July 7th, 2021 by Chris Chapman

Flies are one of the downsides of summer and there are few things more annoying on a summer evening than listening to a fly buzzing its way around the house, banging off the walls and windows but seemingly unable to find its way out. More importantly, they’re dirty little things, spreading disease and contaminating food.

So, the question is – how do you keep them out of your home? The short answer is you can’t. We’re sorry if you started reading this hoping for a miracle strategy to completely eradicate all flies from your home this summer but don’t despair. While there is no way of keeping your home 100% fly-free, there are some really good methods of vastly reducing the numbers that do find their way in.

The best fly prevention strategies include a two-fold approach: deterring as many from entering as possible and then dealing with the rogue ones that do.

Preventing flies from entering

The fewer flies that get in, the fewer you’ll have to deal with. These measures are your first defence in minimising how many make it inside:

Fly curtains

Such a simple invention but continues to be very effective. Choose a metal chain link fly curtain as the weight will keep the curtain stable in breezes and prevent flies from moving them to fly through. It allows you have fresh air blowing in but will prevent most flies from entering. Easy to install, you can just leave it up all summer. They even come in different colours!

Xterminate Silver Chain Curtain Fly Screen

Price: £59.99

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Keep things super clean

Flies enter your home in pursuit of food and places to lay their eggs. They are mainly attracted to rotting and decaying matter and sugary scents. Not emptying bins regularly enough, not keeping bins shut tight, leaving food waste out in the open, and allowing fruits and vegetables to start to overripen will all encourage flies to enter. By implementing good hygiene and eradicating as much food waste as possible, you will reduce the number of flies coming in. While we all know not to leave food out uncovered and to clear up crumbs and spills, also be vigilant with fruit going off in the bowl, pet food left out, and cat faeces in litter trays.

Dealing with flies inside the home

Just because they’ve made it in, doesn’t mean they get free reign once inside. Before we go any further, we have to point out that swatting them is never a great plan. Not only can you end up like a demented person brandishing a rolled newspaper or fly swat, but they’re also really hard to catch, you’re more likely to damage your décor or do yourself an injury, and splattered fly is a really unhygienic substance to spread around the home. Instead, employ some of the following methods:

Electric fly killers

Once the reserve of commercial kitchens, electric flyer killers are not only very effective and hygienic, they’re now also really affordable with prices for domestic units starting under £30. Flies make a bee-line (or should that be a fly-line?!) for them as they’re attracted to the UV light (so no buzzing around the home for hours before they find their way into them). When they do make contact, they are zapped by an electric charge and killed instantly.

Xterminate Remote Control Electric Fly Killer 40W

Price: £44.95

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Scents they don’t like

Just as there are pungent smells that flies are attracted to, there are other strong fragrances that they really don’t like. Luckily for us, they are ones that we find pleasant. This includes scents such as peppermint, lavender, lemongrass, cloves, and cinnamon. Try diluting essential oils in these fragrances in water and spraying them around, stud a lemon half with cloves, or have some basil or lavender plants in the house (which could also be useful for cooking!). Citronella candles and camphor (the substance found in mothballs) will also deter them from sticking around.