Combating flies: use simple DIY remedies to keep them away from your home
The high temperatures of summer bring with it a whole series of annoyances, not least of which are the swarms of insects that invade our homes. Among them, flies are particularly annoying: dirty and enemies to hygiene, they are irritating and difficult to keep away. Given this, we need to resort to a series of remedies to keep them away from our homes as much as possible.
Not only preventive behaviors, but also some DIY solutions can in fact help us in the fight to counter the presence of these annoying pests in our homes. Bear in mind too, that although effective, chemical insecticides are dangerous for us, our children and our pets - and they are also harmful for other types of completely harmless (or even beneficial) insects. It is best to try some less harmful remedies first.
Macerated mint:
This is a natural remedy which can be prepared using commonly found, cheap ingredients. In fact, all you will need is:
- White vinegar (you can also use vinegar distilled from apples or rice, for a slightly less pungent smell)
- Mint leaves
- A glass jar with a lid
- A strainer to filter the macerate (or a funnel and filter combo)
- A spray bottle
Preparation:
- Fill the jar with the white vinegar.
- Add a few mint leaves (4 or 5, but even more if you want).
- Close and leave the mixture to macerate (steep) for one week.
- Filter the liquid into the spray bottle with the help of a funnel with a filter (a piece of cheese cloth put in the funnel can work as a filter).
- Leave enough space to dilute the macerated mint with water (50/50 is recommended, but you can play around with the dilution ratios).
How to use the macerate:
Spray the macerate around the entrance areas, then around the doors and windows, and perhaps even on curtains and/or mosquito nets. You can spray it around like you do with regular insecticide sprays. Also, you can keep the jar open near the table where you eat, especially outdoors, to use it as a deterrent (as long as the sour smell of the vinegar isn't too strong, of course).
Other remedies to try:
- You can create a fly trap by cutting the neck off a bottle and inserting it into the bottom inverted. The bottom can be filled with water and sugar (or a sweetened drink or fruit juice). You can also add leftover food, especially pieces of meat. The flies will enter the trap, attracted by the smells, and will not be able to get out.
- Citrus fruits and cloves: Stick cloves into the skins of half a lemon or orange and leave them near windows and doors where flies usually enter. You can also cut lemons into wedges or slices instead of into halves.
- Essential oil spray: instead using the mint macerate, you can use a sort of deodorant where, instead of vinegar, you will use pure alcohol (vodka is also fine as long as it is odorless). Add drops of essential oils that are repellent to insects - such as lemongrass, geranium, or lavender - and sprinkle this mixture around the house, especially on curtains.
Furthermore, it is always best to avoid leaving out any leftover food or oderous dirt around the house (including the excrement of our pets, or the garbage, which both attract a lot of flies). The key is to make your environment as unattractive as possible for these unwelcome pests.
