Designed and shipped from the USA! 🇺🇸
How to get rid of flies outdoors
Get rid of flies
Whether it’s a picnic in the park or a barbecue with friends and family, every summer activity can be ruined by annoying flies if you don’t take the necessary precautions. For some reason, the warmth of summer seems to bring out the worst in the insect population, with flies choosing to invade our home and spoil all our summery fun. If we’re all honest, we never want to be the home known for a fly problem. News can quickly spread and you’re no longer the chosen BBQ hotspot for the summer. Nobody wants that.
An important question to ask is, why do they do it and what is it they want?
Before we go into details, it's worth noting that flies are one of the most diverse insects in their specific biological field. Incredibly, there are more than 150,000 species worldwide that stretch across 150 different insect families. So whether it's house flies, fruit flies or gnats, they’re bound to cause you a problem.
Most flies are probably after your blood. This includes the well-known mosquito as well as horse flies. And that’s right, you guessed it, some people are more attractive to mosquitoes than others. That’s just the way it goes folks.
Interestingly, mosquitoes and other blood-feeding insects are attracted to the carbon dioxide we exhale. They are also blessed with an insect sensory system that helps the pesky things find exposed skin. Given the fact that the skin near our faces is often exposed, that’s why flies tend to buzz around our faces all the time.
The annoying truth is, due to the fact that most flies make their way into our homes via the outdoors, we strongly suggest you make changes to your surrounding outdoor area in order to minimize as many unwanted guests as possible. Let’s face it, getting rid of a few flies in our indoor spaces is one thing, but it can be next to impossible to keep them out of our homes if there are hoards of them flying around our outdoor areas.
As we all know too well, flies can make any form of outdoor activity rather unpleasant. For some, heavy fly infestations can be a huge problem in certain climates, or in environments where there are many animals, such as on farms or in homes with animals or pastures. That’s why it’s so incredibly important to remove them from our outdoor areas.
So, in our expert opinion, there are two main methods that you can use to combat flies outdoors. Firstly, you can try to eliminate and repel them from the immediate area where you usually enjoy outdoor activities, this could be a pool area or garden. However, this can be a rather temporary solution. Secondly, and more sustainably, you could look to combat flies at their source. This usually occurs by denying them the feeding and breeding areas that lead to heavy infestations. In our eyes, this is a much better solution. Trust us, the extra work is worth it in the long run.
If you’re not sure where to start, we’ve gathered a variety of different tips to help attack the outdoor fly population this summer.:
1. Move mulch piles away from your house.
Flies breed in mulch piles, that’s a fact. Therefore, moving the piles away from your home can ensure the hotspot isn’t right below your living room window. However, if you don’t have the necessary space to work with and are struggling for space overall, try to keep the pile away from doors and windows so that the flies gather away from important areas. We appreciate space is sometimes an issue, but there’s always a way to re-arrange.
2. Keep garbage cans well sealed.
Similarly, flies are attracted to the scent of rotted or spoiled goods. This means they’re huge fans of garbage. Keeping your cans sealed and away from points of entry should help to deter them. Although, you should always carry out regular checks before it becomes too late. It’s all too easy to forget about the trash. Then, all of a sudden, there’s a serious fly problem. One of the worst things in the world is taking out the trash, but removing it with hoards of flies inside is a whole new level of gross.
3. Clean up after your pets.
That’s right. Not only are feces perfect breeding places for flies, but they may also land there before landing on your food, not ideal right? This should be common practice anyway, but if you choose to leave poop around for a longer duration of time, this quick change could make all the difference. It also means your pets don’t have to play in their own mess. Double win.
4. Spruce up your lawn with plants.
As we mentioned in a previous blog, certain plants such as basil, lavender, and mint can help to repel and deter a whole range of fly species. They don’t like the smell, leaving them to search for other breeding grounds away from your home. In addition, most plants help to make your lawn look clean and presentable. Win-win.
5. Deep Clean the Garden
A common problem is, you might not spot the flies until they sneak into your home. Usually, this is too late. As we all know, their constant buzzing is far more distressing and aggravating indoors. Therefore, try to scope the garden to see where they’re laying eggs or generally flying around. Make sure to also check your house entrances too. Especially the little cracks, gaps, and leaks. They love those!
Sealing this little range of crevices will keep the flies outside. If you successfully discover their HQ, remove any visible garbage, dog poo, or stinky spots. Ensure to also wash your bins, taking great care to disinfect them. Within the deep clean, you can also secure the compost.
Please please please, for the love of God, finish those flies before they start their mission. It makes a big difference.
Repel
Again, as we’ve previously stated, fly repellents have varying levels of success depending on brand and chosen types. If you choose to opt for bug spray or a repellent product, be careful to wash your hands after handling the surfaces. You may forget and touch your eyes or mouth, which won’t be fun. Take it from us, we’ve been there…
Flypaper
Flypaper is sticky paper infused with a sweet scent. It can also be referred to as a fly strip, fly ribbon, fly tape, or flycatcher. It’s a good solution for indoor flies. Leave some by the kitchen window or stick a few pieces under the lid and on the rims of your wheelie bins.
Homemade DIY fly trap
If none of this works, then a fly trap could be the answer. Time to get creative. Grab a used soda can or plastic bottle with that sugary goodness still inside. Even if it’s the small remains of your last coca-cola, it will do the job. Leave it in a fly-prone spot of your choice, but make sure they can get in easily. Once they’re in, they become confused. All of sudden, getting out is a pretty difficult task. Winner.
You can also plant water bottles with a range of sweet sticky fruits. Candy will also do the trick too. Flies will have a terrible time climbing up the sides of the bottle. For drain and fruit flies, you can cover the bottle with cling film and poke holes in it, this will work in exactly the same way.
Citronella oil
Okay, citronella oil is another great way to tackle the flies. But what is it? Well, it is an essential oil that is commonly used to repel a variety of insects and pests in the summertime. It’s actually made through the distillation of Lemongrass, which can be found anywhere if you want the plant. The oil can be used for keeping mosquitoes at bay, but can be used to combat other insects as well too. Try it and let us know how you get on.
Dish soap
This is a classic. Using dish soap to kill flies has been a go-to for annoyed homeowners since the detergent hit our grocery store shelves all those many years ago. When diluted with water, the properties of the dish soap stick to the fly's legs and cover the insect's wings with a soapy film. This makes it impossible for them to escape, meaning they become stuck. This is an old method, but sometimes the classics work the best.
Natural ways
As you can see from our extensive list, there are many different natural ways to get rid of flies. It doesn’t always have to be synthetic and full of chemicals. Irritated house owners have tried and tested all the DIY methods so we don’t have to. All the methods previously mentioned are fully proven to remove flies from your home, so what’re you waiting for? Time to get to work.
Granted, things like bug sprays and DEET can be extremely effective in your quest to defeat the flies, but if you prefer a more natural and organic way of winning the battle, then who are we to stop you? There’s also a certain satisfaction with capturing flies from a homemade method. The fulfillment of DIY success is a pretty great feeling.
Fly problem
In the unfortunate case you find yourself to be battling a fly problem, it's important you move very quickly. As we said at the beginning of the blog, it’s a terrible move to wait patiently. These pesky insects won’t go without a fight. Choose your method, and work hard to ensure they’re removed from your home. You may even need to try a few methods before you find a winner, or combine a range of different methods to win the overall battle against these pesky insects.
If all else fails, it could be time for a tried and tested method that is designed to stop flies in their tracks. Set up in just 5 minutes, the Ranch Fly Trap will not only keep the flies away from you, but also your animals this summer. They are proven to catch thousands of flies. The best part is, the more traps you have, the more flies you catch.
We’re extremely proud to have helped over 30,000 property owners reduce flies in their homes and ranches over the last two years. The response has been amazing. However, despite our success, the mission continues. We hope to see our traps in many more homes across the globe. The satisfaction we get from traps full of flies can’t be replicated. Call it weird, but we can’t get enough.
As this article was more of a 'how' to get rid of flies outside, here's the reason why flies are attracted to your place in the first place, have a read to be one step ahead of those nasty pests!
It’s time to say no to flies this summer. Shop the Ranch Fly Trap via our website today.