How can you effectively get rid of house flies in your home. What are the most effective natural methods to prevent fly infestations. Why are house flies considered dangerous and what health risks do they pose. What do house flies look like and how can you identify them.

Understanding the House Fly Problem

House flies are a common nuisance in many homes, but their presence goes beyond mere annoyance. These small insects can pose significant health risks and create unsanitary conditions if left unchecked. To effectively combat this issue, it’s crucial to understand the nature of house flies and implement targeted strategies for their elimination.

Identifying House Flies

Before diving into elimination methods, it’s important to properly identify house flies. These insects have distinct characteristics:

• Six legs
• Small, oval body
• Antennae
• Grey coloration with four black stripes on the chest
• Adult size ranging from 4 to 7.5mm in length
• Females typically larger than males

Recognizing these features can help you distinguish house flies from other flying insects and tailor your control efforts accordingly.

The Dangers of House Flies

Many people underestimate the potential hazards associated with house flies. Natalie Bungay, Technical Officer at the British Pest Control Association (BPCA), emphasizes the importance of keeping flies away from food: “The adage ‘if you followed a fly for a day, you wouldn’t eat for a week’ is entirely accurate. Flies feed by vomiting saliva onto your food, stamping their dirty legs up and down in the sick, and then sucking up the resulting liquid. The bacteria from its gut can transmit everything from food poisoning to cholera.”

This unsettling feeding behavior highlights why fly control is crucial for maintaining a healthy home environment. House flies can carry and spread various pathogens, making them potential vectors for disease transmission.

Preventive Measures: The First Line of Defense

When it comes to dealing with house flies, prevention is key. David Cross from Rentokil advises, “The best way to deal with a fly problem is to prevent an infestation from forming in the first place. There are some easy and practical steps you can take to help deter flies from your home.”

By implementing these preventive measures, you can significantly reduce the likelihood of a fly infestation:

1. Proper waste management: Ensure all food waste is correctly disposed of in bins with secure lids.
2. Maintain cleanliness: Clean up food and water spills promptly to eliminate potential attractants.
3. Cover food: Keep food covered to prevent flies from landing and feeding on it.
4. Install fly screens: Use screens on windows and doors to prevent flies from entering your home.
5. Limit access: Keep doors closed after dark or use curtains to block out light that may attract flies.
6. Pet waste management: Clean up after pets regularly, as animal feces can be a breeding ground for flies.
7. Remove dead insects: Dispose of any dead flies, as they can attract other pests like carpet beetles.

Natural Remedies for Fly Control

For those seeking eco-friendly solutions, there are several natural remedies that can help deter house flies:

• Essential oils: Eucalyptus, lavender, and peppermint oils are known to repel flies. Apply a few drops to a cloth and hang near doors or windows.
• Herbs: Place mint leaves on kitchen windowsills to keep flies at bay.
• Citrus: Cut up fresh orange peel and place it on a plate to deter flies.
• Citronella: Use citronella candles, especially in outdoor areas, to repel flies.
• Pepper spray: Create a natural deterrent by mixing water and black pepper in a spray bottle and applying it around your home.

Fly-Repelling Plants

Certain plants can serve as natural fly repellents when grown in or around your home:

• Marigolds
• Lavender
• Bay leaves
• Catnip

Incorporating these plants into your garden or indoor spaces can help create a fly-resistant environment while adding beauty to your surroundings.

Commercial Products for Fly Control

While natural remedies can be effective, some situations may call for commercial products designed specifically for fly control. Here are some options to consider:

• Citronella candles and diffusers
• Window fly screens
• Essential oil blends formulated for insect repellent
• Fly-repelling reed diffusers

These products can complement your natural fly control efforts and provide additional protection against infestations.

Professional Pest Control: When to Seek Help

Despite your best efforts, there may be instances where a fly problem becomes overwhelming. In such cases, it’s advisable to seek professional assistance. The BPCA recommends contacting qualified and audited pest control professionals who can safely and effectively address severe infestations.

Professional pest control services offer several advantages:

• Expertise in identifying the root cause of infestations
• Access to specialized treatments and equipment
• Knowledge of local regulations and safety standards
• Ability to implement comprehensive control strategies

By enlisting the help of professionals, you can ensure that your fly problem is addressed thoroughly and efficiently.

The Lifecycle of House Flies: Understanding for Better Control

To effectively combat house flies, it’s beneficial to understand their lifecycle. House flies have a relatively short lifespan but can reproduce quickly and in large numbers, which contributes to their persistent presence in homes.

Stages of the House Fly Lifecycle

1. Egg: Female flies lay clusters of small, white eggs in warm, moist environments.
2. Larva (Maggot): Eggs hatch into larvae, which feed on organic matter in their surroundings.
3. Pupa: Larvae enter a dormant stage, transforming into adult flies.
4. Adult: Fully formed flies emerge, ready to reproduce and continue the cycle.

The entire lifecycle can be completed in as little as 7-10 days under optimal conditions. This rapid development underscores the importance of early intervention and consistent control measures to prevent populations from exploding.

Factors Influencing Fly Populations

Several environmental factors can affect house fly populations:

• Temperature: Warmer temperatures accelerate development and breeding.
• Moisture: Humid conditions provide ideal breeding grounds.
• Food availability: Abundant organic matter supports larval growth.
• Sanitation: Poor hygiene practices can attract flies and promote breeding.

By addressing these factors, you can create an environment that is less hospitable to house flies and reduce the likelihood of infestations.

Innovative Technologies in Fly Control

As pest control methods evolve, new technologies are emerging to combat house fly problems more effectively. These innovations offer alternative approaches to traditional control methods:

UV Light Traps

UV light traps attract flies using ultraviolet light and then capture them on adhesive surfaces or electrocute them. These devices can be particularly effective in commercial settings or areas with persistent fly problems.

Automated Insecticide Dispensers

Programmable dispensers release small amounts of insecticide at regular intervals, providing continuous protection against flies. These systems are often used in commercial kitchens and food processing facilities.

Fly-Repelling Sound Devices

Some devices emit high-frequency sounds that are said to repel flies. While their effectiveness is debated, they offer a chemical-free option for fly control.

Insect Growth Regulators (IGRs)

IGRs interfere with the development cycle of flies, preventing larvae from reaching adulthood. These products can be an effective long-term solution for controlling fly populations.

While these technologies can be powerful tools in fly control, it’s important to use them in conjunction with proper sanitation and preventive measures for the best results.

The Environmental Impact of Fly Control

As we tackle house fly problems, it’s crucial to consider the environmental implications of our control methods. Many traditional insecticides can have unintended consequences on beneficial insects and the broader ecosystem.

Eco-Friendly Approaches

To minimize environmental impact, consider these eco-friendly fly control strategies:

• Biological control: Introduce natural predators like parasitic wasps that target fly larvae.
• Sticky traps: Use non-toxic adhesive traps to capture flies without chemicals.
• Improved waste management: Implement composting systems that reduce attractive odors for flies.
• Physical barriers: Utilize fine mesh screens and air curtains to prevent fly entry.

By adopting these environmentally conscious methods, you can effectively manage fly populations while minimizing harm to beneficial insects and the surrounding ecosystem.

Sustainable Pest Management

The concept of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) offers a holistic approach to fly control that emphasizes sustainability. IPM principles include:

1. Identifying and monitoring pest populations
2. Setting action thresholds for intervention
3. Implementing a combination of control methods
4. Evaluating the effectiveness of strategies

By following IPM practices, you can achieve long-term fly control while reducing reliance on chemical interventions.

Cultural and Historical Perspectives on Fly Control

The battle against house flies is not a modern phenomenon. Throughout history, various cultures have developed unique methods for dealing with these persistent pests.

Ancient Techniques

Historical fly control methods include:

• Egyptian use of nets and fans to keep flies away from pharaohs
• Roman applications of laurel oil as a natural repellent
• Medieval European practices of hanging bundles of herbs to deter flies

These historical approaches demonstrate the longstanding human effort to coexist with and control fly populations.

Cultural Significance

In some cultures, flies hold symbolic meanings:

• In Native American folklore, flies are sometimes seen as messengers
• In Chinese culture, the word for “fly” sounds similar to “abundance,” leading to positive associations
• Many Western cultures view flies as symbols of decay and disease

Understanding these cultural perspectives can provide insight into the varied approaches to fly control across different societies.

The Future of Fly Control: Emerging Research and Techniques

As science and technology advance, new frontiers in fly control are being explored. Researchers are developing innovative approaches that could revolutionize how we manage house fly populations.

Genetic Control Methods

Scientists are investigating genetic techniques to control fly populations:

• Sterile Insect Technique (SIT): Releasing sterilized male flies to reduce breeding
• Gene drive systems: Altering fly genetics to reduce population viability
• CRISPR technology: Precise genetic modifications to control fly traits

These genetic approaches offer the potential for highly targeted and effective fly control without relying on chemical interventions.

Nanotechnology in Pest Control

Nanotechnology is opening new possibilities in fly control:

• Nanoparticle-based repellents with enhanced efficacy and longevity
• Nanoscale sensors for early detection of fly infestations
• Nanoencapsulation of natural insecticides for improved delivery

These advancements could lead to more efficient and environmentally friendly fly control solutions in the future.

Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning

AI and machine learning are being applied to pest control in various ways:

• Predictive modeling of fly population dynamics
• Automated monitoring systems for early infestation detection
• Optimization of integrated pest management strategies

By leveraging these technologies, we may be able to develop more proactive and precise approaches to fly control.

As we look to the future, it’s clear that the field of fly control is evolving rapidly. While traditional methods remain effective, these emerging techniques offer exciting possibilities for more sustainable and efficient management of house fly populations. By staying informed about these developments and combining them with tried-and-true practices, we can work towards creating fly-free environments in our homes and communities.

How To Get Rid Of House Flies

Are you wondering how to get rid of house flies in your home? House flies can be a nuisance, but there are several effective methods you can employ to get rid of them. To help you prevent house flies, we’ve done our research and have rounded up the best advice and natural methods to try.

While house flies might be frustratingly difficult to get rid of, there are some natural ways to keep them out of your home. We speak to the experts at British Pest Control Association and Rentokil to find out more…

How to get rid of house flies

“Prevention is better than cure. The best way to keep flies away is to limit a fly’s access to food and water – particularly in your kitchen,” Natalie Bungay, Technical Officer, British Pest Control Association tells Country Living.

House flies have a short lifespan, but they can reproduce quickly and in large numbers. If you are worried about an infestation of flies in your home, it is advised you call the professionals. BPCA has a list of qualified and audited pest professionals on its website.

Professionals will be able to safely and effectively deal with the pests, so it’s always worth asking for help if you are unsure.

“The best way to deal with a fly problem is to prevent an infestation from forming in the first place. There are some easy and practical steps you can take to help deter flies from your home,” David Cross from Rentokil tells us.

What keeps house flies away?

You can easily keep house flies away by maintaining cleanliness, practicing proper waste management, and using preventive measures. Some natural remedies, such as essential oils like eucalyptus, lavender, or peppermint, can repel flies. If you are dining alfresco, make sure to cover food or bring it indoors once you have eaten. Use lids on bins and clean them regularly to minimise odours that attract flies.

Ways to keep flies away include…

1. Make sure all food waste is correctly disposed of in a bin with a lid

2. Keep outside bins secure with sealed lids and away from windows and doors

3. Clean up food and water spills as soon as they occur

4. Keep your food covered to stop flies landing and subsequently feeding off your plate

5. Keep windows and doors closed or install fly screens to keep out home-invaders

6. Deny flies access by keeping doors closed after dark, or block out the light with curtains

7. Clean up after your pets, as faeces is the perfect breeding place for flies

8. Remove any dead flies, as these can be a food source for other pests such as carpet beetles

Homemade remedies to help get rid of house flies

Homemade remedies can also be a great way to naturally keep house flies out of the home — and brilliantly, too, they are incredibly easy to make yourself.

You can try to…

1. Put a few drops of eucalyptus oil onto a cloth and hang them near doors or windows

2. Place mint on kitchen window sills — this will also keep them away

3. Cut up fresh orange peel and place onto a plate

4. Citronella candles can help to keep flies away, especially in the garden

5. Grow certain flowers that are known for repelling house flies, including marigold, lavender, bay leaves and catnip.

6. Flies don’t like the smell of pepper. One natural deterrent is to mix up a water and pepper spray and spritz it around your home

Natural products to keep flies out of the home

Price’s Candles Outdoor Citronella Candle In Glass Jar Fly Insect Repeller Repellent

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The Buzz The Buzz STV229 Window Fly Screen 1.3 x 1.5m

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1ABOVE Citronella Tealight Candles

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Zero In 60-Day Citronella Diffuser

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Gya Labs Citronella Essential Oil

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Fallen Fruits Citronella Scent Coils & Metal Stand

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Natural Fly Repellent Kitchen Reed Diffuser 400ml

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M.E.O. M.E.O. Citronella Essential Oil 10ml

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nikura Nikura Insect Bug Repellent Essential Oil Blend

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Are house flies dangerous?

“Keeping flies away from your food is vital for protecting your health. The adage ‘if you followed a fly for a day, you wouldn’t eat for a week’ is entirely accurate,” Natalie continues.

“Flies feed by vomiting saliva onto your food, stamping their dirty legs up and down in the sick, and then sucking up the resulting liquid. The bacteria from its gut can transmit everything from food poisoning to cholera.”

CobraCZ//Getty Images

What do house flies look like?

House flies have…

• Six legs
• A small, oval body
• Antennas
• They are usually grey in appearance and display four black stripes on their chest
• Adult house flies are about 4 to 7.5mm long
• Female house flies are usually larger than males

photointrigue//Getty Images

What do I do if I have a lot of flies in my house?

Most often, if you find you have a lot of flies in your house, they are entering through small cracks in walls or doors. House flies can often be more of a problem during the summer months, especially as the weather gets warmer. As well as this, they also breed in filth (such as bins, rotting food and dirt), so one of the ways to keep them at bay is to ensure your house is clean. Seal any bins, keep surfaces sanitised and don’t leave food out on the counter.

Don’t forget to:

• Check for any food waste which could be attracting flies
• Empty your bins regularly
• Clean under and around your appliances

What attracts flies in your house?

“Spotting a few flies buzzing around does not necessarily mean you have a serious fly problem, although you should probably start keeping an eye out for other tell-tale signs, such as small dark clusters of spots in light areas and the presence of maggots,” David Cross from Rentokil continues.

Common house flies are attracted to rotten items such as feces, pet waste and rotting meat, whereas fruit flies are more likely to seek sugary substances such as overripe fruit, spilled fizzy drinks, and alcohol.

House flies are drawn to:

• Dirty conditions
• Spilt food
• Sticky surfaces from drink spillages
• Scum at the bottom of drains
• Faeces and pet waste
• Alcohol

vovashevchuk//Getty Images

Where do flies lay their eggs in a house?

House flies will commonly lay their eggs in any warm, moist material. When the weather is warm, eggs will hatch in around 12 to 24 hours.

Some places flies might lay their eggs include…

• Piles of rubbish and waste
• Decaying material such as grass clippings
• Feces

Are houseflies harmful?

Houseflies aren’t harmful, but are just a nuisance. One thing to note is that they do carry bacteria and germs, so be careful if they land on your food before eating. Some of the diseases they carry include:

• Food poisoning
• Cholera
• Eye infections
• E. coli
• Typhoid fever
• Dysentery
• Tuberculosis

How to keep flies away outside

It’s not only in the home that the flying creatures buzz around in: they regularly fly around our garden spaces (particularly if there’s food involved). If you’re looking for clever ways to keep flies at bay, one of the key ways of outdoor fly prevention is knowing what they don’t like.

Florian Klaes//Getty Images

Natural ways to keep them away outside includes:

1. Placing whole cloves into a ripe apple or a piece of citrus and placing it onto a plate
2. Growing lavender is also a natural way to keep flies away as they don’t like the smell
3. Place citrus fruits and skins in a muslin cloth bag outside
4. Flies also don’t like basil, so these are brilliant to have growing outside
5. Nasturtiums planted in the garden will also keep the flies away
6. Clean up any food spillages quickly, especially if you are dining alfresco

Browse our other handy pest control guides. ..

• How to get rid of mice
• How to get rid of slugs
• How to get rid of greenfly

How Do You Get Rid Of Flies Outside? – Forbes Home

In the warmer months, you may be visited by what seems like swarms of flies that take over your yard, land on your food during picnics and cling to the siding of your home. If you’ve found yourself in this situation, you’re probably wondering how to get rid of flies quickly so you don’t have to deal with these pesky critters anymore. While an occasional visit from flies is pretty much inevitable, especially in the summertime, there are things you can do to quell the population of buzzy buggars flying around outside your home.

Here, we’ll fill you in on seven effective methods for getting rid of flies fast. Try one, two or even combine three as you figure out what works for your home and family. The good news is many, if not all, of these methods are natural and not harmful for humans. And remember: While flies are gross and unwelcome, they’re generally harmless and relatively simple to eradicate.

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What Causes Flies Outdoors?

Houseflies (Musca domestica) are most active when it’s warm outside, generally between the months of April and October in most parts of the U.S. With super speedy reproduction rates and very basic survival needs, fly populations can blow up seemingly overnight. A female housefly is capable of laying more than 500 eggs over her lifespan of only 15 to 25 days. And those eggs turn into grown flies in as little as a week. That’s why a swarm of flies can feel like a sneak attack that you’re completely unprepared for.

Mostly, flies are nothing more than annoying. But it is possible for flies to spread disease and cause foodborne illness if they land on the food you’re eating.

How to Check For Outdoor Flies

Checking for outdoor flies can be a task in itself. For instance, if you’re having trouble with flies in your yard, look to see what could attract them. Food sources can include garbage (especially meat), drink spills and pet waste. Flies are also attracted to birdhouses or lighting that attracts insects as well. Keep these points in mind when checking for outdoor flies to get rid of them safely and effectively.

Not to mention, outdoor flies can enter your home through small cracks and crevices, especially screens. So if you’re experiencing a fly problem, it’s essential to look where flies can hide and enter your home.

Ways to Get Rid of Flies Outside

Below, we’ve outlined seven methods for how to get rid of flies outside, whether it’s your whole yard that you’re trying to protect, or just your outside eating space.

Find the Source and Eliminate It

There’s nothing that flies love more than decaying organic matter. They will be attracted to anything, plant or animal based, such as compost, rotting produce or animal waste, and will use this as a host for laying thousands of eggs. When the eggs hatch, maggots will emerge which will soon become mature flies. Getting rid of any source like this will be key to maintaining a fly-free property. Garbage cans should be cleaned out regularly with a bleach solution, compost bins should be kept far away from your home, and covered whenever possible, and animal waste should be picked up as regularly as possible.

Clean With Pine Sol

Flies detest the smell of pine, which is what makes Pine Sol such an effective deterrent. If you’re dealing with an outdoor fly infestation, simply swab your porch, deck and even the side of your house with a solution of hot water and Pine Sol. Be sure to test the solution on a small, inconspicuous spot to ensure it doesn’t damage the surface of your decking or your home’s siding, but most surfaces tolerate Pine Sol quite well. For maximum effectiveness, this application should be done every few days.

Host Natural Predators

Animals like birds, bats and even frogs will feed on flies, thus reducing the number of them in your backyard. So attracting these types of critters to your property is another effective step for how to get rid of flies outside your home. Birdbaths and bird houses are an obvious way to bring more birds to your property. But be wary that these can also attract squirrels, which can in turn make nests under porches, in chimneys and even in car engines. Look for bird feeders that attempt to repel or discourage squirrels from feeding off of them.

Bat houses are cheap to buy or simple to make and can effectively attract insect-eating bats. While you might be tempted to add a pond in order to house frogs, remember that this can also attract insects, since they love standing water of any kind.

Use Fly Traps

Fly traps can work amazingly well for outdoor fly infestations. Most fly traps use a liquid or powder made from putrescent—or rotten—eggs, a horrible odor that’s incredibly off-putting for humans but a delicacy for flies. Fly traps are capable of catching and trapping thousands of flies at a time, and should be switched out when they get full. For severe infestations, consider using several fly traps at once along the perimeter of your property. They’re best used far away from your home so you don’t inadvertently attract flies to your property, but rather intersect them before they start zooming around your backyard living space.

Use Fly Paper

Fly paper is an incredibly sticky strip that contains insecticide. It’s easy to use and clean up; simply remove the top of the dispenser and the paper rolls out to its full length (which is quite long, as a word of warning). You’ll find that flies are instantly attracted to the paper, so your fly paper will quickly fill up with trapped flies that can’t get away from the sticky surface. Once the paper is covered, simply collect the fly paper in a garbage or grocery bag, tie it tightly and dispose of it.

Use Fans or Light Candles

Wondering how to get rid of flies outside on your patio or deck while you’re enjoying a meal? In a small space like this, a fan can work wonders. The constantly moving air confuses flies, who prefer to fly in still air. Citronella candles, while more commonly used to deter mosquitos, can effectively keep common flies at bay as well, especially when used in small spaces.

Use Essential Oils

Using a similar school of thought as cleaning with Pine Sol, you can use certain essential oils to get rid of houseflies. Scents that they’re particularly opposed to are the strong, pungent odors, like clove, lavender, mint, lemongrass, eucalyptus, rosemary and citronella. Apply a few drops of these oils to strips of cloth to make DIY fly paper, or spray your deck and patio to keep flies away from the periphery of your home.

How to Prevent Flies Outdoors

Outdoor flies are a tricky and persistent pest. From various trapping methods, natural predation and repellant methods, keeping flies away from your home is a matter of not giving them access to it. Therefore, it is essential to keep your outdoor space clean. That means emptying and washing out garbage cans frequently and cleaning up all food or drink spills immediately. If you have a pet, clean up their waste daily.

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folk remedies and effective traps

We live in a private house and in the summer we keep not only the windows open, but also the front doors, so that it would be convenient for children to run out to the site and run back. There are mosquito nets on the windows, and we hung tulle on the door. Bees and wasps rarely seep through the tulle, but at least the flies have something.

Flies constantly hang around in the kitchen, sit on leftover food if you do not close it with a lid. This in itself is unpleasant. Flies also pester at night – they run around the open parts of the body. Sometimes because of this, the little daughter wakes up and starts crying.

We tried sticky fly tapes, but didn’t see much of a difference. A dozen flies stuck, and another two dozen continue to fly as if nothing had happened.

Tell me what can be done to get rid of flies and they never appear again?

Andrey Nenastiev

defeated flies in his house

Author’s profile

You are not alone in your trouble: in summer, flies constantly fly into private houses and apartments. There are especially many flies in late August and early September, when it starts to get cold outside.

It seems that flies are mostly annoying by the very fact of their appearance: they fly, buzz, sit on people and just make people nervous. But besides this, flies also lay eggs. So they can carry dangerous diseases, such as E. coli. Therefore, it is undesirable for insects to sit on food.

Unlike, for example, ants or cockroaches, it is not so difficult to drive out flies. You can do without expensive traps and chemicals. I’ll tell you how to do it and how I drove the flies away.

Fly Traps

Traps are one of the easiest ways to deal with flies: no chemicals are required, your apartment or house will not smell bad, and you can set the trap and forget about it for a while.

Traps work like this: a fly smells the bait and flies into the narrow neck of the trap, but can no longer fly out. As a bait, you can use jam, syrup, beer, honey, or anything else sweet and fluid.

As the trap fills with flies, it is necessary to clean it – shake out the insects along with the old bait and pour in a new one. Before updating, the trap can be washed, but some owners do not do this on purpose so that the container is more attractive to insects.

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How often to clean the trap depends on the number of flies and the performance of the bait: if you see that the flies are no longer interested in jam, then it’s time to replace it.

This is a factory fly trap that also helps against wasps. The kit comes with a ready-made bait – however, in the reviews on Leroy Merlin they write that the manufacturer periodically forgets to put it in, and buyers have to fill the trap with jam themselves. And so you can make a trap from a plastic bottle yourself. In addition to being cheap, the advantage of such a trap is that you can see how many flies have been caught through the transparent walls of the bottle. However, someone will not like looking at insects, on the contrary

Sticky tapes

Sticky fly tapes are usually hung on a chandelier. Insects sit on the tape, stick to it and die. Whether flies land on the tape depends on what it is lubricated with. Manufacturers use different baits.

I tried three types of tape in my house until I found an effective one. I realized that it is necessary to focus on the price: if the tape is cheap, then it will hang idle, and if it is more expensive than the average, then flies will immediately stick. It was the tapes that ultimately helped me get rid of the flies.

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You can also make your own fly catching tape. To do this, you need to cut the paper into strips and smear these strips with rosin or resin – all this is sold in microelectronics stores, because it is used for soldering. If you add sugar, linseed or castor oil to rosin or resin, the trap will be even more attractive. Some people prepare such a mixture in a water bath so that everything mixes better.

The main disadvantage of stickies is their terrible appearance, especially when a lot of flies stick. The tapes are also quite long, and if the ceilings in the apartment are low, then periodically adults will stick their hair to them.

This Velcro in my house turned out to be useless. She hung for two weeks, and during this time only one fly was caught. Everyone else continued to quietly fly around the house

We hung another tape from another manufacturer in the kitchen. When it was covered with flies, we threw it out, and we didn’t hang a new one any more: its appearance discouraged any appetite

This Velcro in my house turned out to be useless. She hung for two weeks, and during this time only one fly was caught. Everyone else continued to quietly fly around the house. We hung another ribbon from another manufacturer in the kitchen. When it was covered with flies, we threw it away, and didn’t hang a new one anymore: its appearance discouraged any appetite Prices for sticky tapes from flies on Ozone start at 84 R, but it’s better not to take the cheapest ones

Fumigators

Fumigators are electrical appliances , which are plugged into the outlet and exude an unbearable smell for flies.

It is difficult to find a special fumigator specifically for flies – most devices are positioned as fumigators for mosquitoes and flies. I tried one of these devices, and it only helped against mosquitoes, but had no effect on flies. The flies even sat right on the working fumigator and calmly rubbed their paws.

Also, although manufacturers write that only insects will smell from the fumigator, in fact, people also feel it. Sometimes he is quite harsh.

I don’t recommend using this method with flies, although it is quite effective against mosquitoes.

At Wildberry you can find a mosquito and fly fumigator for R184

Sprays and aerosols

You can also use chemicals against insects – insecticides that need to be sprayed around an apartment or house.

Insecticides are very effective, but they have several serious drawbacks:

1. Work one time. After spraying, all the flies will die, and the next day new ones will fly in – and you have to spray again. That is, the premises will have to be processed every day.
2. Dangerous. Insecticides should not be used in the kitchen, and this is where flies usually accumulate. Sprays and aerosols often have a pungent odor; after applying them, you need to leave your home for 30-40 minutes to ventilate it.

When there were a lot of flies in my house, we used an aerosol – ordinary dichlorvos for 90 R. The procedure was quite complicated. My wife and children went outside, I sprayed dichlorvos in places where I most often saw flies. Open all windows at the same time. The smell was unbearable – my throat tickled and I began to cough.

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I sprayed dichlorvos for no more than five minutes, and then ran out of the house. We all returned together in about 30 minutes. There was a residual smell in the house, and all the flies were lying on the floor.

This insecticide “Doctor Klaus” is very powerful. If you spray a lot of it, it is better not to enter the room for at least half an hour, otherwise it will start to pinch your eyes and tickle your throat. The price in Leroy Merlin is 284 R

Poisons in jars

Poisons in jars are also chemicals, but in a safer state: powder or liquid. The powder is poured on lids for jars or saucers and placed around the apartment. You can also sprinkle the powder on the windowsills or moisten it with water and get a paste that you can use to smear, for example, the edges of tables or a kitchen set.

If you buy this poison, read the instructions for how to use it. Often the chemical does not kill the flies, but suppresses them: they fall to the floor and crawl. The manufacturer of the poison suggests that the owners should finish off the insects with a fly swatter or newspaper, and they write about this in the instructions. That is, “drunk” flies on the floor do not mean that the remedy does not work – on the contrary, it does just that.

I tried this fly jam. I bought three jars of 50 R at the pest control store

Inside the jars is a jelly-like liquid. My wife expected that the flies would roll right in the jar, and I convinced them that they would eat poison and fall on the floor. Both were wrong: the flies had to be killed

I tried this fly jam. I bought three jars of 50 R each in a pest control store. There is a jelly-like liquid inside the jars. My wife expected that the flies would roll right in the jar, and I convinced them that they would eat poison and fall on the floor. Both were wrong: the flies had to be finished off Poison in the form of a powder can be found in Leroy for 198 R Agita is designed specifically to fight flies. Inside the granules that need to be dissolved in water, and spray the room with the resulting solution. One can of Agita on Wildberry costs 770 R

Flyswatter

Flyswatter is the oldest and most tedious way to kill flies: you will have to chase after each fly.

Electric fly swatters are still being sold: devices with a grid through which a current that is safe for humans, but deadly for flies, passes. Such flyswatters reduce the chance of missing even if the flycatcher touches the fly tangentially.

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We must take: electric fly swatter

Electric fly swatter is more expensive. This is an option for 590 R at Wildberry On Ozone, prices for fly swatters start from 130 R

Folk remedies

There are also folk remedies for fighting flies. They are very cheap and simple, but the effectiveness of these funds has not been proven: it works for someone, it doesn’t work for someone.

Essential oils. If there is an aroma lamp, add lavender, basil, eucalyptus, mint or clove oil to it. If there is no aroma lamp, a few drops of oil are dissolved in water. Before spraying the solution, open the windows so that the flies have somewhere to fly out. The solution is sprayed everywhere. This method does not last long: aromatic oils evaporate quickly.

Vodka. Its scent also repels flies. Vodka is poured into a spray bottle and all rooms are sprayed. You also need to open the windows first so that the flies can easily find an escape route.

Apple cider vinegar. It must be poured into a jar and covered with a lid, in which holes should be made for flies with a diameter of 5-6 mm. The flies will crawl into the holes and die. In fact, this is also a trap.

Black pepper. You just need to spread it in places where flies accumulate – they do not like it. This method is very limited: flies will not land only next to black pepper, but nothing will prevent them from flying all over the apartment.

Plants. There are two kinds of plants that catch flies with their leaves. This is the Venus flytrap, whose leaves snap shut when a fly lands, and the butterfly. Zhiryanka still produces sugar, which attracts flies, and when they sit on the leaves, they stick to them.

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Flycatchers and indestructible flowers: where to buy unusual plants for your home

This is what a Venus flytrap looks like. Flies fly into the “mouth” of the plant – it slams shut, and the flower eats the fly. Source: Mihai-Bogdan Lazar / Shutterstock

Flies get used to the means of dealing with them

Lyudmila Semochkina

expert in sanitary and epidemiological well-being

I would add special stickers to the means against flies. They look more decent than ribbons: they are, for example, in the form of butterflies and are glued to windows. It is advisable to place stickers higher so that children and pets do not get them. The flies will land on the stickers, eat poison and die within a few days. The active ingredient in the stickers is the pesticide methomyl.

Dichlorvos, chlorpyrifos and similar solutions are indeed often used in country houses. They are very effective, but also very toxic.

To reduce the population of flies in a private house, you need to regularly clean the gutters and sewers – this is the main breeding ground for some types of flies. You can also get social spiders in the suburban area – this is a special kind of spiders that can live a “social” life. This method was used in hospitals in South Africa, because none of the available drugs worked on flies there.

All insects develop resistance to chemicals over time – in other words, they get used to them. Therefore, it is worth changing the drugs. When changing, look not at the name, but at the active substance: the chemical should change, not the trademark.

How to prevent flies

To prevent flies from appearing again and again, you need to follow these rules:

1. Keep clean, especially in the kitchen. Remove crumbs and leftover food from the table in time. Throw away spoiled food immediately.
2. The trash can must have a lid and not overflow.
3. Hang mosquito nets on windows.
4. If you do not live in an apartment, but in a private house, make sure that compost heaps and landfills, even temporary ones, are not near your home. If the doors are constantly open, you need a soft mesh like a mosquito net – with a cell through which even a mosquito will not crawl through. Tulle won’t help here.

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Why is there a faceted glass – here the “fly” is three hundred years old!

A person’s acquaintance with the peculiarities of the language begins with primitive sounds: yum-yum, beep, mom, and continues throughout life. Later it turns out that expressions known to us since childhood have a second, third, several meanings, can be used in a literal and figurative sense. Stable turns of speech – phraseological units – often have a long history, but over time, the source that served as the reason for the emergence of a particular phrase is forgotten. So it happened with the expression “to be under a fly”, that is, in a light drunk, or more outdated – “crush the flies” (“crush the bottle”).

Something from history

When teaching literature at school, not all teachers give explanations to little-known words and phraseological units found on the pages of old classical works. In Chekhov, Dostoevsky, Kuprin, Bulgakov, one can find the expression “to crush a fly”, “to kill a fly”. Suffice it to recall Pushkin’s lines from “Eugene Onegin”:

“He settled in that peace,

Where is the village old-timer

Scolded for forty years with the housekeeper,

Looked out the window and crushed flies

The expression “squeeze flies” is perceived by schoolchildren as idleness: out of boredom, a person crushes flies. In fact, this phrase has nothing to do with insects.

In 1720, by the decree of Peter the Great, the first “Tavern House” was opened in St. Petersburg, and then a whole network of taverns throughout Russia. Initially, the owners of the taverns were foreigners. In order to attract the townsfolk to the establishments, Peter Alekseevich issued a decree that obliged the visitor to pour the first cup for free. But the cups at that time had a very impressive volume – 120 – 150 grams, and the innkeepers did not like such a marketing ploy. Therefore, especially for taverns, centrally introduced a glass with a capacity of 10 – 15 grams. People called them “fly”. According to one version, when the innkeeper poured vodka into it, the visitor said: “What is this?! Right there, only a fly will drown itself! But lovers of free treats began to go to drinking establishments in order to drink a free “fly” in each. This is how the expression “walk under the fly” appeared.

Assumptions of scientists

In Dahl’s dictionary there is an expression “to kill a fly” in the meaning of “get drunk”. But why it was the fly that was killed, there are several assumptions. In the 19th century, a card game was called “fly”, which is confirmed by an excerpt from the correspondence between P. Vyazemsky and A. Turgenev in 1828: “… The other day, he himself made his debut in a fly (card game is in fashion) …”

The verb “kill” is also actively used in the jargon of gamblers. “This means blocking the opponent’s card with the highest or trump card, as a result of winning in the course or in the game. In our time, for example, the expression “Your card is beaten!” (killed). In the classics – “The jack is killed, the nine has taken” (N. Gogol “Players”). Based on the analogy, the very expression “under the fly” appeared. It is not the first time that the preposition “under” becomes part of a phraseological unit about the state of intoxication: “under the hop”, “under the degree”.

There is also an opinion that this expression came from medical jargon. Like, when a person is intoxicated, he can see flies (the medical term is “myodesopsia”).

Another version is glasses “with a fly”, which appeared at the end of the 18th – beginning of the 19th century. The flies depicted on thin crystal looked like real ones. At that time, the art of “deceiving the eyes” (from the French trompley) was popular. Such glasses “with a fly” were made for collections. It looked like flies were swimming in the drink. Drunk citizens tried to catch this painted drowned woman with a spoon or finger, which amused the other guests.

Still, linguists tend to believe that the expression “to be under a fly”, “crush a fly” came from gamblers.

My “fly”

In my childhood there was also a glass of “fly”. In the post-war years, children were given fish oil as a vitamin. I could not be persuaded to take this disgusting food supplement until my father found a way out. A teaspoon of liquid fish oil was poured into a miniature, thimble-like, silver glass with an elegant handle. This was followed by a story about a magical vitamin that turns a small child into a smart and strong person.

And since I was in a hurry to learn to read, this glass of “magic nectar”, as it seemed to me, brought me closer to my cherished dream. I carefully took the handle and drank the contents in one gulp. For some time I listened to how the warm odorous liquid penetrates deep into the body and, while waiting for breakfast, leafed through my favorite books. Soon the expression “child under the fly” began to mean that the vitamin had already been given to me.

My acquaintance with the branded glass “fly” took place about ten years ago in Yelabuga. The fact is that the Elabuga Museum-Reserve produces a huge number of souvenirs. Among all kinds of crafts made of wood, plastic, birch bark, glass souvenirs are of particular pride. The pride of the museum workers is the Yelabuga souvenir glass “fly” – an exact copy of the same “fly” that existed even under Tsar Peter Alekseevich.

And the history of the Elabuga “fly” began with the fact that the general director of the museum-reserve Gulzada Rakipovna Rudenko discovered an old miniature glass in the funds. By the opening of a new cafe, which is also a theater museum, stylized as a drinking establishment of the 19th century and called “Traktir”, it was decided to order the first batch of such glasses at the factory in Gus-Khrustalny. The story about Petrovsky gratuitous offerings, as well as the famous horseradish tincture according to the recipe of great-great-grandfathers and specialties for it, made an excellent advertisement for the once merchant, and now the city-museum.

A patent was received for the Yelabuga “fly”, local artists developed the design of a souvenir box. Now buses with tourists linger for a long time near the “Art Salon” and “Traktir”, where the “fly” has successfully revived and by its existence reminds of an interesting fact from the history of Russia. By the way, Yelabuga sells more than 4,500 souvenir glasses “fly” per year.

From the “glass” collection of Galina Fadeeva: a glass with “flies”.

The glass itself is a “fly” (with a socket wrench diameter of 18).