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Do you have house flies in your home? We’ve done our research and rounded up the best advice and natural methods to help you prevent house flies from entering your home.
While house flies might be frustratingly difficult to get rid of, there are some natural ways to keep them out of your home. We speak to the experts at and to find out more…
How to get rid of a house fly infestation
“Prevention is better than cure. The best way to keep flies away is to limit a fly’s access to food and water – particularly in your kitchen,” Natalie continues.
House flies have a short lifespan, but they can reproduce quickly and in large numbers. If you are worried about an infestation of flies in your home, it is advised you call the professionals. BPCA has a list of qualified and audited pest professionals on its .
Professionals will be able to safely and effectively deal with the pests, so it’s always worth asking for help if you are unsure.
“The best way to deal with a fly problem is to prevent an infestation from forming in the first place. There are some easy and practical steps you can take to help deter flies from your home,” David Cross from tells Country Living.
Ways to keep flies away include…
- Make sure all food waste is correctly disposed of in a bin with a lid
- Keep outside bins secure with sealed lids and away from windows and doors
- Clean up food and water spills as soon as they occur
- Keep your food covered to stop flies landing and subsequently feeding off your plate
- Keep windows and doors closed or install fly screens to keep out home-invaders
- Deny flies access by keeping doors closed after dark, or block out the light with curtains
- Clean up after your pets, as faeces is the perfect breeding place for flies
- Remove any dead flies, as these can be a food source for other pests such as carpet beetles
Homemade remedies to help get rid of house flies
Homemade remedies can also be a great way to naturally keep house flies out of the home — and brilliantly, too, they are incredibly easy to make yourself.
You can try to…
- Put a few drops of eucalyptus oil onto a cloth and hang them near doors or windows
- Place mint on kitchen window sills — this will also keep them away
- Cut up fresh orange peel and place onto a plate
- Citronella candles can help to keep flies away, especially in the garden
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Are house flies dangerous?
“Keeping flies away from your food is vital for protecting your health. The adage ‘if you followed a fly for a day, you wouldn’t eat for a week’ is entirely accurate,” Natalie Bungay, Technical Officer, British Pest Control Association tells Country Living.
“Flies feed by vomiting saliva onto your food, stamping their dirty legs up and down in the sick, and then sucking up the resulting liquid. The bacteria from its gut can transmit everything from food poisoning to cholera,” Natalie continues.
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What do house flies look like?
House flies have…
- Six legs
- A small, oval body
- Antennas
- They are usually grey in appearance and display four black stripes on their chest
- Adult house flies are about 4 to 7.5mm long
- Female house flies are usually larger than males
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What do I do if I have a lot of flies in my house?
Most often, if you find you have a lot of flies in your house, they are entering through small cracks in walls or doors. House flies can often be more of a problem during the summer months, especially as the weather gets warmer.
- Check for any food waste which could be attracting flies
- Empty your bins regularly
- Clean under and around your appliances
What attracts flies in your house?
“Spotting a few flies buzzing around does not necessarily mean you have a serious fly problem, although you should probably start keeping an eye out for other tell-tale signs, such as small dark clusters of spots in light areas and the presence of maggots,” David Cross from Rentokil continues.
Common house flies are attracted to rotten items such as feces, pet waste and rotting meat, whereas fruit flies are more likely to seek sugary substances such as overripe fruit, spilled fizzy drinks, and alcohol.
House flies are drawn to:
- Dirty conditions
- Spilt food
- Sticky surfaces from drink spillages
- Scum at the bottom of drains
- Feces and pet waste
- Alcohol
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Where do flies lay their eggs in a house?
House flies will commonly lay their eggs in any warm, moist material. When the weather is warm, eggs will hatch in around 12 to 24 hours.
Some places flies might lay their eggs include…
- Piles of rubbish and waste
- Decaying material such as grass clippings
- Feces
How to keep flies away outside
It’s not only in the home that the flying creatures buzz around in: they regularly fly around our garden spaces (particularly if there’s food involved). If you’re looking for clever ways to keep flies at bay, one of the key ways of outdoor fly prevention is knowing what they don’t like.
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Natural ways to keep them away outside includes…
- Placing whole cloves into a ripe apple or a piece of citrus and placing it onto a plate
- Growing lavender is also a natural way to keep flies away as they don’t like the smell
- Place citrus fruits and skins in a muslin cloth bag outside
- Flies also don’t like basil, so these are brilliant to have growing outside
- Nasturtiums planted in the garden will also keep the flies away
Browse our other handy pest control guides…
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