Flies, those buzzing, bothersome insects, have plagued households for centuries. More than just a nuisance, they pose a health risk, capable of transmitting diseases as they shuttle between unsanitary breeding grounds like garbage and decaying matter and our living spaces. Common houseflies, categorized as “filth flies,” thrive in environments we’d rather not think about – rotten food, manure, and waste.
The rapid life cycle of a fly – from egg to adult in as little as ten days – means a minor fly problem can quickly escalate into a major infestation. The good news is that effective, long-term fly control in your house hinges on two key strategies: sanitation and exclusion.
This guide will equip you with the knowledge to identify common fly types and, most importantly, detail exactly How Do I Get Rid Of Flies In House effectively and naturally.
How to Get Rid of Flies
Effective Fly Control Strategies for Your Home
Sanitation and exclusion form the bedrock of any successful fly management plan. By eliminating what attracts flies and blocking their entry, you tackle the problem at its source. Beyond these preventative measures, various control products can provide immediate relief and ongoing management.
Comprehensive Fly Control Management Techniques
A range of solutions is available to combat fly infestations. These include:
- Insecticide Concentrates: Liquid formulas diluted with water for targeted spraying, particularly useful for residual control in problem areas.
- Insecticide Dusts: Powder forms applied to cracks and crevices, offering long-lasting control in hidden fly harborages.
- Pyrethrin Aerosols: Quick-knockdown sprays for direct application to flying flies, providing immediate but not residual control.
- Fly Light Traps: Utilizing UV light to attract flies to an electrocution grid or glue board, ideal for indoor, discreet fly management.
- Fogging Materials: Space treatments that dispense insecticide fog to kill adult flies in enclosed areas, best used for heavy infestations.
- Fly Baits: Poisoned baits that attract and kill flies when ingested, available in granular, liquid, or station forms.
- Outdoor Fly Traps: Baited traps designed to lure and capture flies outdoors, reducing fly populations around your property.
For specific issues like drain flies, often encountered in kitchens and bathrooms, consider Invade Bio Treatment Gel. This enzymatic drain cleaner utilizes beneficial microbes to break down organic buildup in drains, eliminating drain fly breeding sites naturally.
Fly lights are particularly effective in commercial settings like restaurants, leveraging specific UV wavelengths to attract and trap flies efficiently. Glue traps offer another trapping method, catching flies on adhesive surfaces.
To further tailor your approach, explore resources dedicated to specific fly types:
Get Rid of Flies
Natural and DIY Remedies to Get Rid of Flies Naturally
For those seeking natural methods, several effective remedies can help manage fly problems, especially for outdoor areas or smaller indoor spaces.
Outdoor fly traps are highly effective at capturing large numbers of flies. Many utilize attractants derived from putrescent materials, which, while unpleasant to us, are irresistible to flies. For indoor situations, essential oils and homemade traps provide natural fly repellent and capture options.
Fly traps, particularly outdoor models, can become saturated quickly and require regular replacement. For significant infestations, deploying multiple traps around the perimeter of your property is recommended. Position outdoor traps away from your house to avoid inadvertently drawing more flies closer.
Here are 5 of the most effective natural ways to get rid of flies:
1. DIY Rotten Food Fly Trap
Instead of discarding spoiled food, repurpose it into a highly effective fly trap. Place the rotten food in a container and tightly seal it with plastic wrap. Poke several small holes in the plastic, just large enough for flies to enter. Position the trap in areas with high fly activity. Flies will be drawn to the decaying food, enter the trap, and become trapped inside. Once full of flies, dispose of the entire container and create a fresh trap as needed.
2. Apple Cider Vinegar and Dish Soap Fly Trap
The apple cider vinegar trap is a classic and effective homemade fly solution. In a disposable container, mix water, a spoonful of sugar, a squirt of dish soap, and a few tablespoons of apple cider vinegar.
Gently stir the mixture to combine. Place the container in areas where flies are prevalent. The sweet scent of vinegar attracts flies, but the dish soap reduces the surface tension of the liquid, causing flies to drown upon contact. Replenish the solution as needed until the fly problem subsides.
3. Red Wine Fly Trap
Don’t discard leftover red wine – it can be repurposed as a fly trap! Pour leftover red wine into a container, add a few drops of dish soap, and cover the container tightly with plastic wrap.
Puncture small entry holes in the plastic wrap. The fermenting aroma of red wine is highly attractive to flies. They will enter the trap seeking the wine, and the dish soap will prevent them from escaping, leading to drowning.
4. Essential Oils as Natural Fly Repellents
Essential oils offer a fragrant and natural way to repel flies. Strong, pungent scents are particularly effective fly deterrents. Consider using clove, pine, lemongrass, eucalyptus, lavender, mint, rosemary, peppermint, tea tree, or citronella essential oils.
Lemon eucalyptus oil is noted for its potent fly-repelling properties. To use essential oils, apply a few drops to strips of cloth and place them around problem areas to create DIY fly paper. Alternatively, mix essential oils with water in a spray bottle and lightly mist patios, decks, and other outdoor areas to deter flies.
5. Fans and Citronella Candles for Fly Control
Wondering how do i get rid of flies in house outdoor spaces like patios? A simple fan can be surprisingly effective. Flies prefer calm air for flight, and the moving air from a fan disorients them and makes it difficult to land and linger. Citronella candles also serve as natural fly repellents. While primarily known for mosquito control, they can effectively repel flies, especially in confined outdoor settings.
Identifying Fly Types: Filth Flies, Small Flies, and More
Accurate fly identification is crucial for targeted control. Different fly species may be attracted to different sources and require slightly different management strategies.
Filth Flies
Filth flies, including common houseflies, are more than just a nuisance; they represent a potential health hazard. Their feeding and breeding habits in garbage, manure, and carrion make them vectors for bacteria and disease-causing organisms. When they land on food or food preparation surfaces, they can contaminate them, potentially spreading illnesses like food poisoning and dysentery.
TYPES OF FILTH FLIES
- House Flies (Musca domestica)
- Blow Flies (various species)
- Flesh Flies (various species)
Small Flies
Small flies, often less than 1/4 inch in length, are frequently found in kitchens and food preparation areas. Despite their size, they can also carry and transmit disease-causing organisms.
The following are common types of small flies you might encounter:
TYPES OF SMALL FLIES
- Fruit Flies (Drosophila melanogaster)
- Phorid Flies (various species)
- Fungus Gnats (various species)
- Drain Flies/Moth Flies (Psychodidae)
Nuisance and Biting Flies
Many flies encountered around homes are simply nuisances, while others can bite. Like filth flies, these species often breed in decaying organic matter and animal waste, and can transmit bacteria and viruses. Biting flies, such as stable flies and horse flies, feed on mammalian blood, inflicting painful bites.
TYPES OF NUISANCE AND BITING FLIES
- Stable Flies (Stomoxys calcitrans)
- Horse Flies (Tabanidae)
- Deer Flies (Chrysops spp.)
Accurate identification of the fly species is a critical first step in effectively getting rid of flies in your house.
Preventing Flies from Entering Your Home: Proactive Steps
Prevention is always preferable to reaction. The most effective long-term strategy to prevent flies is maintaining cleanliness, particularly in areas prone to attracting them, such as kitchens. Storing food properly in sealed containers is essential to remove fly attractants.
Sanitation: The Cornerstone of Fly Prevention
Sanitation is paramount in effective fly management. The goal of sanitation is to eliminate or minimize fly breeding sites. This involves removing or preventing access to materials where fly larvae develop and removing attractants for adult flies, such as garbage and animal waste. Moisture is a key factor in fly breeding, so ensuring good drainage is also important. Without sufficient water, flies will struggle to breed and may relocate.
Decomposing Organic Waste: A Major Fly Magnet
Decomposing organic waste is a primary attractant for flies. They are drawn to plant and animal-based materials like compost, rotting fruits and vegetables, and animal feces, laying thousands of eggs on these sources. The hatched eggs develop into maggots (larvae), which quickly mature into adult flies. Eliminating these breeding sources is crucial for long-term fly control.
- Regularly clean garbage cans with a bleach solution. Keep compost bins covered and ideally located away from the house.
- Use probiotic cleaners like Invade Bio Foam to treat organic debris in dumpsters and garbage cans, breaking down attractants. Soldier fly larvae are often found around dumpsters; maintaining cleanliness helps reduce their populations. Keep garbage can lids tightly closed, as flies are attracted to odors. Position garbage cans as far from building entrances as possible.
- Repair or replace damaged window and door screens. Use fine mesh screens on all building openings. For doorways that must remain open, install air curtains with an air velocity of at least 1,600 feet per minute to effectively prevent fly entry.
- Promptly pick up pet waste from yards. Flies readily breed in pet waste due to its moisture content and organic matter.
- Wipe down food contact surfaces frequently to remove spills and crumbs that can attract flies.
- Remove dead rodents or birds promptly, as they provide breeding sites for flies. Flies lay eggs on decomposing carcasses, leading to maggot infestations and subsequent adult flies.
- Avoid overwatering indoor potted plants. Excessively moist soil can create ideal breeding conditions for fungus gnats. Ensure plant pots have good drainage.
- Maintain clean outdoor areas, removing soiled flower bedding, decaying plants, straw, and animal matter to minimize fly attractants.
Explore Fly Control Products for Your Home
Ready to take decisive action? Browse our selection of fly control products designed for both indoor and outdoor use. Whether you are dealing with persistent house flies, annoying fruit flies, or other fly species, our product range offers solutions from eco-friendly options to advanced traps and repellents. Each product is chosen for its effectiveness and safety, allowing you to address your fly problem effectively and responsibly. Don’t let flies dominate your space any longer. Visit DIY Pest Control and take the first step towards a fly-free home today.
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Frequently Asked Questions About Fly Control
What Attracts Flies to My Home or Garden Areas?
Flies are primarily attracted to decaying organic matter, including food waste, pet waste, overripe fruit, and standing water. Reducing these attractants through diligent cleaning, prompt garbage disposal, and eliminating standing water sources is key to preventing fly infestations.
Are There Natural Remedies Available to Get Rid of Flies?
Yes, several natural remedies can effectively repel or eliminate flies. These include using essential oil sprays (lavender, eucalyptus, etc.), setting up vinegar or wine traps, and incorporating fly-repelling plants like basil and lavender into your garden or home.
How Can I Effectively Prevent Flies from Entering My House?
Preventative measures to keep flies out include sealing cracks and crevices in your home’s exterior, installing fine mesh screens on windows and doors, practicing proper waste management, and keeping doors closed as much as possible, especially during peak fly activity times.
What is the Safest Way to Get Rid of Flies in My Kitchen and Food Preparation Areas?
For safe fly control in kitchens and food areas, prioritize non-toxic methods. Utilize sticky traps or UV light traps to capture flies without pesticides. Maintain rigorous cleanliness, store food in airtight containers, and dispose of garbage regularly to eliminate attractants and breeding sites.
Can Flies Really Transmit Diseases?
Yes, flies are known vectors for various diseases, including food poisoning and dysentery. They can transfer pathogens to food and surfaces through contact. Protecting your household involves consistent cleanliness, implementing fly control strategies, and ensuring food is properly covered and stored.
