Get rid of flies in the home: 3 remedies to keep them away and 2 DIY fly traps

As soon as temperatures rise, flies start entering our homes. We can protect ourselves from these pests with mosquito netting and keeping our homes clean. Food leftovers, garbage that smells, dirty clothes, blankets, sheets and other strong-smelling sources, all tend to attract flies.

But even when we take preventative steps, flies can still invade our homes. So, what can be done? Well, there are some remedies we can use and we can even make fly traps too!

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Remedies:

The best known and simplest anti-fly to make is one based on lemon (or other citrus fruits) and cloves: this is a great method to use in low-humidity homes. You just need to stick the cloves into the lemon pulp - which you can put in a small bowl or saucer - and then place this on the windowsills or near the doors where flies can enter. This also works with thick slices or wedges of lemon.

Using cotton and essential oils is another very easy and cheap remedy. Soak cotton balls in lemon, citronella, eucalyptus or lavender essential oil. Then place the balls in a saucer and put the saucers at fly entry points (as described above).

Essential oils can also be used as a spray: just add some oil to water and spray on curtains and upholstery. It's best if you use distilled water for this.

Traps to make at home:

• Use paper, sugar and honey: pour 100 ml water, 150ml honey and 130ml sugar into a saucepan. Dissolve everything over a low heat. When it comes to a boil, simmer for 10 minutes, stirring constantly, then remove from heat and let the mixture cool down. Meanwhile, cut strips of paper, putting a hole in the ends (so you can hang them up with string). When the mixture is cool, dip the paper strips into it, and then place each strip on a lined baking tray to dry out overnight. The next day the strips will be dry, but sticky. Now hang these up around your house. 
• Apple cider vinegar and sugar: in a transparent jar, pour water and vinegar in equal parts, add two tablespoons of sugar and place the jar near the windows (but not in direct sunlight) or in places where flies can get access to the house. Flies will be drownd in the liquid.