If you hate these pesky bugs trying to enter your home or garden, try one of these How to Get Rid of Flies hacks in this detailed article.
Flies can be a cause of nuisance, both indoors and outdoors in summers and when the weather is hot and humid. Especially house flies, because they are the most commonly found flies, but there are others as well. No matter which type of fly infestation you are dealing with, these 34 Ways to get rid of Flies will help you.
Check Out Our Article on Getting Rid of Ants here
Best Ways on How to Get Rid of Flies
1. Remove Sources
Open food sources, dirty dishes, open trash cans, compost bins, and any other dead and decaying organic matter in the yard are all food sources for flies. Eliminate any such source that attracts them.
Thoroughly cleaning up the house and backyard regularly will also keep the surroundings hygienic and flies away at the same time.
2. DIY Homemade Fly Traps
One of the most common how to get rid of flies methods is Vinegar and dish soap solution. Take a tablespoon of sugar and add the apple cider vinegar to a bowl. Mix dish soap and leave the solution for 24 hours.
Flies will be attracted to it like a moth to light but won’t be able to make their way out of the bowl!
3. Use a Mosquito Net
Fixing mosquito nets on windows can be an excellent option to keep the flies away from your home. Install fly screens or mosquito nets on windows and doors to keep them at bay.
4. Use Adhesive Tape
Adhesive tapes are non-toxic, odorless, and cheap! Just unroll and hang strips of it at spots in the vicinity of flies. Soon flies will get attracted to the strips and get stuck to them. You can make the strips more potent by rubbing some honey or sugar water on them.
Dispose of the strips once they serve the purpose. They might leave stains, so don’t stick them to surfaces you can’t clean up later.
5. Planting Basil or Other Herbs
Flies are usually attracted to the garden due to manure and decaying vegetation. Planting fly repellent plants like Basil and wormwood can be an option, too, as they have the aroma that flies detest. Lavender, Mint, Bay leaf, and Tansy are some other herbs that you can choose.
6. Essential Oils
Although we find the aroma of essential oils quite appealing, that’s not the case with flies. The strong fragrance of essential oil is not something that flies can tolerate.
Eucalyptus, Tea tree, and Lavender particularly detested by flies. Infuse lavender with a carrier oil for 48 hours before use.
Make sure the scent of carrier oil is not more overpowering than the essential oil. Strain the oil in a container and spray it around the house or place cotton balls soaked in it at various spots in the home or garden. This is the most natural how to get rid of flies methods for sure!
Check out our article on getting rid of mice using peppermint oil here!
7. Orange Peels
Eating oranges is a healthy habit, but what if we told you can use the peel too! It’s not without a purpose that extracts of citrus fruits are used in various bug repellents.
Citrus extracts, and orange peels, act as a bug repellent. Leave fresh peels on the windowsills, nearby doors, or any other hotspot of flies. Frequently replace the dried-out peels with fresh ones to maintain the potency.
Check out our article on growing clementine oranges here!
8. Camphor
As mentioned above, flies detect some of the naturally string-smelling agents, and that includes camphor. You can get it from any store or online, in blocks or tablet form.
Place it over a hot plate or a heat diffuser, and the heat will spread the aroma around the home quickly. Make sure you don’t use synthetic camphor, which is actually a pollutant!
9. Fly Zapper
Flies and moths are attracted to a light source, and this is what makes fly zapper very effective. The light source lures the flies, and as soon as they come in contact with the electrical grid, they get electrocuted.
Install it at the height of 4-6 feet, away from doors and windows. For indoor use, get a zapper designed explicitly for that.
10. Apple Cider Vinegar
The strong sweet smell of apple cider vinegar is irresistible for flies. Pour a small amount of apple cider vinegar into a bowl and add a few drops of the dish detergent to it. Place this bowl in the vicinity of flies, and they’ll come flying happily towards their doom.
Check out some fantastic uses of apple cider vinegar in the garden here!
11. Baking Soda
Drain flies are mostly seen near kitchen and bathroom drains and also go by the name sink moths. Mix a half cup of salt, half cup of baking soda, and one cup of vinegar. Pour this solution down the drain. Let it sit overnight and flush it with boiling water in the morning.
To learn about baking soda uses in the garden, click here!
12. Lemon Juice
Use lemon juice to build a fruit fly trap that’s effective and inexpensive. You’ll need a small jar with a lid, a sharp knife, and a lemon. Slice the lemon into two and squeeze the juice out into the pot.
Drop the lemon slices into the jar and place the lid over it. Make a small hole in the top and place the jar in a flies-infested area.
13. Milk, Sugar, and Pepper Fly Trap
If a fruit fly is the cause of all your worries, then nothing works better than this trap! Take 1 cup of milk, half a cup of sugar, and 2 ounces of ground pepper, Mix them, and let them simmer.
The mix is very appealing to flies, and once they touch it, they won’t be able to fly away and drown.
Check out peppermint oil uses in the garden here!
14. Boiling Malt Vinegar
While apple cider is used to eliminate flies acting as bait, malt vinegar does the opposite. Flies can’t tolerate the fumes emitting from the boiled malt vinegar.
Boil it in a pot and set it in the room with the fly infestation, and in no time, flies will be getting as far away from that place as possible!
15. Diatomaceous Earth
The places where Diatomaceous Earth is mostly used to get rid of flies are barns. The method to use is simply spreading it around the regions where you see flies in your yard. Also, check out more diatomaceous earth uses here.
Note: It’s not suited for indoor use as it makes the surface look dusty.
16. Carnivorous Plants
Do not expect some dramatic effect if the fly infestation is severe, as carnivorous plants don’t do it at a high rate. Venus flytrap and Sundew plants are your best bet. If not anything, they’ll be the topic of talk among kids getting the flies population down!
Check out our list of beginner carnivorous plants to grow here
17. Clove Oil
Flies detest the scent of clove and stay away from it. If you have sensitive skin, use witch hazel for diluting the clove oil. If not, water will suffice.
As clove oil is very potent, use only a few drops and examine the result of the application. Apply it by dipping a cotton ball in clove oil and gently rub it on the skin.
To know about the uses of clove oil in the garden, click here!
18. Cayenne Pepper Spray
Cayenne pepper is something that flies can’t withstand. All you’ll need is a spray bottle, one tablespoon of powdered cayenne pepper, and water. Mix and spray this solution where you see the fly infestation.
Note: Keep this solution away from your eyes and kids.
19. Neem Oil
If you feel your quest for How to get rid of flies is still not meeting the effective solution, then try neem oil! People in the Indian subcontinent use it for hundreds of years against garden pests, mosquitoes, fleas, and flies.
If there’s a neem tree in your vicinity, burn its dried leaves, this one of the most potent ways to get rid of flies and mosquitoes.
Note: Be extra careful not to ingest it; it can cause some side effects.
Check out organic neem oil uses in the garden here
20. Honey Trap
Use honey to escape from annoying flies as its stickiness and sweet fragrance is good for trapping them. The method to make a honey trap is simple, take a plastic bottle and cut the top 1/4 part.
Fill it half with water and add 4-5 spoons of honey to it. Now take the upper portion of the bottle, flip it, place it on the top, creating a funnel. This method will help in luring flies. They can enter easily but cannot fly away.
21. Cloves in Citrus Fruits
Pests and insects hate citrus fruits and their smell. Do this easy trick by simply inserting 10-15 cloves into orange or any other citrus fruit, such as lemons or lime, and place it where you find the flies most. You can also hang them with rope or thread near windows or doors.
Note: There is no scientific evidence behind this claim.
Discover the best citrus trees you can grow in containers here
22. Wine Trap
Fruit flies get lured with anything fermented; therefore, they get attracted to wine as well. Take a cup of wine in a bowl and add 10-15 drops of liquid soap into it. This solution will act as a poison for flies, killing them while they drink the solution.
23. A Cone, Vinegar, and Ripen Fruit
Take a glass jar, pour some vinegar and a piece of ripe fruit, then make a cone with the help of paper and put it on the jar, keeping the narrow part down. The odor of rotten fruit will tempt the fruit flies, luring them inside the cone easily.
However, the narrow exit of the cone is going to make it difficult for them to go out.
24. Clean Up Pet Poop
Flies lay eggs on poop that hatch within 24 hours. To eliminate them from breeding vigorously, always clean up the open feces of your pets in your backyard.
Check out natural ways to get rid of pests here!
25. Use a Mosquito Swatter
If everything fails, you can always resort to the age-old technique of killing flies with a bug zapper or a mosquito swatter. This is the best solution for the situation when some flies entered your home, electrocuting this harmful insect will kill it in seconds.
What’s more, hearing the electrical sound when the flies incinerate is always music to the ears!
26. Salt and Turmeric
Sprinkle a mix of salt and turmeric indoors at the place where flies are sitting a lot. They’ll avoid that spot.
27. Grow Marigold
Marigold is easy to grow and has beautiful flowers that carry a scent known to keep flies away from the house and garden outdoors. Those who are aware of this fact and are known to deliberately plant this striking flower amongst other plants repel mosquitoes, flies, and other garden pests.
Check out our article on growing Marigolds here
28. Ginger Spray
It is an easy, natural, and strong fly repellant as the flies cannot tolerate the powerful odor of ginger. It drives them far away from the house, garden, and even farms.
To prepare this spray, mix 2-3 spoons of finely dried ginger powder with 4-5 cups of water, stir well and strain it out into a spray bottle.
29. Cayenne Pepper
Use cayenne peppers or any hotter type to keep the flies away. Use a blend of 3-4 fresh cayenne peppers in a cup of water. Strain this solution and spray in the fly affected area.
30. Eucalyptus Oil Spray
Create a concoction using Eucalyptus oil, witch hazel, and apple cider vinegar as an effective fly repellant. Add 1/4 cup of witch hazel, apple cider vinegar, and a few drops of eucalyptus oil.
Mix this in a bottle spray and use it anywhere indoors or outdoors to keep the flies away. You can also add few drops of lavender essential oil for fragrance.
31. Salt Water Spray
Another easy, natural spray to keep the stubborn flies away is to mix 3 tablespoons of table salt with 1-2 glasses of water. Then, you can pour this liquid into a spray bottle and sprinkle it generously on places where the house flies visit frequently.
32. Milk With Sugar and Pepper
In a glass of boiled milk, add 3-4 spoons of sugar and 1-2 spoons of pepper and let it cool. Then, place this liquid in the fly-infested zone and watch it attract and drown all the houseflies in this liquid mix in no time.
33. Half Filled Plastic Bags
This method is debatable for its effectiveness, but it does work. All you need to do is fill a plastic bag halfway with water. Now hang it near the areas with fly problems or on doorways and windows.
Flies’ vision is compromised due to the reflected light on the water’s surface. To get relief from a vision problem, flies steer clear of that area.
34. Using Toxic Sugar Bait
You can use toxic sugar baits available in the market to kill houseflies. Just make sure that you are keeping it away from children and pets.
