Houseflies are probably the most common pests, and though they might not seem to be a significant threat, negligence would only lead to infestations. These miniature creatures are not only a nuisance while buzzing around the house but are potential disease carriers. As a result, preserving hygienic conditions within the house is essential to keep them away for good.
Flies can reproduce extremely fast; hence, infestations are an ever-present problem. Initial signs of an infestation would be a visible increase in houseflies in and around the house. Other signs would be the presence of larvae and the breeding material from which they pupate in crevices and corners around the house. Their numbers would also induce an increase in their buzzing noise. Once you have determined that your home is indeed troubled by these pests, you must expedite the sanitizing and extermination process and mitigate the risks of disease spreading.
In this article, we have enlisted 7 ways in which you can get rid of flies and keep your house clean in the process.
Also Read: Knocking Noise in House Walls | Why Does It Happen? (Solutions)
7 Ways To Get Rid of Flies In Our House
Remove Garbage Sources
Needless to say, open food sources, dirty dishes, open trash cans, compost bins, and dead and decaying organic matter are all food sources for flies. Eliminate any such source or keep them in an airtight container to prevent houseflies from inhabiting them.
Thoroughly cleaning up the house and vulnerable places like the bathroom, kitchen, and nooks and crannies will also keep the surroundings hygienic and keep away flies simultaneously.
Mosquito Nets
Since windows and doors are the primary inlets for aerial pests like flies, fishing mosquito nets can be an excellent choice to keep them away. The best place to install them would be on the kitchen and bathroom windows and doors, but keeping them elsewhere will deter them from entering the house.
Vinegar and Dish Soap Traps
One of the most effective ways to get rid of houseflies naturally is using vinegar and dish soap traps. Its working is relatively easy as the sweet vinegar mix lures the flies, and the heavy dish soap traps and suffocates them. This trap is straightforward to make and can save you a lot of trouble. To make your trap follow these steps:
Take a shallow bowl and fill it with apple cider vinegar and a tablespoon of sugar. Ensure that the vinegar is not more than around an inch level. Now add some dish soap into the same bowl. A fruit or sweet (possibly vanilla) smelling soap is recommended to act as an even more available bait. Another optional step is to cover the utensil tightly with plastic wrap and poke a few holes for the flies to be attracted and enter. Once done, place the trap in the middle of the room to lure houseflies.
Natural Oils Repellent
Natural oils are effective in warding off various pests, including houseflies, gnats, and mosquitoes, and giving your house a sweet fragrance. You can combine oils like Citronella oil, Lavender, Eucalyptus, Peppermint, Neem, and lemongrass, mix them with rubbing alcohol or water and fill them in a spray bottle.
The scent given off by this mix would serve the opposite of pungent odors and deter pests as they would sense a hygienic environment which is not the optimal breeding ground. You might have noticed insect-killing sprays with additional ingredients like Lemongrass and Neem, which, as I explained, further inhibit flies and other pests from inhabiting nearby spaces.
Salt and Turmeric mix
Since the kitchen produces a lot of organic waste daily, it is vulnerable to house flies that may contaminate fresh ingredients and cooked items. Salt and turmeric are two common cooking ingredients that can help prevent this.
Mix equal parts of salt and turmeric and sprinkle this onto your kitchen slab and in some nooks and crannies like beneath the kitchen basin and the drainage pipe. This smell keeps pests like house flies away and your kitchen free of contamination.
Adhesive Tape
Adhesive tapes are non-toxic, odorless, cheap alternatives to combat the housefly problem. Simply rolling and hanging strips of it in the vicinity of spots commonly frequented by flies will attract and trap them in the adhesive material. Though some tapes might already smell sweet, you can make them further potent by rubbing some honey or sugar water on them.
Orange Peels
Many of us love eating oranges, which provide a bunch of vitamins and minerals essential for nutrition. However, they are helpful beyond that, like the neem tree, where every part is valuable. Orange peels can help repel all kinds of bugs, including flies, due to the citrus extract present in them.
Closure | 7 Ways to Get Rid of Flies in our House
These 7 ways to get rid of flies in our house must help you get rid of those filthy-looking bugs in no time. As we mentioned earlier, many repellents have oil and other extracts, and citrus extracts are a common additive. Lemon is almost a staple scent among such sprays, all of which boils down to citric acid. Orange peels contain citric acid and leaving fresh peels on the windowsills, doors, or any fly hotspots will work wonders. The dried-out peels should be replaced to retain their potency.
Various options are available to deter pests and keep the house clean and infection-free. We have mentioned a handful, but you must see what suits you best to derive your preferred alternatives. For instance, if you have an allergy to citrus fruits, it is probably best to avoid leaving orange peels around the house. Moreover, maintaining a clean household will automatically restrict pests from frequenting your home.