How to Get Rid of Flies Naturally

Whether you are indoors or outside, flies can be a huge nuisance, and therefore you are probably looking for natural ways to get rid of flies. Well, you’ve come to the right place. This article will show you how to get rid of flies without chemicals, including how to make a fly trap, as well as tips and preventative measurements that will help you to keep gnats away from your house and garden.

Common Types of Flies

The house fly is the most common fly species found in human habitations and has spread all over the world. The female house fly lays batches of about 100 eggs on decaying organic matter, garbage or feces. Adult flies feed on a variety of liquid or semi-liquid substances (as well as solid materials which have been softened by their saliva). House flies carry pathogens on their bodies and in their feces which can cause food contamination and thus can transfer food-borne illnesses.

Another common fly is the fruit fly which is a common pest in homes, restaurants, and other places where food is served. The fruit fly is also considered a pest due to its tendency to infest places where fruit is found. Getting rid of fruit flies can be difficult, as larvae may continue to hatch in nearby fruit even as the adult population is eliminated.

When the flies are outside you can at least go inside to get away from them. When they invade your space inside, however, you then face many problems with hygiene, cleanliness, and overall aesthetics of your home.

Many modern bug and fly repellents use chemicals and pesticides that do more harm than good, especially if you use them in your kitchen – a common place for flies to hang out. However, there are natural ways to deter flies without using chemicals.

Here are five of the best natural options to get rid of flies and keep them away.

How to Get Rid of Flies Naturally

Method 1: Zip Lock Bag and Water

This method of fly repellent might seem crazy, and you definitely won’t believe it until you try it, but it works really well to naturally get rid of flies in your house, office, and pretty much anywhere else.

To deter flies from coming into your house, take a gallon sized Zip Lock or generic brand (just make sure that it closes tightly) and put at least four pennies in the bag and then fill it halfway full with tap water. Squeeze out the rest of the air, seal the bag, and tie it around your home, focusing on putting it near the windows.

How It Works: Ever wonder why you can’t seem to get a fly with a fly swatter? It is because they have many, many eyes that allow them to see you move in slow motion. That bag of water with pennies in it is also in their eyesight, and that’s the problem. The sun and lights will reflect off of the water and the pennies, making it look like your space is filled with hundreds of disco balls – sending those flies looking for the nearest exit.

Method 2: Cloves and Lemons

If you want your home to have a fresh smell while getting rid of flies, try out this fly repellent! While you will have to replace it every so often, it will definitely do double duty.

Cut a lemon into halves and insert 5-10 cloves into each of the lemon half. You should place a cut lemon (2 halves) in each room that you want flies to leave, focusing in on rooms like your kitchen, bedrooms, and bathrooms.

How It Works: The smell respells flies. You will definitely smell the cloves, which means that the smell will be rather intense for the flies in your house – and they hate the smell! They also don’t like the smell of lemons. You will also start to notice when the smell fades, so you will want to replace this every so often.

Method 3: Jar Repellent

This fly repellent is for someone who doesn’t want their company to know that they have a fly problem in the house. Instead, it just looks like a beautiful candle or decoration sitting on the shelf.

Take a shallow jar (small mason jars work best) and put two cotton balls at the bottom. Cover those with about 3 tablespoons of vanilla extract. Then, place FRESH mint and sage over top and seal with a cheesecloth. Place the fly repellent near your problem areas and watch them work their magic. You should replace these about once every week and a half for maximum results. You will get rid of flies in your house in no time.

How It Works: Flies hate overwhelmingly sweet or strong scents. The combination of sage, mint, and vanilla overpowers their senses and has them running. Think about how you feel when you pass the perfume department at a store, you don’t want to hang around long either!

Method 4: Fruit Fly Trap

If your problem is specifically fruit flies, your best bet is to trap them, not try to send those persistent pests away!

This fruit fly trap is one of the best natural ways to get rid of gnats. To set the fly trap, fill a small glass bowl with either some sweet wine or sugary juice and a small piece of fruit – bananas work very well. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and secure with a rubber band. Poke a few holes in the top, and your fruit fly trap is complete.

Soon, you will start to see lots of flies floating around in that juice. You will be surprised just how many you find!

How It Works: While fruit flies are drawn to your rotting fruit because of the smell, they are actually looking for somewhere to lay their eggs! They will go toward this sweet and rotting combination in hopes to find somewhere great – and then they will get trapped inside and drown. Killing fruit flies is a bit gruesome, but it works when you have swarms of them. It will usually only take one trap to kill all the fruit flies. Another trap you may want to use is an apple cider vinegar (ACV) trap which I’ve mentioned in my article on how to get rid of drain flies.

Method 5: Fly Paper

This is another fly trap that will help you to get rid of flies outside and in your house. You know those sticky traps that everyone used to have that were always disgustingly full of flies? This is the natural version of that!

Make your own fly trap by taking brown paper bags and cutting them into strips that are about 1.5-2 feet long. Make a thick syrup of equal amounts of sugar, honey (or corn syrup) and water, stirring until well combined. Brush the syrup on the strips and allow them to sit until they are tacky so they don’t run. Hang them anywhere in your home or outside and watch the flies accumulate.

How It Works: This fly trap works in two ways. First, it attracts any flies that do like sweet smells and tastes and locks them onto the paper. For those flies that do not like the sweetness, it will repel them. Place these strips near your doors and windows for the best results.

Method 6: Essential Oil Fly Repellent Spray

Essential oils make a great fly repellent and are good to keep away not only gnats, but also spiders, ants and mosquitoes. Good essential oils that repel flies include lavender, citronella, eucalyptus, lemongrass, peppermint, neem, cinnamon or tea tree oil.

Add up to 5 drops of essential oil and up to 5 drops of natural dish washing liquid to 1 qt. (1 l) of water. The dish washing liquid breaks the essential oil molecules in the water, thus making the mixture more consistent. Pour the mixture into a spray bottle and shake it well. Reapply the natural fly spray every couple of days near the windows and entrances to keep flies at bay.

If you are interested to learn more about essential oils you can find useful information in my e-book Magical Aromatherapy. This book will help you to discover the power of essential oils and the most effective ways to use them.

How to Get Rid of Flies – Preventative Measures

There are some general and basic principles that will help you get rid of most type of flies and keep them away from your house as well as outside:

1. Eliminating food source and breeding grounds – flies like to lay their eggs in or close to food sources so keep all fruit stored away and don’t leave any source of food sitting out. When you eliminate food sources, the flies will stop breeding in that area and will quickly move somewhere else.

2. Sanitation – flies are attracted to garbage, waste and drains, so keep your premises clean and dry (flies love humidity). Dispose garbage on a regular basis, place it at a location quite away from your house and keep the garbage covered. To sanitize your drain mix equal parts of white vinegar and boiling water and pour down the drain daily and keep the area around the drain dry (you can find more uses for white vinegar in my article 10 Surprising Household Uses for Vinegar).

3. Don’t over-water your plants as over watering is also a major cause of welcoming flies in your area as they love humidity.

4. Use window and door screens to keep the flies away while still enjoying the fresh air.

Flies can be a big problem, but that doesn’t mean you have to break your natural lifestyle to make them disappear. These natural methods will help you to get rid of flies and will allow you to live a pest free life – you might even catch more than flies!

Do you want to repel other insects from your house? Read my other articles in this subject:
1. How to Get Rid of Ants Cheaply and Naturally
2. How to Get Rid of Spiders Naturally
3. 10 Natural Ways to Repel Mosquitoes
4. How to Naturally Get Rid of Fleas From Your Home, Garden and Pets
5. How to Get Rid of Frogs – The Best Natural Ways
6. The Top 10 Home Remedies to Get Rid of Bed Bugs Naturally
7. How to Get Rid of Wasps Naturally
8. How to Get Rid of Roaches Naturally
9. Palmetto Bug: What it is and How to Get Rid of It Quickly
10. How to Keep Snakes Away: Effective Snake Repellents