Pick a language
English flag Italian flag Korean flag Portuguese flag German flag French flag Spanish flag Japanese flag Russian flag Greek flag Dutch flag                               
 

How to Get Rid of Flies

November 7th, 2009 by admin
1 Star2 Stars3 Stars4 Stars5 Stars (44)
Loading ... Loading ...
Republish     Print This Guide Print This Guide     Email This Post Email This Post        
 

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

Screens are good, mm-kay?

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 window 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 comments 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 torches and candles


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.
  • Capital punishment... for bugsPlace 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 overnight but they have the drawback of also killing beneficial insects. Small and portable indoor versions are also available.

Predators

Insectaries provide predator insectsIf 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.

Ask a question


Powered by Ask A Question

    Pages: 1 2





     

     
    Previous Tips »
    1. Eric Says:

      i actually tried the ziplock bag thing.

    2. Leona Says:

      My Aunt told me about putting a few pennies in a zip loc bag with water and leave it on the counter. I thought it was just another ‘gimmick’, but I was desparate, so gave it a try. It really does work!!
      If you have a fly problem, you really have to give this a try!

    3. Justin Says:

      Okay, so witht this bag theory. It seems like it works but I am trying to get rid of the flies in our garage. We just had a party and we have around 100 flies in there.

      So, would the zip- lock bag theory still work if i hung it in the garage, where there might not be that much light?

    4. Rick Says:

      Yes I have tried the zip lock bag, half full of water, I put five pennies in it and where we live in the country by a multch plant and cattle farms we were being masacured by flies. Now we sit out on our deck and very, very seldom even see a fly! This was a life saver for us. not sure why it works, I just know that it does.

    5. Eddy Cordo Says:

      Now I know why i don’t get flies in my house here in the tropics. I have an aquarium beside my dining room.

    6. Sherie Ray Says:

      I Lived @ 2 Places where they didn’t care about any thing! I hate Bugs Dirtyness!

    7. Lisa Says:

      I swear the water bag works. I just tried it this morning when i saw flies started coming into the house. I was so awed with the results.
      thank you so much. i wonder if fish tank will have the same effect??

    8. Maritsa Says:

      After reading everyone’s comment s I tried the ziploc bag trick w/ the pennies. Worked instantly!!!!!!!!!

    9. Dawn-marie Says:

      i have been putting my garbage in doubble bags before putting them into the big green bag that is placed in a locked contaner outside. i have cleaned the side of my house very well and i have sprayed, i don’t have a problem inside anymore but i still have alot of flies around the outside of my home. we moved in late summer last year, i thought thats why they were out there but no.my problem is getting worse everyday, dose anyone have any suggestions?…cheep suggestions?

    10. paula Says:

      use the plastic pant hangers with the metal clamps to hang your ziplocs.

    11. paula Says:

      I used plastic pant hangers with the metal clamps to hang my bags from…..hanger worked well, not so sure about the water in bag theory! BUT…. I’m trying again since you all swear by it. Thanks.

    12. BlaqRubi Says:

      Also, Windex blue kills but not instantly. Spray pine sol (or cheap immitation of pine cleaner) drops em instantly. However they come back.

    13. BlaqRubi Says:

      I have reviewed all the comments here I think I will try the zip lock with pennies and then I will check out the screens on windows and calk them.

      I never had fly problem till yesterday when I killed about 20 of them and could not figure out where they were coming from. There are two windows in my kitchen where they seem to be coming in.

      I have an orange tree in my yard and I am a new gardner, but the flies are no where near the food! It is amazing to me. They are not even entering the kitchen just congregating at these particular windows.

      So I will put up the zip lock bags, fix gaps and let you know how that worked for me.

      Thanks I love the internet!

    14. Paula Roberts Says:

      We have a small domestic farm and since the beginning of this summer FLIES are everywhere! We couldn’t sit on the front porch without being pelted with flies. I used fly sprays, other chemicals, bleached the cement porch…all this worked for about 3 or less hours and suddenly swarms of flies again! My husband read about zip-lock bags full of water and I laughed and said OKAY I will try anything. Put two bags on the front porch and NOT A SINGLE FLY ALL DAY AND NIGHT LONG!! I am still perplexed by this concept…I put two bags on the kitchen counter and one on a coffee table in the living room; NO STINKING FLIES ARE ANYWHERE I HAVE THE BAGS. AGAIN, NONE! I was a nay-Sayer on this and really, really believed this was a hokey thing…but it worked for us!

    15. maggie Says:

      I swear by the plastic bag of water trick I have them on side porch ( our house entry) and all around the basement door. We saw these in Northeast Mo at an Amish grocery store & have used them since. They say it works because a fly sees a reflection & won’t come around.

    16. Just DJ Says:

      Regarding the science behind zip log bags of water? My research found that each of the millions of molecules of water presents its own prism effect and given that flies have a lot of eyes, to them it’s like a zillion disco balls reflecting light, colors and movement in a dizzying manner. When you figure that flies are basically prey for many other bugs, animals, birds, etc., they simply won’t take the risk of being around that much perceived action. I moved to a rural area ant thought these “hillbillies” were just yanking my city boy chain but I tried it, worked immediately! We went from hundreds of flies to seeing the occasional one, but he don’t hang around long.

    17. TJ Says:

      What if the flies are all over the siding outside by the deck how do you keep them of that . They are there everyday insun or cloudy what can we do

    18. Lorraine Wilson Says:

      Zip lock!! It really worked for us!!! So sick of flys … tried the bag (closed not open that’s why it specified ‘zip lock’)… it’s hanging down from the middle of our back double sliding doors and no more flies … another tip … try burning incense … smells nice and works like citronella. Now I can do my cooking in peace … (but what about kids?)

    19. Deb K Says:

      I have a recurring horse fly problem. No food source, they seem attracted to my two picture windows in my living room. There were about 100 baby flies last June with many huge flys on this window, I thought I would go crazy. Got them all with a fly swatter…..but now,7 months later we have huge horse flys on the inside of the same windows. Why are they coming there. They aren’t in the kitchen, there are no dead animals or food source in that area at all. I have killed about 10 the past 5 days and by the way, it’s been below zero here……anyone have a clue what is going on?

    20. wayne w Says:

      little tiny flies are in my house we have cleaned it and cleaned again ..we tried clorox to set in the trap below the sink and let it set overnight we have a garbarater by the way we live in an apt

    Previous Tips »


     





    Copyright © 2006 by howtogetridofstuff.com