How to Get Rid of Flies |
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We know how it goes.. You’ve just settled into your warm, comfy bed and as you begin drifting off into a peacefull slumber you’re suddenly dive-bombed… BZZT! Now you’ve got to get up, turn on the light and kung-fu battle a kamikaze fly before you can go to sleep… great. This article will have you playing midnight-fly-assasin much less frequently.
1. Eliminate the sources of the fly infestation
All fly infestations can be traced back to a source of unprotected organic material. The usual culprits are improperly handled garbage, animal droppings and dead animals. There are tons of different species, all of whom enjoy feasting on different things, but their preferred main courses are not so diverse that we need to immediately differentiate them unless you are unable to remove all of the possible food sources as outlined in this article.
Fly-food and breeding grounds
The key to reducing any fly population is to identify and eradicate the feeding and breeding grounds and as luck has it, flies lay their eggs in their food. Follow along as I walk you through some of the most common attractants and explain what you can do about them.
Garbage and decaying organic matter
Many filth fly infestations are the result of improperly handled human wastes. Perform a thorough inspection of every nearby area that collects organic waste such as garbage cans, dumpsters, and compost heaps. Flies will feed and breed in any of these places assuming the waste is moist and accessible. Make sure all garbage is bagged and stored in garbage cans with tightly-fitting lids secured to the cans. In the case of metal trash cans, a pair of bungee cords can be threaded through the handles and over the lid to keep it secure. Dumpster’s should have hinged lids that are kept closed and compost heaps should be screened off or contained in tubs. Look around for loose organic materials and spills.
Inside of your home, organic waste should be drained and wrapped in newspaper prior to throwing into the trash. The paper will help to dry out the waste - flies can’t breed in dry waste. Make sure your trash can has a tightly fitting lid, and tie the bag completely shut before transferring to an outside can for trash pickup. If you have flies breeding in your drains, a commercial drain cleaner will remove the organic film that they are breeding in.
Animal waste
There’s nothing flies seem to like more than a warm log straight from your dog… Any animal waste should be picked up and immediately buried or flushed down the toilet.
Decaying flesh
Dead and decaying animal flesh can also breed flies - not to mention the horrible smell and appearance. Search around for dead birds, rodents, squirrels, and road kill. If you locate an unfortunate critter, use a shovel to move it and bury it at least three feet deep to keep any flies that spawn from it from reaching the surface.
Other attractants
Some varieties of flies feed on the blood of living creatures. These are a little harder to battle since you can’t completely eliminate their food source (you). Others lay eggs in other insects and earth worms. These types of flies are better battled with traps and physical barriers like screens and netting.
2. Fly management
If the source of the flies cannot be effectively eliminated then you may want to take more direct countermeasures. This section will show you how to fly-proof your home and kill them off with traps.
Fly-proofing your home
The process of fly-proofing your home is pretty straight forward, the two major entry-points for flies are doorways and windows. Windows can be protected by adding screens that fit tightly into the opening, leaving no gaps for flies to enter around the edges. Repair damaged screens with a dab of silicone caulk or screen patches (available in most places that sell screen windows). Doorways can be protected in a similar fashion with screen doors, or by keeping the door shut as much as possible.
Beaded curtains also work well for keeping flies out of an area. The better the beads interlock without gaps, the more effective they will be.
Fly repellents
Zip-lock water bags
Many people swear that a zip-lock bag filled half-way with water and attached over entry-ways will repel flies. No one yet knows how or why it works, but there is speculation that it has something to do with the way the moving water refracts light. If you have tried this please use the tips form at the bottom of the page to share your results with the rest of us.
Personal insect repellents
Repellents containing DEET (Diethyl-m-toluamide) work well at repelling all sorts of insects including flies. Use these rubs and sprays on your clothing rather than directly on the skin, and never on your pets.
Citronella oil is derived from citronella grass. It is used in perfumes, soaps, and insect repelling candles and tiki torches. These candles and torches are marketed mainly as mosquito repellents but also work to repel flies.
Fly traps
Fly traps have a dual purpose. If used intelligently they can dramatically cut down on the number of flies that you see by using them to strategically encircle your desired no-fly zones. They are also useful for monitoring the fly population as you work to eliminate environmental causes so you can get some feedback on the effectiveness of your actions.
Fly swatters
Not so much a trap as an offensive weapon, the common fly swatter is an effective tool for hunting down any particularly annoying flies that have made it through the perimeter. Find one at your local department store or supermarket.
Fly paper
Fly paper is efficient at catching flies, but is horrendously ugly. Use it in direct sunlight for the best results. Fly paper is also good for catching undamaged specimens for identification. The glue is very difficult to remove from hard surfaces and nearly impossible to remove from clothing so be very careful during setup and removal.
Fly traps
Most fly traps work by placing an attractive bait in a location from which the brightest light leads right into a trap. After feeding on the bait, flies will normally fly towards the brightest light source and get stuck inside of the trap. These can be purchased or made at home and work very well. Here are some things to keep in mind about these traps:
- The bait will need to be kept moist, so purchasing a trap that has a water reservoir can cut down on maintenance.
- These traps will also need to be periodically cleaned so look for one that opens easily.
- A mixture of molasses and cornmeal makes an effective bait that will not support fly eggs.
Place these traps up-wind of suspected areas of infestation.
UV Bug lights
Also known as bug zappers, these traps use an ultraviolet light to attract insects to an electrified grid where they are promptly charred out of existence by a high voltage current. They work excellently for reducing the overall insect populations when they’re habitually left on over night but they have the draw back of also killing beneficial insects. Small and portable indoor versions are also available.
Predators
If you live in an area where the removal of environmental causes is next to impossible such as near an animal farm, zoo or dump then you may want to see if the local residents will all pitch in to purchase some predatory insects from an insectary. Capture a few intact pest-insects to have positively identified and then contact an insectary, describe to them your situation and they will be able to recommend an effective predatory solution.
Quick-tip; Instead of a fly swatter, use your vacuum hose. It eliminates dead fly guts, and clean-up.
we have lived here for ten years an never had a fly problem until now my house is full they are not in the garbage as it’s under the sink an closed my house is clean the yard is clean. I’ve used the water bags,fly traps,fly strips an nothin works. if you leave the windows down in the car it fills up with flies the yard when you walk around the house there are flies every where ! ! Inside an out. sprays have helped but by the next day they are all back plus their families I’ve about had it getting a professional
I’ve tried the bag of water at the doors and it helps alot but they still seem to come in towards the bottom when you open the door. I think I’m going to try the one above with the shampoo because this year they seem like they have doubled and we have 2 white vehicles, they get in soon as you open the door. A friend of mine told me to use listerine mouthwash in a spray bottle and spray around your chair if you are sitting outside and it keeps the flies and mosquitos away. I’ve not tried it yet but will as soon as we make our weekly trip to Wal-Mart. That item is already on my list anyways. She says they were at a pool party last year and everyone was getting eat up, so the guy having the party went and got a sprayer that he had it in, sprayed the deck and patio with it and they all disappeared, so she carries a 4 oz. spray bottle with her everywhere….worth a try in my opinion.
I came to this website to see if anyone knew how this water in a ziploc was so effective i guess everyone is as puzzled as i but it works!!!
I have unsuccessfully tried the ziplock bag with water and a penny. My garage gets tons of flies in it because we leave it open so our dog can walk in and out of the house and i put up about 6 of those bags in my garage. The flies didn’t seem phased at all.
Friends and family in Memphis swear by the ziplock bag of water by the door, but they put a penny in the bag with the water. I’m not sure what the penny is for….I thought it was something unique to West Tennessee, but from what I’ve been reading, the water bag idea seems to work well…I’m going to try it myself!
We hung the water bag up with a staple gun. That did the trick just fine…now we’re just waiting to see if this trick works or not…
To Ellen, When I hung the bags of water up, I used a simple plastic wire tie and poked a hole through the bag just below the ziplock zipper. This seemed to work best for me because the first time I did it, I tried taping them up with duct tape. Needless to say, the bags fell and busted and I had a mess to clean up. Using the wire tie just below the ziplock zipper seems to support the weight ok.
I’ve been trying the bagged water trick for about a year now. We live in North Carolina right by a chicken farm. The owner just recently removed the chickens from the barn and now we seem to be bombarded by flies. I know that when the chickens are in the barn the flies don’t seem to be as bad. My house is at least 300 yards from the chicken barns also. For some reason, they seem to by especially attracted to white colored items like the ceiling in my garage. At first I thought the bagged water was cutting down the fly population in my home, but now I’m not so sure. I know the other day I killed at least 10 within a minute in my kitchen. I’ll bet there’s at least a couple hundred on the ceiling in my garage. They stay there over night and during the stayed the fly around and try to get in. I’m going out this weekend and try to get something else that works. Maybe a bug zapper? The only thing I don’t like about that idea is the pile underneath to clean up. I’m getting to the point that I’m willing to try anything. I’m sick of seeing fly droppings all over everything.
how do i do the zip bag thing fill it up close then tape it or nail it it sound like it heavy how will it kepp hanging with all the weight? i live in SW florida and i am disgusted with the flys in my home. I have tried windex, pesticides and bombing my house it worked but they came back. I dont know what to do anymore at night when we sleep they fly real slowly to the poit where they land on you and i have to get up to kill them before i lay back to sleep please let me know about the bags how to correctly put them up my kids also get attacked at night sounds funny but its gross!!!