How to get rid of flies in the apartment: a practical guide

Flies are carriers of dangerous pathogens. In addition, their presence in the apartment is also unpleasant, since the annoying buzz is annoying. In order to once and for all drive out flies from your home, you need to know the reasons for their appearance and some effective methods of dealing with annoying insects.

Reasons for the appearance of flies

There are several natural factors that provoke the appearance of flies in residential premises, namely:

1. Unsanitary conditions are the main reason for the active attacks of insects on the living space. Scattered crumbs, spilled juice, an unopened bin, dirty dishes - all this is a paradise for them. The bait can also be food that is in the public domain;
2. Sources of endless humidity. Flies like to actively lay their eggs in warm, damp rooms;
3. Heat. In residential buildings there is always "good weather", so insects can not only winter in them, but also increase the growth of offspring.
4. Not the least role in the invasion of flies is played by excessive cluttering, insufficient sunlight and lack of access to fresh air.

Flies will certainly appear even if the source of unsanitary conditions is a neighboring apartment.

Why flies are dangerous

Flies are carriers of many serious diseases. Their habitat contributes a lot to this, because more often than not they love the places of abundant accumulation of debris and dirt. Dangerous microbes are located on the paws of insects and from there fall on food. Eating them for food can trigger the development of diseases such as:

• dysentery;
• typhoid fever;
• diarrhea;
• conjunctivitis;
• terrible diseases such as salmonellosis, cholera, tuberculosis and even anthrax;
• ailments caused by parasitic worms.

For a relatively short period of life (about a month), the fly is able to lay about 2,000 eggs! And all this impressive offspring is a source of dangerous infection.

How to get rid of flies: 7 ways

There are a lot of options for combating hordes of insects. Among them there are both folk and industrial means. All of them are time-tested and guaranteed to help get rid of uninvited "guests".

We eliminate the source
The first step is to thoroughly clean the kitchen:

1. Wash all surfaces, sweep crumbs off them, close access to food (even better - if possible, remove all products in a cupboard or refrigerator). Fruits, cakes and cookies lying in bowls attract not only your family members, but also insects.
2. Get rid of a mountain of unwashed dishes in the washbasin. The best option is to wash it immediately after eating.
3. Stale food and other waste should be stored in a closed bucket, because they are the ideal bait for flies. Open access to litter will lead to the appearance of larvae, since insects like to lay eggs in rotten fruits. This rule also applies to a special bucket for diapers. If you smell garbage - it is better to get rid of it right away.
4. Buckets for storing waste must be cleaned and treated with disinfectants on a regular basis.
5. If there are pets in the house, then it is recommended to close or clean all the uneaten remains of their food. The feeding bowls must also be kept clean.

Blackout
Before turning to the "heavy artillery" for help, you can try an easy and unusual method - to make flies fly into the light:

All curtains, shutters and blinds tightly smell. If possible, also close the doors to the neighboring rooms (provided that there are no insects).Select one window that will remain open (for light access) and open it wide. Sunlight will attract the attention of the flies and they will fly in its direction. The method is not the most reliable, but sometimes it helps.

Fly swatter
This method, proven over the centuries, has been used by everyone. If there is no special fly swatter in the apartment, then it can be perfectly replaced by newspapers or magazines, rolled up with a tube. To make it easier to catch insects, you can pre-spray hair spray or hand sanitizer.

Important! Do not collect dead flies with your hands. To do this, it is better to use a small scoop and brush. You can also wear disposable rubber gloves that should be thrown away with insects.

This method has one significant drawback - spots that remain on the walls and other surfaces after the "battle".

Fans of high technology can take advantage of the electric vacuum fly swatter, which will do all the work itself. The only thing required is to periodically change the batteries in the device.

Homemade traps
If it is not possible to purchase special sticky strips that attract flies, then they can be done by yourself:

First, you need to prepare a base solution, which is suitable for any thick syrup (corn, water with lemon juice) in an amount of about 100 ml. It is mixed with sugar (approximately 60-70 grams - a quarter cup).

Strips intended for applying a sticky base can be cut from packaging paper or a thin sheet of cardboard. Make a hole at the top of each strip, insert a thread into it and form a loop. Now gently grease each strip with the prepared solution and leave to dry completely.

To hang the received ribbons in places of the greatest congestion of flies. Insects attracted by the smell of syrup will stick to the strips, after which they will simply need to be thrown away.

By the same principle, traps are made of cans or small open containers, only the “bait” is not smeared along the walls, but simply poured to the bottom. Then banks are placed around the perimeter of the apartment. Instead of sugar syrup, in this case, you can use milk, jam and even honey (if not sorry).

For those who do not want to bother with cooking, Velcro traps sold in any hardware store are suitable.

Vinegar
Any remedy made on the basis of vinegar is guaranteed to scare off flies. Here are a few options:

1. The required amount of vinegar (malt) is poured into the pan, always with a thick bottom. Then it just needs to be brought to a boil and left on fire until the insects fly away. However, whenever possible, you should always be near the stove, because after boiling vinegar starts to burn, while spreading an unpleasant odor.
2. Vinegar trap. For its manufacture, an ordinary can is taken with a screw cap, in which several holes are punched. Their diameter should be large enough for the penetration of the fly. A jar of 50% is filled with apple cider vinegar and placed in the place of the largest accumulation of insects.

Entry Barriers
If the invasion of flies has become a constant problem, the mosquito net will be the most effective preventer of their appearance in the apartment. It can be hung on all windows and doors that go directly to the street.

For long-term operation of the grid requires constant care. If its surface is damaged or a hole appears, the problem must be immediately eliminated, because flies can creep through even the narrowest slots, not to mention large gaps.

For information, special protective insect curtains appeared on the market. They are multi-colored plastic stripes that are hung both on the doors and on the windows. Some models of curtains look pretty pretentious, so you should choose their color and style for the overall interior design.

Aromatherapy
Flies do not tolerate certain types of odors, so aromatherapy will help in the fight against annoying insects:

1. Essential oils. The most common fly scare agent is lavender oil. For example, you can drop a couple of its drops on a piece of cloth and wipe the window frames and doorways through which insects supposedly fly into the house. Another method is to pour 50 ml of warm water in a saucer and add 5-6 drops of oil there. After that, place the solution in the problem room. Periodically, the mixture needs to be changed (at least once a week).
2. Fragrant herbs. Here you can use any plants that have a persistent tangible aroma. These are mint, basil, lavender petals, cloves, wormwood, etc. Even improvised bouquets of bay leaf and eucalyptus are suitable. Plants can be used both in dried form and planted in decorative pots. You can also sew aromatic sachets filled with herbs from the inside. However, there is one rule: periodically all plants need to be changed (as soon as the smell becomes less intense).
3. For lovers of thrills, you can use onion juice, because its smells just do not tolerate flies. They can process the surface of doors and windows. However, do not abuse this method, since a specific onion smell will scare away not only insects, but also residents of the apartment. In addition, you will have to shed a lot of tears to get the necessary amount of juice from the bulbs. So this method is best used only in emergency cases.
4. Citrus juice and zest also have a strong effect against insects. For example, you can cut a lemon in half and insert several clove inflorescences into it. If you put it on the dining table, then the flies are guaranteed not to touch the food. You can put dried zest on shelves and cabinets. Its smell will scare away not only flies, but also mole.

If you still prefer chemical insect control agents, then you should carefully study the instructions and do not allow their use in rooms with children and the elderly. Health is more important.

All of the presented methods can be used both individually and combined with each other. Regardless of the method chosen, the end result is guaranteed, and the flies will stop attacking your apartment.

Video: how to get rid of flies in the house