How to Get Rid of House Flies In Your House Naturally And Safely?. There are different kinds of flies out there, and the housefly is one of the most common infestation issues. Also regarded as nuisance flies, they are included within insect order Diptera, a type of fly with one set of wings. Knowing their nature can help you deal with the issue thoroughly and efficiently, so let’s dwell further on the matter.
What do You know about House Flies
House flies are commonly coming in gray color and ¼ inch of body length. Since they are common household pests, you generally find them everywhere you go. Unlike the cluster flies that are relatively harmless and not dangerous, the house flies can deliver health concern. They can spread disease since they like to lay eggs on garbage, rotting organic material, and even animal feces. Their entire body is packed with germs and bacteria. Imagine when they land on your food. Not only it is gross, but you can be easily got sick from the bacteria and germs. No wonder if these insects are considered responsible for many health issues that are mostly related to hygiene and cleanliness.
The most common health problems related to their infestation are:
- Dysentery
- Eye infections
- Food poisoning
- E. coli
- Tuberculosis
- Cholera
- Yaws, a type of tropical infection
- Typhoid fever
How to Get Rid of House Flies Naturally
How to Get Rid of House Flies Naturally
Flies love it in a warm environment. If you notice it, housefly infestation usually takes place in summer – or on warm days during winter months. You find them almost everywhere – towns, cities, suburban areas, outskirts, metropolitan areas anywhere! The problem with the houseflies is that they are small and they can fly, enabling them to move easily from place to place. If you want to know how to get rid of house flies infestation, there are some possible methods to try. It’s a good thing that there are several effective and working home remedies to combat these pests.
Hot Pepper
You know that hot pepper has a pretty strong smell, right? Well, house flies HATE that smell because they won’t be able to breathe. When you cook foods having hot pepper, they won’t land there. When you have hot pepper plants, you will see that the surrounding area would be free from the flies. One way in how to get rid of house flies home remedies is to plant hot pepper. You can generally enjoy several benefits at once. First, you can enjoy the easy and direct access to your favorite ingredient. Second, you can repel the flies by having the plants around the house.
You can also make the hot pepper repellent spray. Blend 2 to 3 hot peppers with the food processor. Then add a little water until you get a uniformed result. Put the mixture in a container (make sure to use the airtight one) and place it in the sunlight. Leave it for a week. Strain it and then pour it to a spray bottle. Make sure to label the bottle so any of your family members won’t pick it up for an accident. You should also plant hot peppers anywhere – close to your kitchen, the balcony, or other potential spots so the flies won’t breed there.
Basil
It is a very popular and common culinary herb in Italian dishes. Just like hot pepper, house flies (as well as fruit flies) hate the smell. Aside from planting the plants around the property (just like what you do with the hot pepper), you can also make an insect repellent spray. Simply pick a few leaves and then squeeze them. You should see some cuts within the leaves. Then steep them in hot water – do it for around 30 minutes.
Strain the mix and then pour the water in the spray bottle. Use the liquid as a spray. If you want to improve the efficiency of this method, you should alternate planting the hot pepper and the basil. You should also have both kinds of spray in potential spots. If you can combine both of them, you have found an effective system on how to get rid of house flies without giving you a headache. Read Also: How to Get Rid of Cluster Flies
Ginger Spray
No need to worry that you may run out of solutions when dealing with the house flies – because there are plenty of them. The ginger spray is another alternative that is potent and powerful enough to repel the flies. Not to mention that it is natural and the ingredients are easy to find. House flies dislike the ginger scent – forcing them to leave your house. You can always make the insect repellent easily by mixing a bowl of water and then dried (and finely) ginger powder. 4 cups of water and 2 spoons of ginger powder should be enough for the mixture. Make sure to stir it until it is well blended. Then strain the liquid and pour it into the spray bottle. Whenever you see flies around the house, especially when they accumulate, you can use the solution.
Natural Plants
There are also some plants whose smell is repulsive for the flies. This is one effective way on how to get rid of house flies without spending a fortune. You can plant catnip, lavender, bay leaves, and marigold around the house. Not only they repel the flies, but you can also use them for cooking.
Essential Oils
Besides the natural methods, you can also make use of the essential oils. Including essential oils in your way of how to get rid of house flies DIY isn’t only safe but also natural and inexpensive. So, what are the oils to use?
Eucalyptus Oil and Apple Cider Vinegar
Rest assured that this special solution is super effective to combat the flies. You need to combine several ingredients together. First, mix apple cider vinegar (¼ cup) with hazel (another ¼ cup) in the spray bottle. Shake it well so they will mix together. Then, add 60 drops of eucalyptus oil, and then shake well again. This one is pretty safe for a topical solution. To repel the flies, simply spray it on the areas where the flies are often spotted. You can also apply it on your skin so the house won’t come near you.
Essential Oils
Many of them have a strong and repulsive odor for the flies. You can use oils like lemongrass, cinnamon, peppermint, thyme, or clove. Just like the previous methods, you only need to make an insect spray mixture so they won’t be interested in coming to your house anymore. Simply mix water (2 cups), non-flavored vodka (2 cups), and 10 drops of the mentioned oils in a spray bottle. Shake together so it will mix well. Your solution is ready.
Fly Traps
If you want to effectively combat the house flies, you can always combine the natural mixture with the trap. Flytraps are generally quite efficient to capture and then kill flies that are present at home.
Venus Flytrap
Have you ever heard about Venus Flytrap? It’s a carnivorous plant that will trap flies and eat them. Traps would be lured to come to them, and then eaten by those plants. Having some of them can be pretty handy. The plant itself is a potted type and it doesn’t take a lot of space for the placement. You can place some of the pots on potential areas, such as window sills in the kitchen and in the living room. For some people, watching the plants capture their prey and then consume them is pretty interesting – even fascinating. Maybe you want to try it too?
Vinegar Trap
Flies are generally attracted to fermented or rotten fruits. You can use wine and apple cider vinegar for the bait. Pour the vinegar to a glass and then use a clear plastic sheet to cover it. Make sure that the sheet is secured tightly. Make a hole (using a needle), or several holes, that is enough for a fly to enter, but they won’t be able to get out. They will finally be drowned in it.
Another vinegar trap is using a bowl – just any open bowl will do. Just pour the vinegar and then add some dish soap (a few drops would be enough). The soap is meant to reduce vinegar’s surface tension. When the flies try to land on the mix, they will slip, sink, and drown.
Light Traps
Today, you can find such a light trap quite easily. The idea is to use ultraviolet to draw the flies to get near to the light, and then they will be electrocuted. This light trap isn’t only good to attract house flies, but also all kinds of flies and insects, such as moths, mosquitoes, wasps, cluster flies, and so much more.
First of all, determine the location. It should be placed on a spot where flies are often spotted, but make sure that it isn’t visible to the outdoor setting. You don’t want insects and flies from the outside to be attracted to the light – and want to enter the house. Then, make sure that you put the trap around 4 feet to 6 feet from the floor. You want to choose light traps specially designed for homes. There are certain traps with higher and bigger voltage, but they aren’t suitable for the home environment. If you don’t want to deal with the further mess, you should avoid it.
Flypaper Trap
Flypaper Trap
The paper traps are quite effective to catch those pesky flies but they can be a bit of a mess too. They are inexpensive, but they tend to stick anywhere – even to your fingers or your clothes or even hair when you aren’t careful. They are super sticky, having sticky, and also nice-smelling glue on both sides. Some products contain insecticide on the sticky surface so once the flies land there, they will be killed. Some, however, don’t – they just trap the flies.
Honey Trap
The principle is just like a vinegar trap. It will also lure the flies with only honey water mixture, a tall jar or glass, and several tissue papers. Simply roll the tissue forming a cone that fits snugly into the glass. It should sit over the honey water a little bit. Snip the end so flies can enter – don’t go too big because you don’t want them to get out again. When they are attracted to the honey water, they will enter, not being able to get out, and then die.
Those are some ways to deal with the pesky house flies. As long as you know the right option in how to get rid of house flies, you shouldn’t be worried about their existence.
