What Is the Fastest Way to Get Rid of Flies Outside

While there are thousands of species of flies, Musca domestica is the variety most likely to bug you both inside and outside of your home, found as they are on every continent inhabited by humans, in climates from the arctic cold to the tropical heat.

How To: Get Rid of Flies Outside

Snuff these common summertime pests the natural way—and keep them from coming back—with these tried-and-true methods.

By Bob Vila | Updated Jan 4, 2021 10:24 AM

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Landing on the food at your backyard barbecue. Buzzing around your face as you do yard work. Zipping through your front door as soon as you open it. They are Musca domestica, the common housefly.

While there are thousands of species of flies, Musca domestica is the variety most likely to bug you both inside and outside of your home, found as they are on every continent inhabited by humans, in climates from the arctic cold to the tropical heat.

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In North America, houseflies tend to be active from spring through fall, generally reaching peak activity during the summer. Beyond being a nuisance, flies carry a wide variety of germs (such as the bacteria that cause anthrax, typhoid, stomach ulcers, cholera, dysentery, and tuberculosis, as well as less serious illnesses), which they deposit wherever they land—including that hamburger you’re about to bite into.

Worrying about flies also means worrying about maggots, the larval form of the fly. A female housefly generally lays more than 100 eggs after mating, and the eggs hatch astonishingly quickly. Maggots spawn in less than eight hours if the weather is warm enough.

Fortunately, you can get rid of the flies that plague your property, and you can do so without using poisons that could put your pets and family at risk. Follow these steps to banish this summertime scourge so you can enjoy the season (largely) fly free.

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6 Ways to Get Rid of Flies Outside

To drive flies out of your yard:

1. Plug in a fan. These uninvited insects can’t fly well in strong breezes, so set up an oscillating fan on an extension cord near your backyard grill, picnic table, or any other area where you congregate outside. When flies feel the gust, they’ll head in the opposite direction.
2. Make a flytrap. Dissolve ¼ cup of sugar in one cup of water in a jar. Roll a stiff piece of paper into a cone long enough to reach from the top of the jar to just above the level of the liquid, and snip off the tip. Tape the cone inside the jar with the wide end filling the jar’s mouth and the cone’s tip right above the sugar water. This paper cone will funnel curious houseflies right into the jar, making removal a cinch.
3. Light a candle. Citronella, a highly aromatic oil distilled from several varieties of lemongrass, repels both flies and mosquitoes. Light a few of these fragrant candles and set them on your picnic table, porch, or grill area; the strong scent serves as a “not welcome” sign to winged nuisances.
4. Swat them. It’s immediate, effective, and strangely satisfying to swat flies dead. If you’re squeamish about doing the deed with a traditional flyswatter, try an electric one. These devices (most resemble small tennis rackets) electrocute flying bugs with a loud zap.
5. Say vamoose with vodka. Flies hate the smell of this liquor, so fill a few small plastic sandwich bags halfway with the cheap stuff, zip the bags most of the way shut, and then use twine or string and some heavy-duty clothespins to hang the bags around your yard. Sounds crazy, but it really can help.
6. DIY some fly strips. Instead of buying commercial scented fly strips to deter the pests, make your own with the essential oils that flies hate. Simply cut a piece of cloth into strips 12 inches long and one inch wide. Moisten each strip with several drops of any of the following: clove, lavender, lemongrass, citronella, eucalyptus, rosemary, or mint. Tie the strips on branches and the railings around your patio, and let the scent of the oil get rid of the flies outside.

6 Ways to Prevent Flies from Returning

Once you’ve given pests the heave-ho, discourage their re-entry of flies and maggots with these smart strategies:

1. Keep it clean. Flies love open garbage pails, uncovered compost bins, and dog droppings. So tidy up after outdoor parties and keep a tight lid on trash cans and compost. If the family pooch does his business in the yard, clean up after him immediately.
2. Let spiders have at ‘em. Unless spider webs stretch across an area you’ll walk through or reach into, leave them be. Hungry arachnids will devour any flies they can snare.
3. Plant fly-repelling herbs. Surround your patio or barbecue with the potted herbs that flies hate. That includes basil, lavender, and mint.
4. Watch out for water. Don’t let pools of water sit stagnant around your yard. Flies need to drink water and so are drawn to puddles, birdbaths, and soggy patches caused by dripping sprinklers.
5. Clean fruit birdfeeders. It’s fun to watch backyard birds feeding on fruit, but flies are bound to be unwelcome guests at the party. Toss the rinds as soon as your feathered friends finish their feast.
6. Mow regularly. Flies often lay eggs in long grass, which offers them moisture and protection. Mow your lawn weekly during the peak summer season to stave off an infestation.

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What Is the Fastest Way to Get Rid of Flies Outside?

Flies are vectors for more than 100 dangerous transmissible diseases, including typhoid, stomach flu, and diarrhea.

Flies are common pests around the world. They are vectors for more than 100 dangerous transmissible diseases, including typhoid, stomach flu, and diarrhea. If you have a fly infestation on your premises, here are some effective treatment methods:

• Traps: Because flies are attracted to food sources, commercial traps with food items can help trap flies. Most traps use fly baits in a special container with a cap that makes it easier for flies to enter but hard to escape. Moreover, some pheromone (chemical scents) traps attract flies.
  • Trap fruit flies by keeping old wine in a cup. Flies will be attracted toward this and get trapped by the surface tension.
  • Keep vinegar in a water bottle with the top cut off and turn the top over to form a funnel. Insects will easily trap in this bottle.
  • Make homemade traps with decaying fruits, wine, fruit juice, or apple cider vinegar that can attract fruit flies effectively. Mix a few drops of dish soap with any homemade liquid bait in a bowl to drown the flies in the trap.

  What are the types of flies?

  There are more than 120,000 fly species around the world, from which 18,000 most common fly species are found throughout North America. Some of them are as follows:

  • House flies
  • Stable flies
  • Green bottle flies
  • Black flies
  • Cluster flies
  • Horseflies
  • Fruit flies
  • Mayflies

  Where do flies come from?

  Flies typically hatch outside and then make their way into your home through damaged stripping, torn windows, or door screen covers. They lay their eggs in garbage cans, compost piles, excrement, and rotting organic waste. Although flies have very short lifespans, they can quickly reproduce in large numbers. Female flies lay between 75 and 150 eggs at a time.

  • Houseflies are found widespread because they reproduce quickly. They have been known to move up to 20 miles from the place where they were hatched. However, usually, they stay within 1 mile of their hatching place.
  • Fruit flies are usually found within the home because they get attracted to food waste. They enter your house along with the fruits and other food items you bring from the store.
  • Horseflies have never been seen inside the house, but they may enter your homes by accident through open windows.

  How to prevent flies from entering the premises?

  Here are some easy household habits that will greatly reduce and prevent the chances of fly infestation on your premises:

  • Inspect and clean indoors and outdoors, such as sluggish drains, garbage pails, and damp houseplant soil, regularly which attract flies. Get more familiar with flies’ habits and their congregate places to control and prevent them.
  • Get rid of standing water, as many fly species breed and feed on it. Gutters should effectively move savage water away from your house. Clean them out regularly for debris. Keep your cesspool or sewage pit in good working order. Maintain them and repair them regularly.
  • Regularly treat the drains by spraying special foam cleaners to remove scum.
  • Eliminate points of entry for flies by replacing ill-fitting doors or window screen frames or repair any holes.
  • Close the kitchen doors while cooking, and don’t keep any overripe fruit outside.
  • Regularly wipe and sweep up kitchen tops and dining tables with disinfectants whenever they become sticky with spills.
  • Clean up any waste in the yard and use a spray disinfectant on any accidental defecation by your pet inside the house. Keep your pet clean.
  • Clear decay of fruit trees such as any fruits that fall on the ground or decaying vegetation.
  • Keep the trash cans clean. Keep garbage bags sealed. Empty the trash can regularly.
  • Pay special attention to organic matter that gets trapped in gutters or around the house.
  • Use well-rotted or processed fertilizers rather than dung and fish meals.
  • Let the houseplant soil dry out between watering to prevent moisture that attracts insects.

  

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  Health Solutions From Our Sponsors

  Michigan State University https://www.canr.msu.edu/ipm/biocontrol/predatory_flies

  National Pest Management Association https://www.pestworld.org/search/?search=flies

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