Natural Ways To Fight Flies

We don’t like to use fly spray, simply because if it’s toxic enough to knock a fly dead in seconds, you really do not want it anywhere near your children, your pets, or yourself. Even pyrethrum spray, although natural, is still a toxin.

Instead of commercial sprays try one – or several – of these natural ways to fight flies.

*Sprinkle peppermint essential oil liberally onto a few cotton wool balls then place into a short wide-mouthed jar or container (a hummus put works well). Put the lid on at night then open in the morning. Flies will stay away. Refresh every few days.

* Buy mint plants and keep them in your house, squeezing the leaves as you walk past to release their oils. You will need to rotate them as they lose their mojo after a week or so inside. So keep some others outside as well and swap them over.

* Use sticky fly paper – you can get these in little rolls at the hardware store. They really work but look a bit yuck. If you’d like to make your own click here.

*Get a Venus fly trap from your local garden centre; Palmers Plant usually have a good supply.  They’re fascinating for kids with their fly catching abilities. Be careful not to us fly spray anywhere near them, they really should be in a spray free home. For more information on how to look after them click here.

* Invest in a fly curtain for your doors, or fly screens for your doors and windows.

* Give your children or grandchildren a fly swat or one of those battery powered fly stunners and let them go.

* If you have to use spray, there is no safe or natural commercial fly spray so use it sparingly. Cover edibles, plants and goldfish bowls then spray once first thing in the morning and once before you go to bed when the flies will all conveniently be on your ceiling.

*You can also make a flysphere to deter flies, this is a fun project to do with the kids in the school holidays that involves drinking to soda first.

*And you can make Wendyl’s natural fly spray which is more of a repellant than a killer, but if you manage to douse them with it they’ll die.