6 natural ways to keep pesky flies away (2024)

FAQs

What smell do flies absolutely hate? ›

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.

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.

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.

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.

Create a fly and wasp repellent.

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.

When used as a fly repellent, ground cinnamon powder is typically sprinkled in areas where flies congregate or mixed with water and used as a spray. Cinnamon essential oil, as well as its terpenoid compounds, has proved toxic and with repellent properties against some insects.

Mix 1 cup of vinegar or water in the bottle with a few drops of dish soap. Add the fly bait of your choice, such as a small piece of overripe fruit or sugar.

What is the best fly deterrent for indoors? ›

Cut a lemon in half and place 20-25 cloves in the lemon halves. Flies hate the smell of cloves! Put several drops of Eucalyptus oil on ribbon or cloth strips and hang them near doors or windows.

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.

You can make use of natural oils such as citronella oil, lavender, eucalyptus, peppermint, neem, and lemongrass. Try mixing them with rubbing alcohol or water and fill them in a spray bottle. Using these natural housefly's repellent can deter those pesky creatures as well as create a beautiful aroma in your house.

You can be clean and still have these things pester you, it doesn't mean you're a dirty person. Some scents that flies dislike are camphor, cloves, lemongrass, lavender, eucalyptus, mint and cinnamon. We got fruit flies and can't get rid of them.

Use a shallow dish bowl and fill it with an inch of apple cider vinegar and a tablespoon of sugar. Next, add some fruit-scented dish soap. You can leave the dish uncovered or tightly covered with plastic wrap. Make sure to poke a few holes in it to attract the flies.

Some common insecticides for killing flies include pyrethroids, which are synthetic versions of natural insecticides found in chrysanthemum flowers, Johnson says. These chemicals inhibit flies' nerves when they touch them, causing paralysis and death. Imidacloprid is another chemical often used in bait fly traps.

From rotting meat to fermenting fruit, it's safe to say flies are attracted to unpleasant smells. The good news is that they're also repelled by many pleasant (or, at least, more desirable than garbage) smells. This means you can freshen up your home and keep flies out!