The House Flies are About to Return
With snow still lying on the ground in some areas and the threat of snow showers seeming to last longer this year, house flies are probably the furthest thing from your mind. Yet March is the beginning of a broadly six-month season that sees these flies making a nuisance of themselves inside and outside the home.
There are lots of ways you can get rid of house flies, some of which work better than others. You can buy fly traps and sprays, but many people dislike the aerosol sprays as they smell very strongly and can be a hazard to pets. There are some homemade fly traps you can try, and citronella candles can be good if you want to ward off flies while eating outdoors. It may not be warm enough to do that just yet though!
Practical and unusual solutions for getting rid of house flies
Fly paper is an old favourite and it does work, although it doesn’t look very appealing. Some people swear by hanging a bag filled halfway to the top with water over each external door. It does seem to work reasonably well.
Keep internal and external areas clean
Make sure you clean and sweep all surfaces and the floor every day. Flies just love a free source of food, so if you can minimise your generosity, they’ll find somewhere else to eat their buffet from. A quick hoover through doesn’t take long and wiping down the countertops a few times a day with antibacterial spray is a good idea too. Not only does it clear up any crumbs, it also disinfects areas the flies may have landed on.
Need help with a large infestation?
Most homes will see the odd fly or two from March onwards, but they won’t be affected any further than that. A few practical homemade solutions should ensure you don’t experience any further trouble.
However, if you see lots of flies clustering somewhere in your home, or evidence of several dead fly carcasses, there could be a bigger problem going on. If your best efforts don’t seem to be making a difference, contact a professional pest controller to find out where the flies are coming from and why they’re there. Targeting a breeding site nearby could be the solution.
So, begin with those DIY fly solutions and see how things progress from there. Make sure those flies go elsewhere this spring and summer.