Although flies aren’t as scary as bees, hornets, or wasps, they are more than just a loud, buzzing nuisance. Houseflies are attracted to things people are repulsed by, such as dead animals, trash, and rotten food.
They aren’t so easy to ‘herd’ outside of a window, as even when provoked, they would (seemingly) aimlessly buzz around for a while and simply continue what they were doing. Today we’ll talk about how to get rid of houseflies at home, so without any further ado, let’s dive straight into it:
Fly identification
The first thing that you should do is identify which type of flies you are faced with. Horseflies bite, houseflies are capable of spreading germs at a rapid pace while fruit flies are slightly less dangerous, but they breed more rapidly than the other two types.
Houseflies are around 0.25-inch large on average, horseflies are nearly four times as big while fruit flies are nearly half the size of an average housefly. Additionally, houseflies have a translucent greenish tint on their backs; fruit flies are yellow while horseflies are brownish-black in color.
Since we’re focused on houseflies, all you need to know about the other two types is that fruit flies need to be dealt with as quickly as possible so as to prevent an infestation while horseflies should be approached with a bit of extra caution, as they are prone to biting.
Herbs and plants that repel houseflies
The easiest way to ensure that houseflies won’t even consider entering your home is to plant certain herbs near them. Basil, marigold, bay leaves, and lavender are generally the most effective, plus they both smell and look great.
This approach, however, won’t get rid of the flies that are currently in your home. The average lifespan of a housefly can be up to a month, which is more than enough time for an infestation to take place.
The herbs you’ve planted will also dissuade houseflies who are stuck in your home from leaving the way they came.
Natural housefly trap – vinegar & dish soap
A mix of dish soap with vinegar is both a lure and a trap for houseflies. Fill a relatively tall glass with water, and put the ingredients into it.
They will be fairly attracted to it, regardless of how well they’ve been hiding so far, and the soap will cause them to sink down, and ultimately drown.
This is another simple solution that offers practicality, but not a 100% success rate. You will be able to trap a few houseflies this way, but it’s not suitable for medium-scale infestations (and higher).
Fly tapes
A slightly more complex approach to eliminating houseflies is by using fly sticky tapes. The only reason why this can be a bit more challenging than planting herbs or mixing soap with vinegar is that you will need to predict their movement for tapes to be effective.
Older designs and models are simply sticky tapes that are taller and slightly narrower than regular toolshed adhesives; fortunately, more modern fly tapes also feature housefly lures, as they are sprayed with special scents that the flies find particularly attractive.
Even the most up-to-date fly tapes can’t ensure the elimination of a full-blown infestation, although they are far more effective at removing dozens of flies in one go.
Ideally, you should hang several fly tapes in each area where they seem to be the most active. The process can be repeated and is much easier to orchestrate than arranging extra space for additional plants; its main benefit is the ability to tackle up to 20 flies per stick, although its drawback is that your housemates may be slightly inconvenienced by the hanging adhesives.
Fly swatter
The traditional fly-removal tool is the infamous fly swatter. Many would argue that it has more drawbacks than benefits, but it remains the ultimate housefly exterminator to this day.
The main advantage fly-swatting approach over the alternatives is immediacy. You won’t have to wait for the traps to set off while praying they’ll work, and you’ll be able to simply flail at them until they’re down for good.
It may require a bit of trial and error to become sufficiently proficient with it, and you’ll eventually learn how to daze flies instead of splattering them on your walls. Again, this method is best for hunting up to several houseflies and is far from perfect against dozens of them at a time.
Nuclear solution – insecticides
The worst-case scenario when it comes to housefly infestations is that they’ve bred in such numbers that all of the traps and methods we’ve listed so far combined couldn’t even make a dent in their ranks.
When picking, plucking, swatting, and drowning them simply won’t work, you may want to consider using pesticides. These chemical solutions are on the opposite end of the spectrum from natural, somewhat more ethical solutions, and they pull a variety of drawbacks, most of which revolve around contaminating your home.
Fortunately, modern-day technology has advanced to the point that insecticides that are not dangerous to humans now exist. Namely, pyrethrin-based solutions can tackle full-blown infestations without polluting the air inside your home, although it’s considered the weakest insecticide, as flies will eventually develop a sort of resistance towards it.
Even though it’s a light-duty insect exterminator in nature, pyrethrin-based insecticides tend to leave pungent odors after being used, so ensure that your entire home is adequately ventilated after using it.
Call a professional exterminator
When all else fails, you can always hire a professional to get rid of your housefly infestations quickly. Professional exterminators are normally equipped with better technologies and insecticides in comparison to the commercially available anti-fly gear, so the drawbacks of all the aforementioned approaches will be negated.
On the downside, the services of professional exterminators can be quite costly. In certain cases of larger-scale infestations, heavier pesticides may be warranted, which may render your home unlivable for a while.
We hope that this brief guide was useful to you and that you have learned something new today on how to get rid of houseflies at home. Make sure you are staying safe in these times we are all going through and have a good one, guys!
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