House flies are among the most irritating insects, right up there with ants, wasps, and mosquitoes. Although you should make an effort to appreciate wasps, you need to.
House flies will hover around your head, crawl over your countertops and food preparation areas, sample your freshly prepared spread, and then settle on you to taste your greasy skin and salty sweat with their stick-like tongue.
If it weren’t for the fact that house flies are known to spread diseases like E. coli and dysentery, none of this would be so horrible.
Here’s here are natural methods to eliminate house flies.
Cultivate house fly repellents
Strongly scented plants, like those used to make herbal insect repellents, can help keep house flies at bay.
Plant these herbs in pots and set them on your windowsill indoors, as well as on your porch, patio, and other outside areas where house flies are a problem:
- Basil
- Lemon Balm
- Mint
- Rosemary
- Bay Laurel
- Lavender
- Catnip
Keep Carnivorous Plants
Carnivorous plants use modified leaves to attract, trap, and devour their prey, which leads to their demise.
The insects are lured in by the sweet nectar of these strange and interesting plants. The Venus flytrap can catch insects in its sharp beak, the pitcher plant can trap them in its deep cup, and sundews can glue them to their sticky tentacles.
House flies, along with fungus gnats, fruit flies, mosquitoes, ants, and beetles, are all nuisance pests that can be reduced with the help of these plants.
You need to create an environment similar to the swamps from which carnivorous plants originally came in order to keep them happy in a greenhouse. There should be lots of sunshine and moisture, and the soil should be poor in nutrients so that it never needs fertilizing.
Make a spray out of cayenne pepper
Cayenne peppers can be used to create a spray that will deter house flies from ever setting foot in your home again.
Cayenne pepper is quite annoying to house flies and other pests. Spray it around doors, windows, and wherever else you don’t want pests to enter.
- Making cayenne pepper spray entails the following steps:
- Mix together 2 tablespoons of powdered cayenne pepper for every gallon of water.
- To use fresh cayenne peppers, cut up a half cup and let it steep in two cups of water.
- If you have cayenne pepper spicy sauce on hand, combine 2 teaspoons with 2 cups of water.
Utilize Citrus Peels
It’s a well-known fact that house flies, along with ants, fleas, roaches, silverfish, and mosquitoes, are repulsed by the scent of citrus oils.
Citrus fruits including oranges, lemons, limes, and grapefruits all have limonene, a powerful insect repellant that is lethal on contact, in their peels and zests.
Putting citrus peels throughout the garden, rubbing them on the skin, or putting them on windowsills and near entrances can all help keep pests at bay. Every so often, give the peel a good squeeze to help release even more oil. Once the peels have dried out, you should replace them with new ones.
The rinds can also be used to make a citrus oil spray by boiling them in water for 5 minutes. Turn off the heat, and soak the ingredients for a full day. Using a strainer, remove the peels and pour the liquid into a spray bottle.
Make Fly Traps
It’s easy to create your own fly traps using slightly modified Coke bottles.
The top third of the bottle should be snipped off. Place sugar water or other bait at the bottom of the container. You can also use rotten wine, honey, or spoiled fruit.
To make a funnel, take off the bottle’s top and place it upside down in the bottle’s base. The house flies will enter the funnel in search of the attractant, but they will be trapped inside and unable to leave.
Understand the Correct Swatting Technique
One of the most annoying things about house flies is how easy they can avoid being swatted or rolled up in a newspaper.
This is farcical fare, the stuff of movies. House flies are so successful at making us look stupid because they process visual information seven times faster than humans do.
According to modern research, the most effective method of swatting flies is to target your strike just ahead of the fly’s present position.
The fly will see your swatter no matter what you do. However, you can increase your chances of hitting your target by predicting its motion in advance.
Display Fly Paper
Fly tape is an antiquated method of managing house flies, but it is still quite effective, especially when the flies have descended in swarms.
The pleasant and sticky coating on fly paper attracts pests. If a fly brushes up to the paper, it will be unable to move.
When the tape is completely infested with flies, it’s time to toss it and get a new roll.
Use Light to Deflect House Flies
A more kind way to get rid of those annoying house flies is to show them the way outside.
If the bulk of the insects is concentrated in a single space, this strategy will be most effective. On a sunny day, keep the room as dark as possible by drawing the blinds. Keep one window cracked open so light can enter.
Let some air in by opening the window and taking off the screen. To leave the house, house flies will naturally gravitate toward the light.
Be sure to regularly empty the compost bin in your kitchen
The kitchen compost bin is the most sought-after location since it perfectly suits the needs of the female house fly when she lays her eggs there.
Keep the houseflies away from the rotting food by using a container with a tight-fitting lid and dumping the contents onto an outdoor pile every day or two.
Always Keep It Clean
Do not leave dishes and glasses out overnight without first wiping them down. Never leave the lid off the trash can and always remove the bag when it becomes full.
After your pet has finished eating, pick up their bowls and give them a good rinsing, especially if they ate wet food.
Finally, when dealing with animal waste, please do so as soon as possible. House fly eggs thrive in the warm, moist conditions of a cat’s litter box.
Turn off the light on the porch
Insects of all kinds are attracted to light.
If you want to keep the pests out of your house, switch off the outside lights at night.