1 Flies are attracted to food sources and organic matter like garbage cans, compost, and pet waste. The best way to get rid of flies is by removing food and moisture sources where they breed, but setting traps or using repellents can also help by temporarily reducing the population.
Standing Water: Flies, especially breeding flies like house flies, are attracted to moist environments. Standing water from rain, leaky faucets, or overwatering can create breeding grounds. Nearby Decay: If there are dead animals or decaying organic matter nearby, this can attract flies.
Cedar oil: One of the most traditional oils used to repel flies outdoors is cedar oil. It can also be combined with other essential oils such as lemon eucalyptus, clove oil, lemongrass oil, and citronella. Cedar wood chips or cedar oil-repellent mats can be used to repel flies and other insects in your yard.
Other attractors include animal droppings and wet spots in your yard from heavy rain. Flies are also more likely to pop up in the warmer months when conditions are ideal for breeding, plus high temperatures speed up the decomposition process of natural waste.
Overgrown vegetation, piles of leaves, and even outdoor lighting can attract bugs by providing ideal hiding spots or warmth. Scented candles, perfumes, and body lotions can also lure mosquitoes and flies closer, as they are attracted to strong odors and carbon dioxide exhaled by humans.
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.
Some soaps with essential oils can repel insects for a short time but, “Irish Spring soap specifically doesn't have enough quantity to register for mosquitoes [and] no ingredients that would repel flies,” he says.
Signs of Outdoor Fly Infestations
Swarms or higher numbers of flies: Swarms will occur near a significant food source or potential nest. Maggots: Female flies lay their eggs in garbage cans, rotting food, and manure. Favorite spots include food on outdoor tables, trash bins, compost piles, and pet waste.
Pine oil cleaner is one of the best fly repellents for your patio. Flies hate the odor of pine, so they'll stay away if you use it to clean your patio space. If you're looking for a more permanent solution, you can use fly bait or sticky traps to lure and kill the bugs.
Create a fly and wasp repellent.
This DIY pest repellant should be a staple in the Southern home. Pour equal parts water and Pine-Sol in a spray bottle to spritz on outdoor furniture, the deck, and indoor areas where flies are most likely to flock, such as kitchen countertops.
How to use Irish Spring soap for pest control. Avid gardeners say grating a bar of Irish Spring soap from Amazon and sprinkling it around your plants, both will deter bugs such as gnats, and outside, keep animals such as chipmunks and deer from chomping on your plants.
Locate and clean up feces, organic matter, and decaying food before applying products. A combination of fly baits, traps, and sprays can remove an infestation, allowing you to enjoy your porch or patio without flies.
Cayenne pepper is an excellent natural fly repellent that also deters many other insects. Mix one cup of water and one teaspoon of cayenne pepper in a misting bottle and spray it near entryways and wherever you see flies. Other natural fly repellents include lemongrass, peppermint, eucalyptus, camphor, and cinnamon.
Natural Sprays That Repel Flies:
Fill a spray bottle with ⅓ hydrogen peroxide and ⅔ water. After shaking the mixture, spray it on surfaces on which flies tend to typically linger. It works wonders!
Hover flies get their names from their pattern of flying, often hovering in the same spot for 5 to 10 seconds. If you have flowers blooming, you have hover flies visiting. They are a very common sight in the garden. There are several ways to distinguish them from a bee or wasp.
Homemade fly repellent spray: A mixture of dish soap, water, baking soda, and vinegar can be filled into a spray bottle. The mixture should contain a few drops of dish soap and a tablespoon each of vinegar and baking soda per cup of water. A few sprays of this mixture can be an effective fly repellent.
In addition to making your house smell minty fresh, herbs like spearmint and peppermint can also keep flies at bay. Mint grows quickly and makes an excellent addition to your backyard garden or your windowsill. For those who lack a green thumb, spearmint or peppermint essential oils can also prevent fly infestations.
House flies are attracted to decaying organic matter and can lay hundreds of eggs in moist areas like garbage, pet waste, or compost. Fruit flies are drawn to ripe or fermenting fruits and vegetables, as well as sugary substances like spilled juice or soda.
How to Get Rid of Hover Flies on Patio? White Vinegar Spray: Simply mix equal parts of water and white vinegar in a spray bottle. Shake well before use. Spray the mixture on areas where you have seen hoverflies or on plants that are being attacked.
Does Vinegar, Dish Soap, Essential Oils Repel Flies? Vinegar attracts, not repels flies; however, a container with vinegar and dish soap will function as an attractant trap as the vinegar lures flies to enter the trap and the dish soap will cause the flies to sink and die.
Irish Spring has some utility for repelling mammals, but it won't work at all to repel mosquitoes and other insects.
They're eating it. The most likely culprits are rats, but skunks, opossums, foxes, raccoons and squirrels have all been known to chow down on a bar of soap, which also dispels the common belief that a bar of Irish Spring will keep critters away.