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As anyone who has experienced this can attest, living with pest problems can be a nightmare.
Everything from keeping food safe, keeping pets happy and comfortable, and ensuring that germs aren’t spread suddenly becomes a much harder task, and this can become exponentially harder if you live in an area with a hot climate.
While the flyswatter can be fairly effective as a deterrent, it does require a lot of effort, and most people don’t have the time to be chasing flies around the house.
So this begs the question: what other methods are there to get rid of flies, and what do they entail? Below we will explain how to get rid of flies without fly swatters and a few tips and tricks to keep them away.
Before we properly get started with solutions, it might be a good idea to examine what exactly attracts flies into our homes and what steps can be taken to ensure this doesn’t happen in the first place.
After all, prevention is better than the cure, and if there are ways and means to make our homes less attractive for flies, then we should certainly take them up.
One of the things that attract flies is heat, and as you might imagine, our homes can seem like beacons of warmth and comfort for a passing fly.
At the end of the day, flies are animals too, and they require many of the same things we do in order to survive.
This means that, as much as possible, it is important to limit the entry points that they have.
This can be a near-impossible task in some cases, but with the implementation of nets and screen doors for the summer months, you can certainly limit their chances.
This might seem strange, but flies are also drawn to the light - much like their cousin, the moth.
UV bulbs are the most attractive, which is why it is important to limit their exposure and opportunities.
If you have the door open on those hot summer nights, then be sure not to have a bright light on in that room - as flies out in the dark will be drawn to the open door like a literal beacon.
This is an obvious one and is perhaps the main thing associated with flies.
It should really go without saying that food scraps and garbage should never be left out in the open - especially if you live in hot climates where the items will spoil much faster than normal.
By placing items in a covered trash can and ensuring that food scraps are disposed of (and plates are cleaned), you can seriously limit the number of flies in your kitchen and home.
As any homeowner will know, drains can be hotbeds for dirt, grease, and grime - especially kitchen drains, where all manner of food gets washed away without a second thought.
These food items can quickly cause grease and fat to build up deep down in the drain - something that can cause ‘fatbergs’ to form, as fat, grease, and even soap can form together and solidify.
This is why proper drain maintenance is paramount, especially if you are intending to keep your home free of flies and other pests.
This is a less likely reason, but if you have eliminated all the other causes on this list, then it might well be the source of all your problems.
As we all know, animals of all kinds can get into crawl spaces or between walls, and if those animals die, and their carcasses begin to rot and decompose, then this too can attract flies.
The telltale signs for this will generally be if the flies are located in one specific part of the house - such as the wall or corner where the animal could be.
If this is indeed the case, then further investigation might be necessary to find the solution.
Having any kind of pest infestation can be heartbreaking, not to mention incredibly stressful and annoying.
Luckily though, there have never been more tools at our disposal to right these wrongs and take back our homes from unwanted pests.
As we mentioned, not every method can be solved by killing, and sometimes keeping a clean kitchen and home can be the best way to ensure that flies stop showing up where they’re not wanted.
This means that any sticky, sweet spills should be cleaned as soon as possible (especially in the summer), and any food scraps or other potential attractants should be thrown away or stored properly.
It is also possible to make your own DIY home fly traps - that is, a container that has a purposely placed attractant inside, luring the flies into the trap and then allowing you to either dispose of them in the garbage or take them outside if you won’t in fact want to kill them.
One method involves taking a 2-liter soda bottle, slicing off the top third (around where the top of the label would be), pouring a sweet liquid (or food scraps) in the bottom, and then positioning the top third inverted within the bottle.
This will attract the flies in and then prevent them from getting out easily.
As flies are attracted to UV light, this has become a useful tool in capturing and killing them, and there are many consumer-orientated light traps that can be purchased from your local hardware store or on sites like Amazon.
These generally combine UV light with an electrical ‘zapper’ that will electrify and kill the fly when they come too close.
You will probably have seen variations of these in supermarkets and some restaurants, and while they might seem unsightly, they can be one of the most effective and easy ways to deal with the problem.
Lighting citronella candles can be a good way of keeping flies away.
More specifically, the pleasant smell of citronella masks other smells in the home and thus confuses the senses of the fly - thus stopping them from congregating in kitchens and other locations in the home.
Alternatively, you could use an electrified bug zapper.
These are similar in design to the standard swatter but have the added bonus of battery-operated electricity running through them, giving flies a nasty, fatal electric shock if they ever come a-calling.
And there we have it, everything you need to know about getting rid of flies, and the best ways to do so without a flyswatter.
It’s true that flies can be a nuisance, especially if you live in areas with a hot climate, and while killing flies isn’t something that anyone takes pleasure in, it can be the difference between a happy, comfortable existence, and one plagued by pests.
So, if you are looking to get rid of flies in your home, and don’t want to use a flyswatter, then why not give some of these methods a try?
Something tells me you won’t be disappointed!
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