Houseflies and summer go hand in hand in most areas, and it can be maddening! Sometimes it can be a real pain to get rid of flies once they’ve invaded your home. The constant buzzing and hovering can really get on your nerves!
Here are a few tips to help you get rid of flies and keep them away!
Get Rid of Flies
There are lots of different ways to get rid of flies. Some ways may work better than others, and you may want to experiment with different methods.
- Flypaper strips. Fly paper strips may be icky sticky and ugly, but it’s still a pretty effective way to get rid of flies. Commercial fly paper is relatively inexpensive, but you can also whip up a batch of homemade fly paper strips with things you have around the house. First, mix together 1/2 cup of corn syrup with 1/4 cup of brown sugar. Dip strips of brown paper or cotton cloth into the mixture and hang them over a piece of waxed paper for a few hours so any excess will drip off. Hang the strips where you’ve seen flies buzzing around and catch some of those buzzing little buggers!
- Fly traps. Another way to get rid of flies is with a fly trap. Again, you can buy commercial fly traps, but these are a little more expensive than flypaper, so you might want to try the homemade version first. To make a homemade fly trap, cut the top off of a plastic water or soda bottle. Place some fly bait, like fruit or meat, at the bottom of the bottle. Invert the top half of the bottle and fit it into the bottom half with the lid off. The flies will be attracted to the bait, fly into the bottle, and be unable to get out.
- Fly swatter. Don’t discount the usefulness of a good old fashioned fly swatter when you’re trying to get rid of flies. You can sometimes get rid of a great deal of flies when you hunt them down with a fly swatter. Try hunting them down late at night or early in the morning when they’re slower and more sluggish.
- Repellents. As you get rid of flies, you can also work to repel them. Flies hate the scents of a few certain herbs, including clove, lavender, and lemongrass. Sprinkling these around your home or using essential oils can help get rid of flies and keep them away.
Keep Flies Out
Once you get rid of flies, you want to keep them out of your house! Taking a few very important steps can keep flies out and prevent another fly problem in your home.
- Clean indoors. Wipe counters, don’t leave dirty dishes in the sink, put away food, and keep your garbage covered. Basically remove any temptation, and the flies shouldn’t have much of a reason to hang around.
- Clean outdoors. Once you remove the temptation indoors, remove the temptation outdoors as well, especially near doors and windows. Clean up any garbage and animal feces, and keep tight fitting lids on garbage cans,
- Keep doors and windows closed. If you leave a door or window open without a screen in the summer, you might as well roll out the welcome mat for flies and other insects. Keep the closed of screened.
- Repair screens. Flies can get in through ripped screens as well, so make sure you repair any damaged screens as soon as possible.
