How To Get Rid Of Flies When You Have An Infestation

Getting rid of files when you have an infestation can be incredibly frustrating. It may seem like nothing you are doing is working. Well, don’t be discouraged because there are proven ways to decrease and even totally eliminate those flies. I’ve done the research on this, so let’s get into it. 

How do you get rid of flies when you have an infestation? There are several things that you can do to get rid of the flies. You can create a Vinegar and dish soap mixture to trap the flies. Certain plants, if planted strategically, can help to repel flies. You can also use sticky fly traps, light traps, insecticides, and more. There are so many options. 

Continue reading for more details about the above suggestions and for many more methods that you can use to get rid of flies in various situations. 

Get Rid Of Flies In Your Home

Most people have dealt with a fly issue at one time or another, but when dealing with an infestation, you have to be deliberate with your efforts. And many times, people end up using more than one method to get rid of the flies. The following sections will outline different tactics to get rid of flies in your home. 

• Plant Flowers As Repellent 

Flowers are good for much more than decoration. They can be used to fight and insect infestation. There are several plants that flies just don’t like. 

 Some plants that flies stay away from are: 

• Lavender
• Bay Leaves
• Catnip
• Basil

 You can buy these flowers and place them in pots around your house to get the flies to find a home elsewhere. Alternatively, you can plant them and grow them at home. 

 Some people prefer to use this method for fly infestations because it doesn’t require the use of chemicals and you don’t have to actually kill the flies. This way you get to have your living space fly-free and the flies can live to see another day. 

Keep your food covered to prevent flies from landing on it

• Use Vinegar and Soap

The vinegar and soap fly trap method is a peculiar one that not many have heard of. It works in a very cool way.  

In a tall glass, mix about 3 ounces of vinegar with a few drops of dish soap. Next, you’ll need to cover the glass with plastic wrap. Finally, secure the plastic wrap with a rubber band and poke small holes in the plastic. 

Flies gravitate to the scent of vinegar, so it is used to attract the flies to the mixture. Once the flies crawl into the glass and land on the mixture, instead of being able to float, the flies will sink to the bottom of the mixture and die. It’s the dish soap that will make the flies sink. 

 This method works best if the flies are localized to a relatively small area of the house since the accent of vinegar can only go so far (this, attracting only flies near enough to the mixture to pick up its scent). 

• Lure Them Out With Treats 

Most of us know that there are some everyday things that flies just can’t resist. 

 Some treats that you can use to trap flies are:

1. Sugar 
2. Wine
3. Fruit

 Be careful when using these because they can also attract other insects and pests. 

• Cayenne Pepper Spray

Flies hate cayenne pepper. So you can repel flies by spraying a mixture of cayenne pepper and water on specific areas of your home. 

 You can easily make the mixture by putting 1 cup of water in a plastic bottle and then adding 1 teaspoon of cayenne pepper to the water. Shake the mixture up and get to spraying. 

 The best places to spray are window sills and doorways. This will target existing flies as well as flies that would have tried to get into your house in the future. The existing flies will hate the environment so much that they will leave on their own, and other flies will sense the cayenne pepper and will pass your house over. Fly infestation: Gone!

Sticky Traps

Sticky traps are essentially pieces of tape that are enhanced with fly bait. It’s easy to understand how they work. Different brands of sticky tape may use different ingredient formulations to lure the flies to the tape. However, on the whole, the tape is laced with a substance that flies cannot resist. The flies fly onto the tape and are trapped there until they die of starvation. 

 Most have heard of or seen, sticky fly traps hanging in people’s homes. They are an undeniable eyesore (no one wants to look at dead flies stuck to a hanging piece of tape). But there is a big reason why people continue to use them. They work! 

When flies feed, they regurgitate to dissolve the organic material they are ingesting.  However, this process is not clean and there will be leftover regurgitation once they are gone

 To help gain control of your fly infestation, you can hang as many sticky traps as you want around your home. Some really good places that you can hang your traps include doorways and window sills. You can use sticky traps outside too, but you will find that they work very nicely in the home. 

• Get Your Sticky Traps

 The special glue that costs these strips is very strong. Once the flies land, they cannot escape. Customers love these sticky traps because it uses no chemical ingredients, making it safe for use around pregnant women and children. The strip is double-sided so that flies will get stuck from all angles. 

 This type of flytrap is the easiest to use out of all of them. All that you need to do to start catching flies is pull out the tube and stick it in areas where flies congregate (whether it be in window sills or doorways). Watch the fly population diminish using this method. 

• Light Trap

The light trap is not as popular as the sticky trap, and many are not even aware that they exist. The light trap is basically a box with a light in the back of it. The light attracts the flies, and when the flies land on the light, the fly will either die from an electric zap or from being trapped within.

 There are many varieties of light traps, some do not even produce the “popping” sound that many dislikes.  For others, it is all about style.  There are so many that you can select from a wide variety from the ones that only use light, to the ones that look great, or maybe a more frugal appearance.   Or choose something that does not require insecticides, or maybe one that does.

Get Rid Of Flies Outside

There are situations in which flies infest the outside of a house. Maybe they are taking over your garden. No one wants that. 

 Luckily there are ways to get rid of fly infestations that are outside of the home. Try one or more of the following tips to get thy infestation under control. 

• Use Venus Flytraps

The Venus flytrap is a carnivorous plant that survives on the meat of small living organisms, like flies. The name directly and accurately implies that the plant can trap flies. 

 When a fly lands on the prominent leaves of a Venus Flytrap plant, the plant’s leaves close together, trapping the fly within. Digestive juices then break the fly down, and then the plant spits out the hard exoskeleton of the fly. 

BEautiful and efficient, venus flytraps require care and committment.

 If you’d like, you can add some flytrap plants to your garden to help reduce the number of flies. Keep in mind though that you may need to use this method in conjunction with another method to get rid of all the flies. There is likely an underlying reason why flies congregate in a specific place, and you’ll need to remedy that. 

Get Your Venus Flytraps

If you are a planter, you probably already know where to get your Venus Flytraps from. But for those who aren’t well-versed in gardening, you can get yours on Amazon. 

 First, you’ll want to decide whether you want to buy live Venus Flytraps or if you want to buy the seeds and plant them yourself. 

•  Live Venus Flytrap

 Getting a live Venus Flytrap is easy indeed as there are many greenhouses and even online stores that carry them.  However, in order to have them thrive in your garden or home you will need to make sure that the Venus Flytrap you buy has been born in the states and raised here.  These plants are not indigenous to the United States and therefore they need special care and considerations. 

 There is little to no benefit to you to buy plants to which you will provide nor care nor proper consideration.  It’s just a waste of money and life.  Venus Flytraps require warm weather, so if in the place where you live there is snow, you need to keep them potted planted so that you can move them indoors when the first cold strikes.

•  Venus Flytrap Seeds

 Some plant-hobbyists prefer to grow their own plants, that way they can be sure that the plants will settle adequately in the environment in which they will thrive.  This, of course, means commitment and care; it also reinforces that the plants must be potted planted so that they can be easily moved to a warm area if the environment becomes too cold or too wet.

 When buying seeds to grow you own Venus Flytrap, make sure that these are high quality. The seeds are non-GMO and easy to grow. You know that the seeds are high-quality because they are harvested from open-pollinated plants. After harvest, the seeds are stored in a temperature-controlled facility to ensure the highest quality. 

 These seeds grow into Purple Dionaea Muscipula Giant Venus Flytraps. They are absolutely gorgeous, as they are a vibrant purple. You can add character and interest to your garden while controlling the flies. 

 You get 50 seeds for a couple of dollars. It’s a great buy. But don’t forget that you’ll need to purchase soil, pots, and other items to help your plants thrive. 

Venus Flytraps can catch and eat other insects, including beneficial ones.  Regardless, the rate of this is far lower than with the use of other forms of fly control

 

Insecticides

 In addition to natural ways to get rid of houseflies, you can use insecticides to kill the flies. These should be reserved only for large fly infestations. 

 There are several types of insecticides that are used for house flies. Perhaps the most popular type of insecticide is Pyrethrin. This chemical (and other chemicals in this family) kills flies very quickly upon contact, and it is very effective at quickly reducing fly populations both indoors and outdoors. 

 The main problem that people have when using insecticides as a whole is that they are not good long-term solutions to fly infestations. This is because flies have short life cycles and are able to develop resistance to those insecticides. So, while you will get rid of them quickly, they can return at higher rates after developing resistance to that insecticide. 

 Note: It’s very important to choose an insecticide that is safe for you to use indoors. Later on, we will examine some different types of insecticides and how to decipher whether they are safe to use indoors. 

• More About Insecticides

For heavy-duty fly infestations, it might be advantageous to use insecticides (over other less involved methods). Insecticides, in general, can be used both indoors and outdoors. Often, they are used indoors in hotels, shopping malls, office buildings, and homes. You can also use them outside in gardens, parks, rec areas, and many other places. You can also spray insecticides into plants and shrubs. 

 Using insecticides is not complicated. All that you have to do is begin to treat an infestation at the first sign. If applying insecticides outdoors, make sure that you apply the product when the weather is expected to be calm. If it rains immediately after the application of the insecticide, there is a large chance that all of the active ingredients of the product will be washed away. If it rains more than 24 hours after application, that’s perfectly fine. 

 When using insecticides indoors, you’ll want to cover all surfaces that come into contact with food. You’ll also want to make sure that utensils are protected. Spraying over food is also not recommended. As with all of the other fly infestation control methods, you should pay special attention to where you apply the adhesive. Apply the insecticide wherever pests gather. 

Places like the following give the best results: 

1. Doors
2. Windows
3. Cracks 
4. Crevices
5. Attics

 

No matter how you plan to use the insecticide, take the time to read the usage instructions, as there will be deviations from these general instructions and guidelines. 

• Professional Extermination Services 

If you’ve tried several of the methods above and have been unsuccessful in bringing the fly numbers down, it just might be time to call in professional exterminators. When people think of exterminators, they might think of guys who help to get rid of roaches or spiders, but there are many companies out there that offer fly extermination services. 

 Do an internet search to find out if there are any fly exterminators in your area and make an appointment immediately. 

 A professional exterminator will inspect your house to get a full picture of the extent of the infestation. Depending on your specific situation, the exterminator may do one or more things. He might put light traps all throughout your house. He may also spray certain surfaces with a fly insecticide. 

 A good exterminator will go through your house and educate you on things that you can do to deter flies from occupying the property. They might point out cracks or holes in screens and between doors. 

• For Business and Commercial

If you are having a fly infestation in a commercial building, an exterminator may give you the option to purchase more expensive fly control options, like light traps that are disguised as high-end light fixtures. 

• General Cost of Professional Exterminator 

 You can expect to pay anywhere from $200 to $300 for a one-visit fly extermination treatment for an everyday home. There may be packages that you can buy that require a commitment of several months for a deal. 

 For commercial spaces, getting an exterminator treatment could cost much more. Many pay more than $500 and into the thousands for a visit. 

 Often you will need quarterly visits from a professional to monitor the progress of the treatment, and these could carry an extra cost. 

• Choose The Best Extermination Company For You 

 It may go without saying that not all exterminators use the same methods. Because of this, you may prefer one of the exterminator’s methods over another’s. While one exterminator may regularly use chemical-laden insecticides, another may utilize more natural ingredients to kill and/or trap the flies. 

 To help you find out if a specific exterminator company is right for you, you’ll need to do your due diligence by asking several questions. Start by asking them how they normally go about reducing a fly infestation. You should also ask them how and why their methods work to remedy a fly infestation. Based on their answers, you may want to move forward with them or look into a different company. 

 You also want to check the company’s credentials. Two memberships that help to differentiate the best pest control companies from the average ones are the National Pest Management Association and QualityPro. In addition, you should check references and reviews on the company. These tell-all. 

 An exterminator should offer you much more than just a low price. If the exterminator isn’t well educated or isn’t diligent in his work, then you may end up needing to start over with a new company and pay more money. 

What Makes Your House Attractive To Flies?

Flies are attracted to any type of material that they can lay their eggs in. Things like animal feces and rotten food or garbage. Also, bright lights attract flies. Knowing what flies are attracted to puts you in a good position to stop and prevent fly infestations. 

 Now that you know why flies might find your house to be attractive, you can take measures to prevent it. There are many ways to prevent a fly infestations. Let’s look at some ways below. 

 The key is to make sure that flies have nowhere to lay their eggs, by: 

1. Not leaving dirty dishes out on the counter. Make it a new routine in your house to never even place dirty dishes on your counter. This is totally doable. 
2. Storing your food in airtight containers. Flies absolutely love open containers of food. Do yourself a favor and cover up your food so that flies won’t be attracted to your home. 
3. Using a garbage can that has a lid that fits tightly. Everyone knows that flies are attracted to open garbage cans, as well as garbage cans that are not adequately sealed. Purchasing a garbage can with an airtight lid greatly decreases the probability of a fly infestation. 
4. Inspecting your doors and windows to make sure that they are completely sealed and that no pests can make it into your home. Flies can get through surprisingly small holes. Seal those off with caulk and/or make other necessary repairs to save yourself the headache of an infestation. 
5. Turn your outdoor lights off when you don’t need them. Flies are notorious for flying toward (and getting zapped by) lights. Reduce the probability of an infestation by keeping your house and the surrounding area dark. 
6. If you have a rat problem, make sure that you don’t use rat poison, as their dead bodies can attract flies. You’ll need to use alternative methods to kill the rats because the rats could eat the rat poison and then die on the way back to their favorite hiding space (which could be in your walls), attracting flies. 
7. If you have a cat, make sure that the litter box is always kept tidy. Since animal feces attracts flies, keeping your house free of it will help to prevent a fly issue. 

Preventing a fly infestation is much easier than stopping an active infestation. So, take the above steps to keep your house free of those pesky flies. The name of the game is making sure that flies have nowhere to lay their eggs (and no treats left out in the open). 

Fly Infestations Can Be Serious 

There is no question that flies are a huge nuisance. They buzz around annoyingly and land on things that they shouldn’t. But what many don’t know is that flies do pose a danger to humans. 

 Think about how flies live. They fly around outside and land on disgusting things like garbage and feces. These things are swimming with different parasites, diseases, and bacteria. 

 When a fly enters your home and lands on your food, your counters, and other surfaces, all of those things that it landed on or ate can be spread to you and your family. 

 Some common diseases and parasites that flies can carry include: 

• Salmonella
• Typhoid
• Cholera
• Dysentery

This is not an exhaustive list of all of the diseases and parasites that flies can carry and transmit to humans. So, it’s so important not to allow flies to have the run of your home. They could transmit some nasty ailments to you. 

Takeaways

All in all, if you are dealing with a fly infestation, you are not alone, and you don’t have to feel defeated. You’ve got several methods that you can try to help control the fly infestation. Don’t be afraid to try more than one at a time. 

 Call in a professional if you aren’t able to control the fly population on your own. This is what they are there for. 

 The worst thing that you can do when you have a fly infestation is to do nothing. You have the knowledge of what to do to help, and now it’s time to get busy!