How To Get Rid Of Flies Indoors

Nilanka Sampath Getty Images

Are you wondering how to get rid of house flies in your home? The common pests — with a single pair of wings and compound red eyes — are known for breeding in kitchen bins, faeces, or on piles of spoiled food. To help you prevent house flies, we've done our research and have rounded up the best advice and natural methods to try.

While house flies might be frustratingly difficult to get rid of, there are some natural ways to keep them out of your home. We speak to the experts at British Pest Control Association and Rentokil to find out more...

How to get rid of a house fly infestation

"Prevention is better than cure. The best way to keep flies away is to limit a fly's access to food and water – particularly in your kitchen," Natalie Bungay, Technical Officer, British Pest Control Association tells Country Living.

House flies have a short lifespan, but they can reproduce quickly and in large numbers. If you are worried about an infestation of flies in your home, it is advised you call the professionals. BPCA has a list of qualified and audited pest professionals on its website.

Professionals will be able to safely and effectively deal with the pests, so it's always worth asking for help if you are unsure.

"The best way to deal with a fly problem is to prevent an infestation from forming in the first place. There are some easy and practical steps you can take to help deter flies from your home," David Cross from Rentokil tells us.

Ways to keep flies away include...

Make sure all food waste is correctly disposed of in a bin with a lid
Keep outside bins secure with sealed lids and away from windows and doors
Clean up food and water spills as soon as they occur
Keep your food covered to stop flies landing and subsequently feeding off your plate
Keep windows and doors closed or install fly screens to keep out home-invaders
Deny flies access by keeping doors closed after dark, or block out the light with curtains
Clean up after your pets, as faeces is the perfect breeding place for flies
Remove any dead flies, as these can be a food source for other pests such as carpet beetles

Homemade remedies to help get rid of house flies

Homemade remedies can also be a great way to naturally keep house flies out of the home — and brilliantly, too, they are incredibly easy to make yourself.

You can try to...

Put a few drops of eucalyptus oil onto a cloth and hang them near doors or windows
Place mint on kitchen window sills — this will also keep them away
Cut up fresh orange peel and place onto a plate
Citronella candles can help to keep flies away, especially in the garden

6 natural products to keep flies out of the home

Outdoor Citronella Candle In Glass Jar Fly Insect Repeller Repellent

Price's Candles amazon.co.uk

£5.98

Bath & Body

nealsyardremedies.com

£9.50

Outdoor Citronella Candles set Travel Tin

LA BELLEFÉE amazon.co.uk

La Jolíe Muse Citronella Candle Mosquito Fly Insect Repellent 100% Soy Wax Travel Tin Indoor and Outdoor 45Hours

La Jolíe Muse amazon.co.uk

£11.99

HS Candle 10 pcs Citronella 4

HS Candle amazon.co.uk

Citronella Essential Oil

Gya Labs amazon.co.uk

US$9.99

Are house flies dangerous?

"Keeping flies away from your food is vital for protecting your health. The adage 'if you followed a fly for a day, you wouldn't eat for a week' is entirely accurate," Natalie continues.

"Flies feed by vomiting saliva onto your food, stamping their dirty legs up and down in the sick, and then sucking up the resulting liquid. The bacteria from its gut can transmit everything from food poisoning to cholera."

CobraCZ Getty Images

What do house flies look like?

House flies have...

Six legs
A small, oval body
Antennas
They are usually grey in appearance and display four black stripes on their chest
Adult house flies are about 4 to 7.5mm long
Female house flies are usually larger than males

photointrigue Getty Images

What do I do if I have a lot of flies in my house?

Most often, if you find you have a lot of flies in your house, they are entering through small cracks in walls or doors. House flies can often be more of a problem during the summer months, especially as the weather gets warmer. As well as this, they also breed in filth (such as bins, rotting food and dirt), so one of the ways to keep them at bay is to ensure your house is clean. Seal any bins, keep surfaces sanitised and don't leave food out on the counter.

Don't forget to:

Check for any food waste which could be attracting flies
Empty your bins regularly
Clean under and around your appliances

What attracts flies in your house?

"Spotting a few flies buzzing around does not necessarily mean you have a serious fly problem, although you should probably start keeping an eye out for other tell-tale signs, such as small dark clusters of spots in light areas and the presence of maggots," David Cross from Rentokil continues.

Common house flies are attracted to rotten items such as feces, pet waste and rotting meat, whereas fruit flies are more likely to seek sugary substances such as overripe fruit, spilled fizzy drinks, and alcohol.

House flies are drawn to:

Dirty conditions
Spilt food
Sticky surfaces from drink spillages
Scum at the bottom of drains
Feces and pet waste
Alcohol

vovashevchuk Getty Images

Where do flies lay their eggs in a house?

House flies will commonly lay their eggs in any warm, moist material. When the weather is warm, eggs will hatch in around 12 to 24 hours.

Some places flies might lay their eggs include...

Piles of rubbish and waste
Decaying material such as grass clippings
Feces

Are houseflies harmful?

Houseflies aren't harmful, but are just a nuisance. One thing to note is that they do carry bacteria and germs, so be careful if they land on your food before eating. Some of the diseases they carry include:

Food poisoning
Cholera
Eye infections
E. coli
Typhoid fever
Dysentery
Tuberculosis

How to keep flies away outside

It's not only in the home that the flying creatures buzz around in: they regularly fly around our garden spaces (particularly if there's food involved). If you're looking for clever ways to keep flies at bay, one of the key ways of outdoor fly prevention is knowing what they don't like.

Florian Klaes Getty Images

Natural ways to keep them away outside includes...

Placing whole cloves into a ripe apple or a piece of citrus and placing it onto a plate
Growing lavender is also a natural way to keep flies away as they don't like the smell
Place citrus fruits and skins in a muslin cloth bag outside
Flies also don't like basil, so these are brilliant to have growing outside
Nasturtiums planted in the garden will also keep the flies away

Browse our other handy pest control guides...

This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io