With the heat and humidity, flies tend to be attracted to our homes. And how difficult it is for them to abandon it! Although they don't sting like they do the mosquitos, the buzzing of these and their tendency to perch here and there make their presence uncomfortable. To eliminate them we encourage you today to create your own homemade fly swatter and we give you several proposals for it.
As much as we open the windows and try to direct them to them, the flies do not always seem ready to leave our home. And depending on the number, it can not only become very annoying but also a hygiene problem. That is why it is necessary to act.
The fly problem
Flies tend to take refuge in bathrooms and kitchens and the problem can be aggravated in the warmer monthss due to the combination of high temperatures and humidity. And not only are they annoying, but being carriers of pathogens, they can represent a health problem.
Flies use a trumpet-shaped channel to feed through which they are able to suck liquid food. To take advantage of solid food, it is usual for them to regurgitate saliva on it to help break down the food. But besides contaminate the food with their saliva, they have a bad habit of defecating in the same place.
As if that were not enough, by flying from one side to the other and leaning here and there, can carry all kinds of germs, bacteria and viruses from one surface to another. Therefore, if the concentration of flies in our homes is high, we must act!
Prevention
There are many commercial solutions to get rid of flies, but there are also homemade alternatives, as we will see below. Now, in order not to have to use any or to use them to a lesser extent, the proper thing is to bet on prevention. And to prevent flies from accumulating in our home the key is in:
- Keep the house clean. Good cleaning is key, especially in the summer months, so as not to attract flies.
- Don't leave food behind on countertops. If it is food that you are going to serve soon, cover it!
- avoid having decomposing organic matter at home. Compost bins and garbage attract flies as you have surely verified.
- Place mosquito nets on windows and balconies to be able to ventilate without insects entering.
- Use citrus based air fresheners as a preventive system.
homemade fly swatter
If you eliminate everything that attracts flies and makes it difficult for them to enter the house, the number of flies will be reduced in such a way that a homemade fly swatter could be enough to combat them. Do you want to know how to create one? We share with you different options.
Fly trap
One of the most popular ways to combat flies is to create traps whose content they are attracted to. Syrups, jams, sugars, sweet fruits, sugary drinks... are very effective in attracting them. Yes, they also like sweets.
A plastic bottle is all it takes to create a trap like the one they teach you to make in the attached video. In this type of trap, the flies, attracted by the sugar solution, easily enter but rarely get out. And it is that by smearing with the liquid it is more difficult for them to fly.
Pay attention to the video to create your trap, place it where you usually have problems with flies and you will see how they fall!
vinegar and detergent
Vinegar is an ideal product for cleaning and disinfection of kitchens, bathrooms and surfaces in general. And of course it is also very useful for killing and eliminating insects. Even more so, when its aroma is enhanced by heating it first.
So the first thing you will have to do to make your own homemade fly swatter with vinegar and detergent will be heat a cup of vinegar. Do you notice how its smell intensifies? Afterwards, you will have to wait until it is warm to use it. Then place it in a medium container and add 10 drops of liquid detergent, mixing afterwards to obtain a homogeneous mixture. Place it where the flies accumulate and you will see how they fall into the container.
Lavender and eucalyptus oils
They don't kill flies but they do drive them away like citrus air fresheners do. And it is that neither the aroma of lavender nor eucalyptus pleases flies, being, however, normally pleasant to people. For this reason, create a solution with water and a few drops of lavender or eucalyptus oil to spray or using it in vapors is a great alternative to combat them.
These oils also have many other uses, so they are always a good investment. And don't be fooled by the fact that they usually come in very small bottles, they pack a lot of punch! You will not use more than 4 or 5 drops at a time.
Are these homemade fly swatter ideas practical for you? Will you put any of them into practice?