How to Get Rid of Flies at Home
A single fly that got into your home is not a serious problem. But if the number of flies is growing and they’re showing up everywhere, it’s time to do something. Their presence is really annoying, and they might transmit serious diseases.
5-Minute Crafts has collected several ways to get rid of ordinary flies at home and prevent them from appearing again in the future.
Fly traps
Sticky fly traps are some of the easiest ways to get rid of flies. Most of the time, it’s a rolled-up piece of paper with something sticky on it. The insects land on the paper and stick to it. You can buy a fly trap at the store or make one yourself.
You need:
- 1/4 cup of white sugar
- 1/4 cup of honey
- 1/4 cup of water
- 1–2 used paper bags
- Cotton lace
- Scissors
- A flat plate
- An oven pan
- Parchment or wax baking paper
How to make:
1. Cut paper bags into strips (5 cm wide and 30 cm long). At one of the ends of each strip, make a hole and put the cotton lace through it.
2. Mix sugar, honey, and water on the plate. Put the mix on the stove and stir it until the sugar dissolves and the mix starts boiling. Remove it from the stove and let it cool down for several minutes. Put the mix into a flat plate. Next, put the strips into the mix. They need to be covered.
3. Put baking parchment on an oven tray. Put the strips on top and let them dry for several hours. After that, you can use the fly traps: fix them to the ceiling and near windows and doors where there are a lot of flies.
Sweet soda and bottle fly trap
You need:
- 1 empty plastic bottle
- Sweet soda
- Scissors
How to make:
1. Using scissors, cut off the top part of the plastic bottle. Turn it and stick it into the bottle to make the construction you can see in the picture above.
2. Pour soda into the bottle. It will attract the flies but, because of the construction, they won’t be able to get out.
✅ If you don’t have soda, you can put any other product that attracts flies, like something sweet or food leftovers.
Fly repellent made of 2 ingredients
You need:
- Lemon or lime
- Some cloves
- A plate
How to make:
Cut the lemon or lime into 2 halves. Put the cloves into the lemon. Put the fruits on a plate a leave them where there are flies. The combination of smells will scare the insects away and make them leave.
Vinegar, sugar, and liquid soap fly trap
You need:
- 1/2 cup of warm water
- 1/4 cup of apple cider vinegar
- A bit of liquid soap or dish soap that smells like fruit.
- 3 tsp of sugar
How to make it:
Pour the vinegar into a bowl. Add sugar and water, then liquid soap. Stir the mix. Put the bowl with the trap where there are many flies. They will be attracted to the sweetness but when they touch the trap, they won’t be able to get out.
✅ You can also make a repellent spray. Pour isopropyl alcohol into a spray gun and spray the flies with it to get rid of them.
Plants that will rid you of flies
Some plants repel flies with their smell, such as lavender, mint, basil, nasturtium, geranium, thyme, rosemary, and petunia. You can place the plants on a windowsill, balcony, near doors and windows, or somewhere in the kitchen. You can also get a plant that eats insects, such as sarracenia or venus flytrap.
How to prevent flies from appearing at home
- Make sure there is no access to the trash. Use containers with lids in order not to attract the insects with the smells.
- Street dumpsters should be placed far from the doors or windows.
- You can also use special nets on the windows and doors that will prevent the flies from getting in.
- If some food or drinks fall on the floor, it’s better to clean this spot well to prevent the flies from being attracted.
- Clean up after your pets well: food leftovers and droppings might be a reason why flies and other insects appear in your house.