The scent of laundry detergent or additives on your clothing will also bring them your way. Body heat and moisture also play a role. Many species of gnats and flies are attracted by body heat. Others are in search of moisture.
Dirty clothes attract them because they like the smell of our body fluids and food stains on our clothing. Even stranger than that, studies show that cockroaches also like the smell of laundry detergent, so not even your clean clothes are immune to their attention.
o They are attracted to the heat of the warm body, to sweat and salt, and the more the person sweats the more flies they attract. o Flies feed on dead cells and open wounds. o Oil is an important food for flies. Oily hair is an attractant.
If your home has been overrun with flies, look in places of your house that offer temperatures that are favorable for fly eggs. Bathrooms, laundry rooms, and areas around appliances (hot water heaters, dishwashers, fridges, etc.) are a few examples of some of the spots that can offer ideal temperatures for fly growth.
Home flies are appealing to organic dirt, such as excrement and rubbing flesh, while fruit flies are much more likely to look for sucrant chemicals and to feast on overripe fruit, spilt drink and liquor. Drain flies prefer wet conditions and organic matter to lay their eggs inside drains.
Common house flies are attracted to decaying organic filth such as feces and rotting meat, whereas fruit flies seek sugary substances and feed more commonly on overripe fruit, spilled soda, and alcohol.
In many of the hotter regions of the world a fly can actually lay her eggs on damp clothing which has been laid out to dry. This usually happens when the clothes are drying in shaded areas and not so often if they are left in the direct sunlight.
At the end of the experiment, about twice as many bugs were attracted to the dirty clothes as to clean ones, the team reports today in Scientific Reports .
A foul rotting piece of organic matter (from food, to feces, and everything in between) is probably the reason why the house flies are growing at an alarming rate in your home. It is the perfect breeding ground for houseflies and they will show up near and far to take advantage of the filth that is available to them.
Houseflies LOVE the scent of food, garbage, feces, and other smelly things like your pet's food bowl. They're also attracted to your body if you have a layer of natural oils and salt or dead skin cells built up.
There are practical measures you can take to deter house flies, such as thorough cleaning which can get rid of breeding spots, removing potential areas for flies to lay eggs, as they can reproduce very quickly. Removing decaying food such as meat, fruit, vegetables and faeces as these attract the common house fly.
Flies are just like us – they spend the entire day buzzing around with their friends and get pretty tired at bedtime. Before sunset, a sleepy fly will try and find a safe place to rest. Some favourite places are on the undersides of leaves, twigs, and branches, or even in tall grass or under rocks.
There is a general misconception that any soap can be used as an insecticide. Dishwashing liquids are primarily designed to dissolve grease from dishes and clean clothes, not to kill insects. Dish detergents may dissolve the protective waxes on the plant leaves.
The even better news is that the detergent you use doesn't need to be expensive or in any way unique. IN fact, good old fashioned washing up liquid can kill bed bugs. All you need is a generic laundry detergent and you are good to go.
Dust Mites
They thrive in warm and humid environments and are usually present in mattresses, upholstered furniture, carpets, and curtains. As scavengers, they don't directly feed on humans as bedbugs do. Instead, they feed on dead skin, pet dander, pollen, and bacteria.
If you wash clothes at the highest temperature recommended by the manufacturer, the bed bugs may not be able to tolerate it and should die. Any bed bugs that survive the washing machine should die in the dryer, which uses heat to remove water from the clothes.
Mildew and Mold Formation
Mold and mildew formation poses a risk to your family, especially if someone is pregnant or asthmatic. Mold also leaves an unsavory odor around your house. To keep mold and mildew at bay, it's best to do your laundry frequently. Also, avoid leaving dirty laundry on the floor.
Cinnamon – use cinnamon as an air freshner, as flies hate the smell! Lavender, eucalyptus, peppermint and lemongrass essential oils – Not only will spraying these oils around the house create a beautiful aroma, but they will also deter those pesky flies too.
Check cracks around windows, doors, and vents as possible entry points. It is crucial to determine where the breeding sources are located and how they are entering the buildings. Rural areas where farms are present may be more problematic for the higher number of breeding sites than areas in an urban setting.
One type of fly found in Africa lays its eggs on the ground or on damp cloth such as clothing or bed linens that are hung out to dry. The larvae hatch from the eggs and people get infected by contact with the ground or clothes that have fly larvae attached to them.
Chemical sprays kill flies instantly upon contact, though they contain harsh chemicals. You can also spray the flies with household cleaners, like Windex or Formula 409, or with an aerosol like hairspray. All of these sprays will help you kill a fly. Purchase chemical fly sprays at home supply stores.
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.