With warm weather comes flies – and when the weather starts to cool off it seems like they are all trying to get inside.
The first line of defense to control flies is to keep flies out, and to make it less inviting for flies to want to come in. Keep trash cans away from the house. Don’t feed pets by doors, and keep pet areas free from litter. Keep decks and porches clean and screens on your doors and windows in good repair. Also keep door areas and windows clean.
When you do nevertheless get flies, there are natural and organic methods to get rid of these flies, alternatives to chemical sprays and store-bought flypaper. Below are some of these common methods.
Water: or more specifically, bags of water in clear plastic bangs hanging near outdoor entryways. It is not known exactly why this works, but farmers and fruit stand operators use this method on a regular basis. It may be that the flies are deterred by the reflections (or because of their poor eye site the bags may appear to be like spider webs).
Another organic method is using a container like a milk jug and adding 2-3 inches of water, apple cider vinegar and a couple of drops of dish washing liquid cleaner. Flies are attracted to the mixture and once they climb in, will have a hard time to get back out. In general, flies are attracted to things that are sweet or fruity so you can try different concoctions.
Electric fans blowing down and out at doorways will prevent flies from entering. This is used by grocery stores and livestock farms. Another green method used in pest control is placing sliced cucumbers in bowls at doorways and entrance ways.
Homemade flytraps can be made by placing sweet or fruity food in the bottom of a jar with a lid. Poke some holes in the lid (or plastic wrap). Once flies go into the jar through the holes they won’t be able to get out.
Homemade flypaper, though not that attractive, is effective. Soak brown paper strips (with a hole poked in to hang a string from) in a mixture of sweet maple syrup and brown and white sugar placed in a shallow pan.
Hopefully, some of these above methods will help in controlling your fly situation. There are also some tricks to use to help control the presence of fruit flies, some similar to the methods that are mentioned above.
Fruit flies can hide and breed in many different areas such as wet rags, dirty drains and most commonly trash cans. Anywhere there might be anything sweet such as fruit juice spills, ketchup spots, or sweet food particles. So first, try to keep food sources out of the way and your kitchen area clean.
One way to get rid of these pesky fruit flies is a bowl trap. You can make this by putting a piece of fruit and some fruit juice or wine in a bowl and covering it tightly with plastic wrap. Poke the plastic with a few small holes. The fruit flies will be able to get in but not out. Another method is the funnel trap. Make a cone out of a sheet of paper in the shape of a funnel. Tape the funnel shape together. Pour some fruit juice or wine in a glass or cup. Place the funnel into the top of the glass or cup so that it fits snugly but without touching the liquid. The fruit flies will go down the tunnel without being able to get back out. And finally, another easy but effective method is putting a piece of fruit in a zip lock bag but leaving it about 1/2 inch open. When numerous fruit flies have gone inside to the fruit, zip up the rest of the bag!
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