Keep your home fly-free this Summer with these natural repellents

As much as the warmer season is appreciated, the houseflies are not. These creatures invade the house during summer and can be an irritation. There are natural ways to prevent or get rid of flies in your home. Here’s how.

How to get rid of flies

Flies are attracted to places where they can lay their eggs. It is possible, and preferable, to get rid of these houseflies naturally, without pesticides. These methods are easy and environmentally friendly.

Vinegar and dish soap

A mixture of vinegar and dish soap can help you trap flies. For this method, mix apple cider vinegar and a few drops of dish soap in a glass. Secure the glass with plastic wrap and a rubber band, and poke small holes in the top. The flies will be attracted to the vinegar in the glass and will fly through the holes and drown. This is a simple yet effective way to rid your home of flies.

Vial containing Fruit Flies; the Fruit Fly (Drosophila melanogaster) continues to be widely used for biological research in genetics, physiology, microbial pathogenesis, and life history evolution

Image Credit: Unsplash

Use Venus flytrap houseplants

An interesting way to get rid of flies in your home, is by using Venus flytraps. These carnivorous plants eat insects, including flies. These are trap houseplants with a unique and interesting look that undoubtedly spark the interest of insects.

When a fly gets in the plant’s trap, it closes around the fly making it difficult for the fly to escape. It then secretes digestive fluid that helps dissolve the fly’s soft insides. It is unusual but effective.

Image Credit: Unsplash

Use Basil

Another interesting way of getting rid of flies naturally is by planting basil plants in and around the kitchen to keep the flies away. The smell emitted by the basil herbs keeps these nasty insects away.

You can make an insect repellent spray using basil. Use a cup of boiling water and 4 to 5 basil leaves to the mixture, then start spraying it around your kitchen.

Commercial light traps

This method might be on the pricy side but light traps work by attracting flies and swatting them with a jolt of electricity. They lure the flies by using an ultraviolet lamp that is quite efficient in attracting all kinds of flies that wander in and around your home.