How To Keep Flies Away From Patio
Flies can quickly become a nuisance when they start swarming around your patio, especially during the warmer months. Not only are they annoying, but they can also pose a health hazard. However, there are several effective methods to keep flies away from your patio, ensuring a pleasant outdoor experience for you and your family.
Keep Food Covered
Flies are notorious for being attracted to food, especially during outdoor gatherings. To prevent them from landing on your food, it’s essential to keep platters covered with mesh food screens. These screens can be easily found at local party stores or can be crafted at home. By keeping your food covered, you can effectively deter flies from swarming your patio area.
Clean Up After Pets
Flies are attracted to strong smells, including animal droppings. To reduce the likelihood of flies hovering around your patio, it’s important to clean up after your pets regularly. Use a plastic bag to pick up feces and dispose of it in a sealed garbage can to prevent flies from being attracted to the area.
Cover Trash and Compost Bins
Rotting food in trash cans and compost bins can be a major attractant for flies. It’s crucial to keep these containers tightly covered and ensure that the trash is regularly taken out for pickup. If you have a compost pile, consider adding a layer of dried leaves or straw to cover wet waste and deter flies from breeding in the area.
Use Fly Bait or Traps
For a more permanent solution, consider using fly bait or sticky traps to lure and eliminate flies. Pine oil cleaner is known to be an effective fly repellent for patios, as flies are repelled by the scent of pine. By using traps or bait, you can significantly reduce the fly population in your patio area.
Plant Fly-Repelling Herbs
Decorating your patio with potted plants that repel flies can be an aesthetically pleasing and effective method. Herbs such as basil, bay laurel, mint, and lavender are known for their fly-repelling properties. Additionally, herbs like wormwood, tansy, rue, and citronella grass can be planted near your patio to keep flies at bay.
Make All-Natural Fly Repellent
Flies are known to dislike the smell of cloves. You can create a natural fly repellent by pressing whole cloves into an apple or orange and placing them around your patio furniture. This method provides a natural and decorative way to deter flies from your patio area.
Replace Your Lightbulbs
Flies are attracted to UV lights, so replacing UV-emitting lightbulbs with soft yellow bulbs can help discourage flies from swarming around your patio lights. By using lightbulbs that emit lower frequencies of UV light, you can effectively reduce the presence of flies in your outdoor space.
Use Citronella-Infused Incense and Candles
Citronella essential oil is a highly effective natural repellent for flies and other bugs. By using citronella-infused incense and candles, you can create a pleasant atmosphere on your patio while keeping flies away. The pleasant lemony scent of citronella adds to the ambiance while deterring flies from the area.
Use A Vinegar Trap
Vinegar can be used to create a trap for fruit flies, especially apple cider vinegar with its sweet smell. By adding dish soap to a cup of vinegar, you can attract and trap fruit flies, preventing them from bothering you on your patio.
Enclose Your Patio
Keeping your yard clean and following these simple tips can help you enjoy your patio without the presence of unwanted pests. If you’re looking for a perfect outdoor experience, consider contacting professionals for a free consultation on a patio enclosure for your home. Patio enclosures can provide a bug-free outdoor space for you and your family to enjoy.
How To Keep Flies Away – 2 Easy Tricks
There are two effective and easy tricks you can use to keep flies away when you are eating or relaxing outside – and they both involve pennies in water. Here are the methods:
Method 1: Pennies In Glass Of Water
Fill up a few large, clear glasses with water and place some pennies at the bottom of the glasses. Then, place these glasses of water around your table and even among the plates of food to notice fewer flies buzzing around.
Method 2: Bag Of Water Trick
Set a resealable plastic food storage bag inside a mason jar and fill it up 3/4 full with water. Drop a few pennies in the bottom of the bag, seal it tightly, and hang the bag up around where you’ll be sitting and eating. You can hang up just one or a few to keep the flies away.
Frequently Asked Questions
What plants keep flies away?
Plants and herbs such as sweet basil, lavender, rosemary, mint, and wormwood are known to repel flies. Placing these plants closer to your picnic table can help deter flies from the area.
How does the penny trick work on flies?
The exact mechanism behind the penny trick is not fully understood, but some believe that the pennies resemble the compound eyes of a larger bug, which scares the flies away.
How do you use old CDs to keep flies away?
Hanging up old CDs with the reflective side facing out can create a barrier that repels flies. The sunlight reflecting off the CDs can deter flies from approaching the area.
What if the penny trick doesn’t work?
If the penny trick is not effective, consider using food tents to cover the food or using battery-operated fly-repelling fans to keep flies away from your outdoor space.
How to prevent flies outdoors?
Preventing flies outdoors involves keeping your outdoor space clean, emptying and washing out garbage cans frequently, and cleaning up all food or drink spills immediately. Additionally, cleaning up pet waste daily can help prevent flies from being attracted to your outdoor area.