How To Get Rid Of Flies? Natural, Herbal, and Chemical Treatment

The flies are the insects of the order ‘Diptera’. The insects of this order use only one pair of wings to fly. The other pair works as ‘halteres’ which act as high-speed sensors of rotational movements to achieve advanced aerobatics. This order contains approximately 100,000 species including horse-flies, crane flies, hoverfiles, and others.

The flies are always in search of food. They do not have specific taste, but they like to eat anything coming their way. Usually, they will roam outside, and at the first instance of chance of entry, they will enter the houses, whether it is a window, door, broken grill, or anything.

Around the home, flies lay their eggs on garbage bins, waste food, rotten organic material, etc. A female fly can lay up to 75 to 150 eggs at a time. The size of those makes it extremely difficult to even know if there are any. Houseflies are widespread because of their quick reproduction capacity and it is often in large numbers.

There are some commonly known flies, and which are explained below –

House-Fly –

It is the most common type of fly.
They are typically gray and have four black stripes on their thorax. The adult ones are around 1/8 to 1/4” long. They have slightly hairy bodies, a pair of wings, and compound red eyes with wider vision.
Their eggs are like small grains of rice. The larvae are cream-colored with a greasy appearance.
They feed only on liquid because of a lack of teeth. Their tongues suck the food like straw. Female flies are capable of producing around 350-900 eggs in their lifetime. Adult houseflies live up to 15-25 days.
Though houseflies don’t bite, they spread over 100 pathogens including salmonellosis, typhoid, and tuberculosis.

Fruit Fly –

These flies are found indoors round the year globally.
Adult fruit flies are 3 to 4 mm long and appear brown or tan. They have red or darker eyes with tan thorax and a black and gray abdomen. These are small and oval with antennae.
They eat rotting food matter like fruits and vegetables. They reproduce quickly and a female can lay around 500 eggs which hatch in less than 24 hours. The lifespan can last 25 to 30 days.
They contaminate food and carry a lot of disease-causing pathogens because of their activeness in unsanitary conditions.

Horse Fly –

They are notorious pests for horses and other mammals. Their appearance is prominent near water bodies where breeding sites occur. They are found both in suburban and rural areas.
They are gray or black and 10 to 30 mm long. They have large green or purple eyes with horizontal stripes.
They can fly more than 30 miles and are fast and strong fliers. They always rest on paths and roads in woody areas.
Their bite is painful and can cause an allergic reaction.

How to Get Rid of Indoor Flies?

You can see the flies around your house, both indoors and outdoors.

Where and why do they come?

Well, the answer is simple. Like many other pest flies also wander in search of food. It is the most common pest seen around the house. Whether it is a small house or a big, small town or village, flies are found everywhere.

According to the habitat of flies, it was noted that they particularly like to breed in unsanitary places. Since the place of their eggs laid is unhealthy, flies carry many bacteria along with them wherever they go.

The most irritating thing is they visit anywhere and sit anywhere. Consider a fly that has just sat on your food might have come from faeces, garbage, trash, or maybe, from an even worst place from that. Therefore, flies are carriers of a lot of diseases.

The flies are not only a nuisance but they carry dangerous diseases with them as they sit in unsanitary conditions and also on our food. It is better to avoid fly infestation with some home remedies.

Natural Home Remedies to Get Rid of Indoor Flies

Peppermint Essential Oil – Peppermint or other such strong essential oils give an odor that drives flies away. You can use the spray of oils like lemongrass oil, cinnamon oil, clove oil, thyme oil, peppermint oil that possesses a strong smell. The procedure to prepare is as follows –
- Add 10 drops of essential oil to the spray bottle.
- Pour 2 cups of water and 2 cups of non-flavored vodka.
- Shake vigorously to mix and use the spray to get rid of flies.
Basil – Basil is a culinary herb especially used in Italian cuisines. Fruit flies and house flies cannot tolerate its aroma. You can grow the basil plant in your garden or balcony. You can make an insect repellent with it too. The procedure to make it as follows –
- Crush some basil leaves and squeeze to cut the leaves.
- Heat these leaves in water for around 30 minutes.
- Use the liquid as a spray to get rid of flies.
Hot Pepper – The flies keep away from the hot pepper plant. Hot pepper makes the breathing of flies difficult. You can grow the plant on the balcony or prepare a repellent as follows –
- Blend 2-3 hot peppers by grinding them properly.
- Add 3-4 cups and water and blend further to get a proper mixture.
- Place this mixture in sunlight for a week after sealing it.
- Use the liquid as an insect repellent.
Ginger Spray – Ginger spray is a very effective fly repellent and it is natural. The strong odor of ginger will keep the flies away from your home. Here is how to make the repellent –
- Mix 4 cups of normal water and 2 spoons of finely dried ginger powder.
- Stir well so that the ginger mixes with water.
- Strain the mixture and transfer the liquid to a spray bottle.
- Spray at the places of flies’ accumulation.
Apple Cider Vinegar and Eucalyptus Oil – This insect repellent is especially effective on house flies. The procedure is –
- Add ¼ cup of witch hazel and ¼ cup of apple cider vinegar in a spray bottle and shake well.
- To this, add 60 drops of eucalyptus oil and shake well again.
- This can be used as skin ointment to repel flies.
Commercial Light Traps – The light traps usually consist of ultraviolet lamps. These lamps attract flies and then, they get killed due to electricity when they go near it. Apart from flies, wasps, tiny moths, and mosquitoes also get attracted to it. The idea ways to set up the light traps are –
- The light trap should be placed at 4 to 6 feet in height.
- Place it at the unseen area from outside to avoid unwanted outdoor flies to get attracted.
- Use moderate voltage suitable for home purpose.
Electronic Bat – You can use the portable electronic swatters to get rid of flies from your home. This is a very good handy, rechargeable tool which looks like a badminton racket. It consists of a three-layer electrical mesh. The flies get killed instantly due to high voltage spark when you swipe the bat near them.
Vinegar Fly Trap – A vinegar trap is very effective to catch and kill fruit flies. Fermented food products attract fruit flies, so, using apple cider vinegar is an excellent bait to lure them.
- Pour apple cider vinegar into a glass and cover it with transparent plastic. Make enough big holes for fruit flies to crawl inside.
- Flies will be able to smell because of holes and once they crawl into the glass, they will not be able to fly or come out of holes.
- Pour some vinegar in an open bowl and add a few drops of dish wash soap. When the flies try to sit on the mixture, they drown because dish soap reduces the surface tension of vinegar.
The Flypaper Trap – Flypaper trap are sticky, sweet-smelling double-sided glue coated ribbons. Due to the sweet smell, flies are attracted but get stuck on it. If there is an insecticide in with glue, it gets killed too. It can be made at home also with the following procedure –
- Cut sufficient brown paper strips of approx. 2-inch width.
- Heat to boil the mixture of corn syrup and water with continuous stirring.
- Allow the mixture to cool down and soak the strips in the mix for 4-5 hours. Dry them for 2-3 hours.
- Hang them in the kitchen or area of high activity.
The Honey Trap – You will need a tall jar or a glass and tissue paper. The honey traps work well for small fruit flies.
- Roll a tissue paper in a cone to fit in the glass and add the honey-water mixture in the glass from above.
- Adjust the cone to make enough space just for entry of flies but not big so that they can escape.
- As the sweet smell of honey-water mixture will lure the flies, they will enter into the cone but can’t escape back.
Avoid Food Spillage – Flies will immediately get attracted to the food, fruits, vegetables, or anything they find attractive. In case, there is rotten food or fruit, then, they will appear in large numbers.
- To avoid flies, use air-tight containers to keep food or use a refrigerator for whichever food you can keep.
- Don’t let dishes remain for a long time for washing. Wash as soon as possible.
Waste Disposal Area Must Be Clean – What attracts flies quickly are the garbage bins.

While throwing the garbage, use sealed bags so that flies can’t reach it. Keep the garbage bin closed tightly to prevent spreading the rotten smell in the air. The frequency of emptying the bins should be regular and place them in bright sunlight to avoid dampness.
Pet Litter – For those who have pets at home, a thing to remember is to follow the immediate removal and disposal of their litterbox. Flies have a tendency to lay eggs on them and they can lay many eggs at a time.

Therefore, cleaning after your pets is very important to get rid of flies.
Clean The Drain – If you observe any food particles clogged at your sink drain, remove the part, and immediately clean off those particles as the flies will get lured by it.

Drain points in your kitchen sink and bathroom are the breeding places for flies.
Seal The Entry Points– The flies usually enter the house through windows or screens. They come when the door is open but it is less than that of other entries. They can enter through exhaust fan fittings too.

If you put your efforts into prevention by keeping the house and area clean, you need not worry much about infestation.
Clove Based Deterrent – Flies can’t tolerate the scent of clove. It is a strong fly deterrent that can be used in combination with lemons.

Cut the lemon in two halves and pin 10 to 12 cloves in it. Keep some such clove poked lemons and the flies will go away.
Camphor Smoke – Burn camphor and the smoke from it will keep away the flies. That’s because in general, they do not like smoke and if it is from camphor, it doubly affects them.
Milk Sugar Pepper Trap – Mix milk ¼ liters, sugar 3 teaspoons, ground black pepper 1 tablespoon, and let it simmer for 5 to 10 minutes on the heat. On cooling, keep in shallow bowls near the fly infestation. This mixture will lure flies but they will suffocate and die when they land on it.

How to Get Rid of Flies With Pets in the House?

If you are having pets in your house, then, you must take the extra precaution because pets in the house attract flies in two ways. One is the smell and probable tiny pests on their body and the second bigger one is their litter. Flies are bound to be in the house where pets are there.

Though pets clean their bodies with their tongues, it is possible that they carry some raw smell that attracts flies. The litter of the pets must be immediately cleaned, sealed properly in plastic, and buried neatly. This will not only keep flies away but also keep your home environment free of bacteria.

Natural home remedies are safe with pets in the house and they will not cause any adverse effect on them because the ingredients that make up the natural home remedies are not harmful to the pets. However, you just need to ensure that they don’t spill the ingredients in the glass or bowl by keeping them away from them.

Chemical Treatment to Get Rid of the Indoor Flies

While you try the natural home remedies, it is fine if the numbers of flies are less and do not create an irritating situation. However, due to some negligence, it may result in a gross infestation. You must be aware of what needs to be done in such a situation and which are the chemicals that can be used to treat the flies’ infestation.

Either you can take the help of professional pest control services or you can do the chemical treatment on your own. We can go through the list of some chemicals used for fly treatment –

LambdaStar Ultra Cap 9.7 – Spray this chemical where you see high accumulation and activity of flies. This residual insecticide is picked enough by flies to kill them.
Cyper WSP – This is also a residual chemical with a different combination. When the spray settles, the flies come in contact and get killed.
D-Fense Dust – This is a powder that you can sprinkle in the cracks. The dust will flow in the void areas and the flies will get affected.
Pyrethrin Insecticide Aerosols – Pyrethrin aerosols work faster and do not leave residues.
Chlorine Solution – Chlorine powder mixed with water and the supernatant liquid can be used by adding further water to dilute. Directly spraying on the flies will kill them while wiping their resting place will keep them away.
Pesticide-releasing Fly Strips – Place them in attics, unused room, or closets. It will repel or kill flies.
Stryker 54 Aerosol – It is a contact insect spray that draws insects out of cracks and crevices. It contains 0.5% Pyrethrins and 4% Piperonyl Butoxide.
Country Vet CV-80D Aerosol – It kills and repels flies and mosquitoes which may carry West Nile Virus. It is widely used in establishments like dairies and poultries. It contains 0.5% Pyrethrins.
PT 565 Plus – It is a pressurized contact insecticide. It gives knockdown, kill, and flushing action. It has low odor formula and is perfect for directed contact and space treatment.
Country Vet Metered Fly Spray – It is a colorless aerosol containing liquefied gas with a mild and pleasant odor. It kills and repels the flies.
QuickBayt – It is a Fly Bait with sugar-based bait having a compound that attracts flies and the insecticide in it kills the flies. Golden Marlin is also similar to this.

How to Get Rid of Outdoor Flies?

If you are having a party in your garden or lawn, take care of the food served there. The flies will instantly get attracted due to the smell of the food and before you even start eating food, you might observe a lot of flies are also attending the party.

Keep the food closed with non-transparent lids and open only while serving. The flies which might have earlier sat on very filthy waste may also sit on your food and spoil your party. Flies are great food contaminators and they also spread diseases.

Natural Home Remedies to Get Rid of Outdoor Flies

Follow the below points to kill or avoid the flies –

Swat The Flies – When outdoors, this is the simple way to deal with flies though it is not very easy to target them because of their swiftness. You can use a plastic swatter or an electrical one which may give you better results.
Flytrap – A cone shape of paper with a marginal opening rolled over the sugar solution in a jar, will act as a flytrap. The sweet smell will invite the flies and they will enter from marginal opening but as the cone roll is tapered above, they cannot escape from the jar.
Citronella Candle – A highly aromatic oil Citronella, when used for candles, the lemongrass content of it will repel the flies as well as mosquitoes. You can place them on grills, porch, or the picnic table.
Vodka Bait – Vodka bait seems screwy but it helps. In some plastic bags, fill half vodka and keep some food in it. This should be hanged properly. The food will attract flies but they will fall and sink in the solution.
Revolving Fan – The flies can’t withstand the strong breeze as they become unable to fly. Place an oscillating fan near the grill, or backyard and let it run to keep the flies away.
Fly Strips – Home-made fly-traps using essential oils can be used to prevent flies infestation. You can cut some strips of 12 inches long and 1 inch wide and moisten each strip with essential oil (lemongrass, lavender, clove, eucalyptus, citronella, etc.).

Tie the strips outside on branches or railing. The strong odor of the oil will keep the flies away.
Avoid Pools Of Water – It is very important to avoid stagnant water. The puddles of water will only invite the flies.
Own A Spider – Not exactly own it but allow it to spread its web if you see it, so, that the outdoor flies will get trapped on the webs. If you find the flies on the web, then, better do not remove them.
Keep The Area Clean – As applicable as for each pests prevention, this is the key factor for keeping the flies away from your outdoors.

Removal of garbage, wood stock, and fallen leaves, from the garden or yard, will keep the area tidy. Flies do not like tidy places so, they will keep away.
Plant The Herbs – If you plant the flies repelling plants like mint, basil, and lavender on your porch or patio, it will help to avoid flies.
Maintain the Lawn – You must mow the lawn regularly to keep the flies from laying eggs. Grown grass provides them a good place to lay eggs as it is moist and gives them protection too. Regular mowing will avoid the infestation as flies can’t lay eggs there.
Clear Fruit Skins – If you are happy to see birds eating fruit, it is good, but, remember that the remains of fruit, peels, or skin will attract unwanted flies.

It is essential that whenever you see any fruit part or peel, ensure that you throw it properly.
Vinegar And Dish Wash Soap – This method works outdoors too. It is a very easy and effortless method.

Just keep vinegar and dish wash soap poured in bowls and keep at specific places in the area of infestation.
Venus Flytraps – Venus flytraps are plants that eat insects, so, planting this outside will help you to keep flies away.
Chlorine Water – Sprinkle chlorine water in the surroundings by taking care of lawn grass and the base of the plant. On hard surfaces, you can pour a little bit of chlorine water and leave it for effect.

The strong toxic odor or chlorine will shove away or kill flies.

Chemical Treatment to Get Rid of Outdoor Flies

While we can manage indoor fly infestation by trying various methods, the infestation outdoors is quite difficult to handle. Depending on the individual area other than the house, one needs the time and effort to get rid of flies outdoors.

There will be many harbourage sites available for flies despite your yards or garden is in quite a clean condition. Ensuring the source of breeding and taking action on it needs some additional manpower and knowledge.

However, on a commercial level, some methods are adopted of which includes as following –

Spray Fly Trap – Scatter fly traps in and around your patio and porch area. Revise monthly.
Sticky Fly Traps – Hang near windows, trees, yard, or garage to attract and catch the flies.
Insecticides – Spray the chemicals safely to avoid the droplets settle on trees or grass.
Cutter Backyard Bug Control Spray Concentrate – It kills flies, mosquitoes, and other pests. Effect coverage is 5000 sq. ft. which is quite remarkable. It contains 0.16% Cyhalothrin.
Garsum Fly Clear Window Fly Trap – Made of super sticky glue and waterproof paper. It is easily removable and disposable. Removes flies quickly from your surroundings.
RESCUE! Big Bag Fly Trap – It is a quick-acting fly-attractant that works with added water. It is a luring scented solution that traps and drowns the flies in the bag.
[2-in-1] Bug Zapper and Attractant – It acts like an attractant and the power grid control immediately kills the flies which go near it. It is rain-proof and you can hang it on the porch as it covers as much as 2100 sq. ft. area.
ZAP IT! Bug Zapper Twin Pack – It is a rechargeable bug zapper twin racket. LED light built allows use in the night. It has a three-layer safety mesh.
Deltamethrin – It is an insecticide that belongs to the Pyrethroid family. It kills a wide range of pests like flies and mosquitoes.
Fipronil – It is a broad-spectrum insecticide that belongs to the phenylpyrazole chemical family. Fipronil effectively kills pests as it disrupts the insect’s central nervous system.
Pheromone Traps – These traps are effective against most types of flies. Pheromones are strong sexual attractants that are effective in luring flies. These traps are very sensitive to attract flies at very low densities.
Fly Sprays – There are some sprays that affect the flies in very little response time. The sprays are pet safe and also can be used on the plants.

How to Get Rid of Flies in Your Yard?

The following points will give you an idea about how to keep flies from your yard.

Clean all the areas where you sighted the living or breeding the flies. Remove everything that can attract them there.
Wet organic matters and manure must be removed. Garbage is to be emptied twice a week to break the house-flies breeding cycle of one week.
Keep the dumpsters and area clean. Place them as far as possible from home.
Keep the bins tightly closed. Plastic bins should be properly sealed.
Remove and clean pet feces immediately as it is a big attraction for the flies.
Pick and clean any dog-food in the yard area as it is food for flies too.
Avoid the build-up of water puddles or stagnated water and moisture from the yard area.
Compost piles must be placed away from home and arranged properly.

How to Get Rid of Flies From Trees?

Trees get affected by fruit flies infestation. Fruit flies get attracted to good or rotten fruits on or below trees. One female can lay up to 700 eggs in her life cycle of about 4 weeks. These eggs get converted to fruit flies within one week.

To keep trees free from flies, remove any damage, rotting, or cracked fruit and leaves from the plants. Reach to the source of flies and eradicate the source to stop further flies.

You can use a vacuum cleaner to get rid of flies from trees, can put fly strips to attract and catch flies, spray lukewarm dish wash soap-water solution on trees at the place of infestation.

Easy Ways to Get Rid of Flies From Trees

Trees being an essential part of our ecological system, we are supposed to take care of them for our benefit. Trees are integral parts of the eco-system and they give us more than we give them. It is always nice to have beautiful trees in the garden and of course, they need special care to grow.

Trees are prone to flies infestation and it is our social responsibility to provide them the needed protection as they balance nature for us. We can follow some simple methods to keep trees free from fly infestation.

Fly Swatter – This of course, need personal efforts as one needs to swipe the swatter manually at the flies. But for some, it may be fun to do this work.

Vacuum Cleaner – It is very effective method considering theless effort needed to carry it out. Dead or living, you can catch all the flies around trees and get rid of them.

Sticky Fly Traps – This method attracts the flies and gets them trapped on the sticky glue. One needs to take care of disposing it properly to avoid it coming in contact with the birds.
Dishwashing Liquid – It is a great remedy to mix water and dish wash soap. Spray the liquid which effectively drive away flies.

Chlorine – Use of chlorine water spread gives you an immediate result and you can see the flies are running away due to its toxic smell which they cannot stand and suffocate.
Softener – Using fabric softener can help you reduce the flies’ activity. However, you need to apply it along with other methods for real effects.

Beer or Cider Vinegar – This can be best used for making traps as the flies get lured to the smell. They try to drink the liquid but get sunk and drown.

How to Find Flies Nests?

Flies do not build nests but they do lay eggs at some specific places. The first sign of infestation is their presence itself. You can say there is fly infestation when you see even a single fly because that means it has laid the eggs somewhere near.

Usually, indoors, the flies lay eggs near decaying, moist organic material like trash, grass clippings, or faeces. Eggs appear long and pale in cluster and hatch in a very short time.

In the outdoors, you can often see the eggs laid in soil by ‘cluster flies’, and on animal waste or decaying waste by ‘stable flies’.

How to Treat Flies Bites?

There are several species of flies which bite the humans and there may be different treatment to each type of flies’ bite. Preventing the bite is a better cure and you can have some oil like application on hands and legs, if you see infestation. We will see some types of flies bite and treatment for it –

Sand Fly – Apply hydrocortisone or calamine lotion directly on the bite area.
Tsetse Fly – Bite will cause sleeping sickness which can be effectively treated by pentamidine.
Deer Fly – Clean the affected area with soap and water and apply ice. To reduce itching, you can consult the doctor.
Black Fly – Apply ice for 15 minutes to the affected area to reduce swelling.

FAQ

Q. How to Get Rid of Flies Under Pavers?

Put fly strips soaked in essential oils to repel flies and also, keep the area free of the trash.

Q. How to Get Rid of Flies Around Pool?

Due to the chlorine in water, the flies will remain away from pool water but if you take care of water puddles around the pool, they will keep away from there too.

Q. How to Get Rid of Giant Flies?

Keeping the bowl of apple cider vinegar in combination with dish wash soap solution can take care of any size of flies. They get lured by the apple’s smell and fall into the water trap.

Q. How to Get Rid of Flies Under Carpet?

Actually, you will find Fly larvae under the carpet and not flies. You can sprinkle some boric powder on the carpet and then use the vacuum cleaner and steam clean in combination to get rid of larvae.

Q. How Vegans Get Rid of Flies?

If someone does not want to kill the flies, he can use the natural fly repellent made of essential oils or simply trap the flies and leave them away from the house.

Q. How to Get Rid of Flies in Refrigerator?

While you have taken the refrigerator for cleaning, use all-purpose cleaner and damp cloth to clean it entirely including the bottom shelves. Place a dish wash soap and vinegar trap and try to attract maximum flies to get rid of them from your refrigerator.