The average age of female flies is about one month, but in this short period they can lay up to 500 eggs. It is therefore evident that even a few specimens flying around your patio can soon become a veritable swarm of thousands of annoying insects. Since flies feed on litter and feces, they can transmit disease, so you should try to minimize their population.
Steps
Part 1 of 2: Avoid Attracting Them
Step 1. Keep the garden clean
Flies are attracted by strong smells; if you eliminate them, you can drastically reduce the population of these insects outside your home as well.
- Collect the dog's feces. Be sure to put them in a sealable bag before throwing them in the garbage can.
- Keep the lids on garbage cans tightly closed. If you're having a party, make sure the used dish baskets and disposable cups have airtight lids and ask guests to put it back on top of the bin once the rubbish has been thrown away.
Step 2. Mow the grass often
Flies prefer an overgrown lawn and heaps of scrub, so try to prune shrubs regularly and don't leave piles of grass or organic residue in the garden.
Step 3. Pay attention to the compost bin
It is filled with decaying organic material, which is a kind of buffet for flies.
- Prevents the compost pile from getting too wet.
- Try to keep it as far away from the house as possible.
- Handle it properly. Keep its core temperature high so that there is too much heat for fly larvae to proliferate.
Step 4. Protect yourself from standing water
Flies are attracted to humidity and still water; therefore always change the water in the bird trough and do not let the buckets or other containers fill up with rainwater. Clear the yard of old tires or other rubbish that can hold rainwater.
Step 5. Remove the fruit and skins from the bird feeders
If you want to feed the birds that populate your garden with these delights, make sure they are as far away from the house as possible.
Part 2 of 2: Using Repellants and Killing Flies
Step 1. Create traps
Mix molasses and cornmeal and put the mixture on a flat plate or saucer, away from the patio; the flies will gather right there, while you can enjoy your meal in peace.
Step 2. Buy predatory insects that feed on fly larvae or at least are able to interrupt their life cycle
Try a combination of Nasonia vitripennis and Muscidifurax zaraptor.
Step 3. Set up light traps outside at night
These are lamps that attract flies and kill them with an electric discharge. Try hanging some around the outside area you frequent most often; make sure they are high enough to prevent someone from accidentally hitting them.
Be careful when installing these lamps; even if their shock cannot seriously hurt people, it can still be painful
Step 4. Hang up some vodka bags
Flies can't stand the smell of this alcohol, so hang a few bags around your porch or other busy backyard areas.
- Use one-liter freezer bags; you can hang them on the eaves with sturdy twine.
- Any cheap vodka brand will do.
- You can also try putting small amounts of vodka on the skin, but beware of the pungent odor and dryness of the skin.
Step 5. Place carnivorous plants in the garden
While some only have a repellent action against flies, others actually eat them; among these there are the Dionaea muscipula and the Nepenthes, just to name a few.
Step 6. Choose repellent plants
Flies can't stand the smell of certain plants, so you can decide to grow them on your patio or by the door to keep away. Try adding basil, elderberry, lavender, mint, and Baptisia australis.
Step 7. Don't destroy the cobwebs you see in the yard
Spiders eat flies, but removing the webs would free the flies from their natural predator.
Step 8. Install outdoor fans
Flies don't like windy environments. It might seem silly to turn on a fan outside, but if you're having a party with friends, a small portable fan placed on the patio or deck could be a deterrent.
Step 9. Place some cloves around the outside dining area
Their smell keeps flies away. If you also arrange the cloves decoratively around the dining table, you can prevent flies from flying around the food.
Step 10. Avoid leaving the meat exposed
The smell of this food strongly attracts flies and they would arrive in no time as soon as you take the meat out to cook it on the barbecue.
- Make sure you keep all the meat well covered when not on the grill.
- Close the lid of the barbecue while cooking.
- Protect barbecue utensils and tongs; flies also perceive the smell found on these tools and they could lean on them. If you notice that an insect has landed on a utensil, bring it indoors and wash it before using it to turn or poke the meat.
Advice
- If you want to make a sticky fly trap, make a mixture of peanut butter, glue, and honey. You will be surprised with the results!
- Some are convinced that hanging shiny objects around the garden discourages flies. There is no hard evidence to support this theory, but you can give it a try: Arrange strips of aluminum foil or any other material that has a reflective surface around your patio or garden.
- Flies also play a role in the ecosystem, so you shouldn't completely exterminate them. After bees and wasps, they are the most important pollinators for most flowers and plants. In addition, they keep the population of other insects and parasites in check.
