How to Get Rid of Flies
For me, house flies are even more annoying than ants. They are attracted to warm air currents coming from your house. If they detect odours on those currents, all the better, as this means food to them. Pet feces and garbage odours are especially appealing to flies. Unfortunately, most of us do have garbage odours in the home thanks to composting. Smells can attract flies, but they also wander into the home through open windows, doors, torn screens, and gaps. Read on for advice on how to get rid of flies.
The best way to repel flies is by NOT ATTRACTING them in the first place. Flies are attracted by a variety of things but I’d like to focus on the things that are most likely to attract them. Getting rid of these attractants will go further towards any fly control than any repellent you can use. While you’re working on repelling flies, you might also want to be aware of other common summer pests that could invade your home and yard.
Clean Garbage Cans Thoroughly and Frequently
This is by far the biggest attractor of flies. This is where flies will lay their eggs to hatch out into those nasty maggots that make all of us gag just a little. The most important thing you can do is keep your garbage cans clean. When Vancouver is in high summer with high humidity you can see an upswing of flies around your home. Outside garbage cans that have even a little bit of decaying matter in them will be enough to attract flies. So, clean all garbage cans thoroughly and frequently. Keeping your garbage cans clean not only helps to repel flies but also aids in preventing pantry bugs from infesting your stored food.
Clean Pet Feces/Waste in Your Yard
Flies love feces! Cleaning up after animals in your yard will go a long way to towards controlling flies. As you’re protecting your pets and yard from fleas, don’t forget to clean up pet feces to reduce the number of flies attracted to your outdoor space.
Use Blue Light Bulbs to Relocate Flies
Flies may hate yellow but they love blue. A study at the University of Florida for the Department of Defense showed that flies are more likely to be attracted to something that is blue. So if you are going to use one of those light traps that has blue lights be sure to hang it as FAR AWAY as possible from where the flies are being a nuisance. This will draw the flies to it and away from where you don’t want them. Utilizing blue light bulbs to relocate flies is just one way to maintain a bug-free outdoor space; check out more tips for keeping pests away from your backyard gatherings. In addition to house flies, you may also encounter problems with dealing with fruit flies in your home, especially around ripe or overripe fruits.
Fly-Proof the Plants in Your Yard
Certain plants can repel flies, so if you have them outside, you can speckle your garden with these garden plants:
- Mint
- Lavender
- Nasturtiums
- Basil
- Eucalyptus
- Bay leaves
While you’re adding fly-repelling plants to your garden, consider incorporating beneficial garden insects to improve the overall health of your outdoor space.
Don’t let flies ruin your summer! If you’ve tried these methods and still have a persistent fly problem, let our team of professional pest control technicians help you. We provide top-notch service in West Vancouver, North Vancouver, Vancouver, Burnaby & New West, Coquitlam & Tri-Cities, and Richmond. Contact us today to schedule an appointment and take back control of your home from those pesky flies!
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