Every buzzing fly feasting on your fruit bowl is a potential carrier of multiple diseases. According to the EBSCO research, these house flies carry over 65 illnesses and breed rapidly. In the UK, warm summers only worsen the problem. So, you must be wondering how to get rid of flies at home once and for all?
We have you covered with a detailed guide on why flies get attracted to your home and how to get rid of them using natural DIY traps. We will also recommend some commonly used insecticides to help you keep your home fly-free.
Keep reading to learn how simple traps and your vacuum can work together to eradicate flies.
What Factors Attract Flies into Your Home?
Before learning how do I kill house flies, explore the causes that attracting them to your home in the first place.
- Food Residues: Any sticky spills or crumbs on counters and kitchen floors will attract flies to breed. Flies also swarm over sugary liquids and grease on surfaces.
- Waste Bins:Mostly, garbage and compost serve as a magnet for flies. You will see flies getting attracted to full or uncovered bins due to their rotting odors.
- Pet Areas:Animal feces and spilled pet food are perfect places for flies. They lay eggs on pet waste and then hover over nearby food. You can use eufy vacuum cleaners to clear away pet messes immediately to avoid killing flies in the house later.
- Standing Water:Moisture is another major drawing factor for home flies. Pet bowls, puddles, or clogged drains provide breeding sites for these flying insects. Even small amounts of stagnant water let flies lay eggs, so eliminate it whenever possible.
How Can You Naturally Remove Flies from Your Home?
Start by using natural remedies like vinegar traps and essential oils instead of killing flies with insecticides on the first go. Try these hands-on steps using household items and plants to get rid of flies:
Method 1. Apple Cider Vinegar Trap
To learn how to get rid of flies at home, follow these steps to utilize vinegar.
Instructions: First, fill a bowl with equal parts apple cider vinegar and water plus a drop of dish soap. This fruity scent will lure flies, and the soap breaks the surface tension so they drown. Then, place traps near the fly-heavy areas, so they can’t resist the sweet vinegar aroma.
Method 2. Essential-Oil Sprays
As flies hate strong aromas, use this method to eradicate them from your home.
Step 1. Start by mixing water with a few drops of peppermint or eucalyptus oil in a spray bottle.
Step 2. Now, spray around this mixture on doorways, curtains, and kitchen corners. Most of the entomologists note that flies avoid eucalyptus and mint scents, so repeat this process daily.
Method 3. Clean House with Natural Products
Sanitation holds the key to dragging the flies out permanently. So, wipe up crumbs, grease, and spills immediately to keep the flies away. Other than that, you should always store ripe fruit in the fridge and seal trash.
As an extra deterrent, sprinkle food-grade diatomaceous earth around bin bases and window sills. This natural product has tiny particles that cut and dehydrate insects on contact. Moreover, consider using an automated vacuum like an eufy robot hoover to remove microscopic food residues and pet dander that attract flies.
Method 4. UV Light and Electric Traps
When trying to kill flies in the house, plug-in or desktop electric fly traps can help. These devices emit a blue or UV light that draws flies in. After these flies approach the light, they get stuck on a sticky board or zapped by an electric grid.
Try to place these traps near doors or trash areas, as they silently catch adults flying around. One user review on Reddit notes that combining sticky traps with regular vacuuming makes a noticeable difference.
Method 5. Fly Screens and Airflow Management
UK homeowners can also install mesh screens on all windows and doors to keep flies out while letting breeze in. Also, make use of portable fans to disrupt the flight of the flies and discourage them from entering.
Indoor vs. Outdoor Steps to Get Rid of Flies
You may need to apply different strategies while learning how to eradicate flies from indoor and outdoor locations. The following steps will clarify the difference between the tactics.
Steps to Get Rid of Flies Indoors
- Initiate by using traps like vinegar bowls and sticky tapeto catch or kill flies indoors.
- After killing flies indoors, maintain cleanliness by cleaning drains and vacuuming floors to remove food particles. This will help you keep the flies away after drawing them out.
- Install fly screens and close doors quickly to prevent flies from coming in.
Steps to Get Rid of Flies Outdoors
- First, remove breeding spaces by moving yard waste away from the house. Moreover, you need to keep outdoor compost bins and garbage cans tightly sealed.
- Upon cleaning, use outdoor traps or bug zappers near entryways. UK homeowners can also hang ultraviolet light traps or pheromone traps away from living spaces.
- Consider growing repellent plants like basil, mint, or lavenderin pots by entrances. Most importantly, eliminate standing water to disrupt fly breeding.
Which Chemical Insecticides Help to Get Rid of Flies?
When DIY methods fall short, these insecticide options can help you kill flies. You can use the following chemical repellent with caution:
1. Aerosol Sprays and Foggers
To kill flies in the house, try using aerosols to deliver a quick knockdown. Products like Raid Fly Killer Spray will have an immediate effect due to their natural pyrethrins. Foggers usually saturate a room with insecticide to kill hidden flies, but use them sparingly due to toxicity.
2. Baits and Residual Surface Sprays
Bait stations containing protein attractants lure flies to insecticide-treated gels. Common products like PreStrike or CB-80 can be applied around garbage areas. Residual sprays leave a chemical film on walls or trash bins. So, when flies land on this chemical, they pick up the insecticide over time.
3. Insect Growth Regulators
These compounds, such as Gentrol IGR or Archer IGR, don’t kill adults directly but prevent larvae from maturing. UK house owners can apply them to breeding sites like drains or manure to stop egg-laying or larval development. Over weeks, an IGR program collapses a fly population by breaking the life cycle.
4. Spatial Repellents and Fumigation
Volatile chemicals, including metofluthrin plugs or insecticide coils, create a no-fly zone in a room. Moreover, Formula P+ fumigation blankets an area with gas to clear large swarms. However, these are drastic measures, so use them as a last resort.
Safety Precautions and When to Call Experts
While learning how to get rid of flies at home, apply all these safety tips to make sure you are only causing damage to the flies.
- Wear gloves or masks if recommended and never aim sprays at people or pets.
- Store or apply toxins out of reach of children and pets at your home. Try to avoid indiscriminate methods like bug bombs or broad spraying as much as possible.
- Get rid of the trapped flies and wash surfaces that came in contact with insecticides at once.
When flies keep returning despite your efforts, it may be an infestation beyond DIY. In that case, a licensed pest control service can diagnose hidden breeding sites and apply stronger solutions. Such professionals have the training and tools to eliminate hard-to-reach nests.
Bonus Tip: eufy Robot Vacuums Help Keep Your Home Fly-Free
While robot vacuums don’t kill flies directly, spotless floors can prevent fly problems. According to Reddit users, thorough cleaning of crumbs and hair removes fly attractants. Using an eufy robot vacuum complements other methods to kill flies in the house by automating floor cleaning. UK house owners can get the following benefits from these vacuum cleaners.
- Automated Corner-to-Corner Cleaning:You can simply schedule regular cleaning cycles even when you’re out. It will ensure that no food is left waiting on floors or under cabinets. This denies flies the leftovers that draw them in.
- High-Suction Power for Carpets:With suction powers ranging from 8,000 to 20,000 Pa, eufy X10 and E25 pull in tiny debris and insect eggs hiding in carpet fibers.
- Vacuum and Mop Function:eufy robot vacuum and mop models like can sweep and mop altogether. Their advanced mopping tech removes sticky residues that would otherwise ferment and attract fruit flies.
- Handheld Mode for Spot Treatments:eufy E20 even has a detachable handheld mode to let you target spills or sticky spots as soon as they occur. Such a quick spot-cleaning prevents flies from swarming a neglected spill.
How Can You Prevent Flies from Entering Your Home?
Once you learn how do I kill house flies, implement these strategies to always keep them away.
- Seal Cracks Around Pipes and Vents:Flies, being pretty small in size, can crawl through tiny gaps. So, you should seal holes around pipes, electrical outlets, and attic vents to block all of these entry points.
- Use Yellow Light Bulbs Outdoors: Swap out standard outdoor lights for yellow or warmer bug bulbs. Their longer‑wave spectrum is less attractive to flies, reducing the number drawn to your doorways and windows.
- Plant Natural Repellents: To keep the flies away, grow potted basil or lemongrass near doorways and windows. These plants emit odors that flies dislike.
- Introduce Beneficial Insects in Compost: Within your compost heap, release tiny parasitic wasps, such as Muscidifurax raptor, that prey on fly larvae. They naturally keep fly populations down without chemicals.
Conclusion
To fully master how to get rid of flies at home, you need to put forward multiple lines of defense. For this, implement the cleanliness first approach by keeping your space clean. Afterward, simply combine DIY traps and repellents like vinegar jars to get rid of flies naturally.
When needed, you can make use of chemical insecticides and physical barriers to eliminate these disease-causing insects.
As good sanitation is a must for a fly-free home, we recommend using robot vacuums from eufy for low-effort cleaning. This will help keep the flies away even when you are away from home.
FAQs
What is the fastest way to get rid of flies?
Immediate elimination of adult flies is fastest with the use of a quick-acting spray. For example, a pyrethrin-based aerosol will knock down flies on contact.
What smell keeps flies away?
Flies hate the scent of certain herbs and oils. So, house owners chould grow plants with scents like citronella, peppermint, or lemon. Moreover, burning citronella candles or placing bowls of vinegar mixed with lemon peel gets rid of flies.
Why have I got lots of little flies in my house?
Small flies in your house are likely attracted to decaying organic matter, such as rotting food or garbage. They also get drawn to damp areas like houseplants with overwatered soil.
How do I locate and eliminate fly breeding grounds in my home?
To eliminate fly breeding grounds, check hidden moist areas and food sources. Common fly breeding sites are garbage bins and mop buckets. Cleaning thoroughly and drying out these spots will stop fly reproduction.
