Although we welcome warmer weather, most of us aren’t so inviting of the many unwanted pests that appear with it. This is particularly true of flies, which are not only annoying, but also incredibly unhygienic; often landing in areas where food is prepared.
With that said, here are eight ways to repel flies.
Common fly species in the UK
There are around 120,000 different species of flies in the world – and that’s only counting the ones we know about! According to the Natural History Museum, in the UK alone there are more species of fly than there are mammals on the planet.
However, you’ll be glad to know that only a few of these species roam near our homes. Some of the most common UK species include house flies, bluebottle flies, cluster flies, and horseflies. Some are more common than others and each are attracted to different environments, depending on their natural habitat.
According to pest control experts, Rentokil, knowing the size, life cycle, habits, and seasonality of different fly species can help you identify the most effective approach for prevention and control. For example, fruit flies are mainly attracted to fruit or fermenting food; bluebottle flies are attracted to pet faeces and dead animals; and house flies are attracted to any type of food – including human food, pet food, food waste, as well as faeces.
Beyond being a nuisance, some flies, like bluebottle flies and house flies, are also known carriers of disease, including Salmonella and E. Coli, so it’s important to do what you can to keep your home fly-free.
Are there any benefits of flies?
Many of us see flies as nothing more than a nuisance. And while no one wants swarms of flies buzzing around their home, experts are keen to highlight some of the good things about these insects – including their role in the environment.
According to the Natural History Museum, flies help to pollinate more than 100 cultivated crops, including apples, carrots, strawberries, onions, coriander, and bell peppers.
Plus, some flies play an even greater role than we might realise. In fact, experts regard fruit flies as one of the most important organisms on Earth. Not only do they eat a large proportion of the planet’s waste, but they’ve also helped to advance medical science by increasing our understanding of genetics, and inherited diseases and disorders, for over 100 years.
Last but not least, flies form an important part of the ecosystem by serving as a food source for many animals higher up the food chain, including spiders and birds.
If you’d like to read more about the benefits of flies, check out this article, Flies: the compelling case for why they’re actually fabulous, from the Natural History Museum.
8 ways to repel flies
As we’ve seen, while flies have their benefits in our wider ecosystem, they can also be unhygienic and annoying to have in our homes. So, what can we do to keep them outside?
Here are eight ways to repel flies.
1. Keep your home clean
One of the most practical things you can do to keep flies away from your home is to keep it clean and tidy. Thorough cleaning can help to get rid of breeding spots and potential areas for flies to lay eggs. According to Rentokil, this is particularly important because flies reproduce very quickly.
Swiftly removing pet faeces and decaying food such as fruit, vegetables, and meat – which attract common house flies – can also help. The same goes for overripe fruit and spilled drinks (particularly sweet drinks and alcohol), which fruit flies love.
Lastly, Rentokil says that keeping your property clean and dry can help to deter filter flies, which like to lay their eggs in moist areas.
For more tips on keeping your home clean and tidy, check out our article; 24 things to add to your spring cleaning checklist.
2. Seal any cracks or crevices in your property
Keeping your property in good condition by sealing any cracks or crevices can help to keep flies away.
This is particularly true when it comes to cluster flies. Also known as attic flies, cluster flies breed and lay their eggs outside during the summer, but come inside during the autumn months to hibernate over winter. They’re particularly drawn to attics and roof voids.
Cluster flies can enter properties through the smallest of cracks and crevices, so experts advise replacing roof slates or tiles that are damaged, and sealing up any potential entries in walls and window or door frames with a caulking gun. It can also help to keep floors, rugs, and carpets clean and hoover up any dead insects.
When it comes to cluster flies, prevention is much better than treatment because once they enter your home, there’s not much you can do besides trying to trap or kill them.
3. Make a DIY trap
Another way to keep flies at bay is to set up DIY traps in or around your home. Flies are drawn in by odours, and you can use this to your advantage.
Flies particularly love the smell of apples and vinegar, so traps made using apple cider vinegar are popular. To make a fly trap with apple cider vinegar, simply pour a small amount of apple cider vinegar into an empty glass or jar, cover the top with cling film, and pierce a small hole in the top that’s big enough for a fly to get in but not large enough that it can escape with ease.
This trap doesn’t harm flies, but simply contains them. You can later release them away from your home. Find out more on how to make a harmless apple cider vinegar trap on the Woman and Home website.
You might also like to test the water and coin trap, which took social media by storm a few years ago. This simple trick works on the basis that flies have compound vision – meaning they see vast multiples of everything. A bag of water, therefore, will appear as a bigger body of water to flies, and deter them from approaching.
Adding coins inside further contributes to this effect by creating a prism of colour through the water’s reflection, which overwhelms the fly’s vision and encourages them to fly in the opposite direction. The idea is to hang the bags in entryways, like windows or open doorways. Find out how to keep flies away with pennies and a bag of water on the Making Lemonade website.
4. Invest in some fly-repellent plants
The plants you have in your home and garden can influence how attractive they are to flies.
Flies are typically attracted to flowers that are white, pale yellow, wide open, and have a musky scent – so asters, borage, and coneflowers are examples of plants that you might like to avoid.
On the other hand, there are a number of fly-repellent plants, including basil, lavender, mint, bay leaf, and catnip, which flies hate the scent of. You might also like to consider investing in some carnivorous plants – the most popular of which are venus flytraps. Although these won’t deter wasps from entering your home or garden, they’re effective for getting rid of them!
Check out this list of 11 fly-repellent plants from Sloane & Sons for more ideas.
5. Use essential oils
Essential oils are highly concentrated plant extracts and many are powerful fly-repellents – not only because they help to mask other scents but some also contain compounds that deter insects.
Some of the best essential oils for repelling flies include lavender, peppermint, eucalyptus, lemongrass, and tea tree oil.
Essential oils are highly concentrated, so it’s important to dilute them first. To make an essential-oil based homemade fly repellent spray, simply mix a few drops of your chosen oil with water and spray it around your home – particularly near windows and doors. Alternatively, if you’d prefer not to spritz your home with these scents, you could try dousing a microfibre cloth in oils and hanging it directly in a window to deter flies from entering.
You can also use an essential oil diffuser or create potpourri to passively spread the scent throughout your home.
To find out more about deterring flies with essential oils, head over to the Rocky Mountain Oils website. You can also stock up on essential oils on Amazon.
6. Keep bins fresh
Flies gathering around bins is a common problem, particularly during the warmer months when bins are often smellier and there are more flies around. Fly species most commonly found around bins include bluebottle flies, house flies, and fruit flies.
According to experts, things like rotting meat, empty meat packets, baby nappies, pet food tins, and leftovers are particularly attractive to flies.
Luckily, there are several things you can do to prevent your bins becoming a hotbed for flies. Where possible, it’s best to keep bins away from doors and windows, change liners regularly, and keep them out of direct sunlight. This can help to slow the rate of food decomposition and the resulting smells.
It’s also important to avoid putting food straight into wheelie bins and to use bin liners. This helps to prevent food getting stuck to the sides of the bin and helps with odour control. For particularly pungent waste, experts recommend using more than one bin liner to reduce smells and also to limit fly access. Disinfecting bins once a full liner has been removed can also help to keep things fresh.
If your wheelie bins are cracked or broken, it’s also worth getting in touch with your local council to request a replacement.
7. Burn citronella candles
Citronella-scented products are hailed for their insect-repelling abilities. Similar to essential oils, citronella candles contain compounds that are unappealing to flies – and their strong smell masks odours that would otherwise attract flies.
Citronella candles are available to buy on Amazon. It’s worth noting that although citronella is a fantastic fly repellent, it only works effectively in a small area. So, for maximum benefits, you might like to invest in multiple tealights.
8. Consider investing in protective screens
If you’re still struggling to keep flies away, you might like to invest in some protective screens or mesh curtains to cover open doors and windows. While these don’t always look particularly attractive, they can help to prevent flies from entering your home in the first place.
Window and door fly protective screens are available to buy on Amazon.
Final thoughts…
Despite their role in the environment, flies are annoying and unhygienic to have buzzing around your home. But, luckily, from essential oils to DIY traps and fly-repellent plants, there are plenty of ways to help keep flies away.
For further reading, you might be interested in our article; 10 natural methods to keep wasps at bay. Alternatively, head over to the home and garden section of our website.
What are your top tips for keeping flies away? Do you have anything else that you’d like to share? We’d be interested to hear from you in the comments below.