! Just like the rest of us! If you ever accidentally leave a glass out with some wine in you might find it will start attracting flies. If it becomes warm, it becomes more sweet and starts to smell a lot more. You can use this to your advantage though if you are trying to draw the flies out to catch them!

8. Citrus Peels

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Citrus smells and citrus oils are yet another thing that flies hate. The peels from oranges, lemons and other citrus fruits contains limonene which actually kills flies on contact. You can place citrus peels around your house and garden to keep the bugs away, giving them a squeeze every so often to get more oil out. Simply replace them when they've dried out!

9. DIY Fly Paper

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Fly paper is a traditional remedy for a fly infestation. It does work a treat but can be very unsightly when it's hung all over your house. You can easily make it yourself if you want to give it a go. You just need strips of paper and cover them in sticky, sweet things like honey and sugar. This will attract the flies but will also stick them to the paper. Hang the papers from the ceiling in your house and let the flies do their thing.

10. Fruit

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We already know that flies are attracted to sweet smells. Fruit can be very sweet, especially when it's left out in the warm air as it starts to decompose very quickly. The smells will quickly become too much for us, but flies absolutely love it! A great natural ingredient to use in a home made trap.

11. Empty Your Compost Bin

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Your kitchen compost bin is the absolute jackpot for flies looking to lay their eggs. Smelly and full of rotting food, what could be better? So the trick is to empty it regularly. 

Every day if you have to. Also have a tight fitting lid on it to stop any smells getting out and attracting the flies.

12. Lavender

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Flies hate the smell of Lavender plants. A few pots of this scattered around your garden will go a long way to keeping those nuisance flies at bay. It might smell awful to the flies, but it will give your garden a good old scent boost! What's not to love?

13. Meat

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Meat may not be your preferred choice of fly bait, but it's definitely one that works. If you have ever left some leftovers out a little too long in the summer months, then you will know how quickly it can attract flies... Just a tiny bit will work as bait to catch some flies.

14. Clean Up After Your Pets

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Flies love poop. It's a fact. So if your pets are going to the toilet in or around your house, flies will be rushing to get there. Flies prefer to lay eggs on poop, and they take less than a day to hatch. So for every dog poop you leave in your backyard, you might have 150 more flies the next day! Cats that use indoor litter trays are even worse because the poop is in your house!

15. Get Rid of Food Sources

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NEVER

leave your food out on the counter, especially uncovered. It doesn't take long for the flies to catch the scent and appear in their masses. Unless you are deliberately having food out to use as bait in your fly traps, then always either put everything back in the refrigerator or the trash, and most importantly always take the trash out regularly!

16. DIY Fly Repellant

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Most of the fly repellant sprays you can buy are full of chemicals, but you can easily make your own spray if you are looking for a natural alternative. It doesn't have to smell awful either! Essential oils are great to use as flies hate the smells of lavender, eucalyptus and lemongrass. Dilute in a spray bottle with some water and get to work spraying around your house. It will keep flies at bay but get your house smelling lovely while it works!

17. Block Their Entry

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It is so important that you figure out how the flies are getting it. Once you know that, you can block their entry. If it's your window in the kitchen you usually have open - close it! If it's your back door you leave open for the cats - get a cat flap! The more you close your house up, the less flies will be able to get in.

18. Marigold

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Marigolds are a beautiful flower that would make a great addition to your garden or potted around your house. It will brighten up any room but it will also help to rid your house of flies! Flies are not a fan of the smell of marigolds so will be certain to avoid being around them!

19. DIY Fly Trap

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Having something to attract the flies is one thing, but actually catching the flies is another. Time to make a Fly Trap! You can use an empty plastic bottle, cut off the top and then turn it round so it's like a funnel. Pop your fruit or honey or whatever you're using in the bottom of the bottle and here's your all natural fly trap!

20. Catnip

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We all know of other uses for catnip, but did you know it could be used as a fly repellant!? If you're a cat owner you probably have a stash already, or maybe you're just a keen gardener that grows it. Either way, you can use it to keep flies at bay. They don't like the essential oils it gives off so either get them planted in your garden or get sprinkling it around your windows.

21. Swatting

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Believe it or not, there is a proper technique for fly swatting. And it's not what you see on a comedy show. Flies are very good at evading the rolled up newspaper you're waving at them. The best way to do it is to aim your swatter just ahead of where the fly is. This way you're anticipating the flies move, rather than chasing after it.

22. Ginger Spray

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Another DIY Fly Repellant spray contains ginger. Mix 1 teaspoon of ginger with some water and put a few drops in your fly prone areas. This is probably your windowsills and around your kitchen. The smell of the ginger will send the bugs away to someone else's house that smells a lot nicer.

23. Essential Oils

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There are lots of essential oils that flies hate the smell of and all you need to do is mix the with a little bit of water and you have your own fly repellant. You can use them as sprays or have a little bit in a dish near your windows. Anything that smells strong, like clove oil, lemongrass, peppermint oil or many more will do the trick.

24. Clean As You Go

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It may seem like it makes more sense to just clean at the end of the day or when you have finished cooking, but in warm weather it won't take long for the scent of food to get to the flies. So clean as you go! Wipe away any spills straight away and never 

leave dirty plates and glasses out overnight.

25. Turn Off Porch Lights

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We have already learnt that insect and bugs are attracted to light. So your outdoor light is like a huge, welcoming beacon to all those flies you don't want in your house. So turn it off! It means flies will be redirected and drawn to other sources of light that are not your house!

26. Milk with Sugar and Pepper

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It's not something we would choose to drink, but flies will love it! Add 3 parts sugar and 1 part pepper to some milk, then boil it up. Leave it in a fly infested area and let it do its thing. The flies will be attracted to the smell but then will drown in the liquid, and your problem is gone!

27. Light Traps

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Light traps work by attracting the flies and then shocking them with a jolt of electricity. They are very efficient, and save you a lot of time from swatting them all. They also don't contain any chemicals so are all natural. Make sure you put your trap away from windows and doors as you don't want any extras being attracted in to your house!

28. Lemon and Cloves

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If you don't have any essential oils handy, not to worry. As citrus smells on their own will drive flies away. You can use lemons or limes, whatever you have. Just cut them in half and stud them with some cloves. The combined smells will have the flies coming nowhere near your kitchen!

29. Clean The Drain

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Your kitchen sink drain is a target for flies. Think of how much food and drink gets washed down there every day. It only takes a tiny bit to be missed and some warm weather and the odours will be calling out to the nearby flies. This makes it so important to clean your drain!

30. Salt Water Spray

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Salt water spray is the easiest DIY fly repellant you could think of. Not everyone will have essential oils in their house, but everyone will have salt! Mix two teaspoons of salt into a glass of water and voilà! Get spraying all their entry points and you will see their numbers dwindle.