Certain scents are great for repelling insects and for keeping flies away. Create a spray by mixing two cups of water or vodka and several drops of your chosen essential oil. Eucalyptus oil is a good option, but you can also use lavender, citrus, pine, clove, peppermint, and thyme essential oils.
Lavender, eucalyptus, peppermint and lemongrass essential oils – Not only will spraying these oils around the house create a beautiful aroma, but they will also deter those pesky flies too.
Choose from either chemical sprays, household cleaners, or hairspray. Chemical sprays kill flies instantly upon contact, though they contain harsh chemicals. You can also spray the flies with household cleaners, like Windex or Formula 409, or with an aerosol like hairspray. All of these sprays will help you kill a fly.
You guessed it: flies despise cloves and lemon due to their strong smells. For us, however, these natural repellents are quite aromatic. To create this decorative and natural repellent, you'll need a lemon and 6-12 cloves.
Cayenne pepper is an excellent natural fly repellent and also deters many other insects. Mix one cup of water and one teaspoon of cayenne pepper in a misting bottle and spray it near entryways and wherever you see flies. Other natural fly repellents include lemongrass, peppermint, eucalyptus, camphor, and cinnamon.
Does Vinegar, Dish Soap, Essential Oils Repel Flies? Vinegar attracts, not repels flies; however, a container with vinegar and dish soap will function as an attractant trap as the vinegar lures flies to enter the trap and the dish soap will cause the flies to sink and die.
✔️Mix apple cider vinegar and dish soap.
“The fermented smell from the vinegar can attract flies,” Pereira says. “But the soap is really what will kill them.” The detergent in soap will destroy the flies' digestive tract and can also break down their cell walls, he says.
Scents that they're particularly opposed to are the strong, pungent odors, like clove, lavender, mint, lemongrass, eucalyptus, rosemary and citronella. Apply a few drops of these oils to strips of cloth to make DIY fly paper, or spray your deck and patio to keep flies away from the periphery of your home.
Importantly, the more shadows the flies were exposed to, the longer it took for them to "calm down" and return to the food. In other words, when flies flee in response to a shadow, it's more than a momentary escape. It's a lasting physiological state much like fear.
Lavender is a good natural choice for keeping bugs at bay. Not only does the herb smell amazing but it also repels flies, beetles and even fleas – this is due to the lavender oil.
Various smells keep flies away, but a safe generalization — those with powerful and pungent fragrances from aromatic herbs keeps them off. For instance, the aroma of lavender, mint, rosemary, sage, lemongrass, and citronella grass are typical fly-shooing smells.
Flies can be easily repelled with white vinegar, so much so that even the smell of boiling vinegar can be an easy-to-make DIY fly repellent on its own. Pour some cider vinegar into a pot or jar to start making your fly repellent.
To avoid being the favorite host for these pesky insects, try to go for unscented products or without perfume during high bug season. If you really want to keep the extra scent, go for smells that will deter black flies, like lavender, vanilla, or pine.
For another natural remedy, try leaving out a scent that is known to repel flies. According to Natran Green Pest Control, the bugs are known to dislike scents like cayenne pepper, lavender, bay leaves, rosemary, cloves, and lemongrass.
Hang fly tape or place UV light traps where you see the most flies to attract and catch them quickly. Try spreading basil, lemon, or lavender essential oils, or diatomaceous earth around doors and windows to kill flies on contact.
Flies hate the spicy odor of cayenne pepper. If you've noticed flies in certain parts of your home, consider sprinkling dried cayenne pepper around the area. You can also mix it with water and spray it in those locations.
Mix some isopropyl alcohol and water together and pour into a spray bottle. Spray it all over the area where the fruit flies are located, and they will die on contact. While you're spraying down the area for fruit flies, the mixture will also rid your kitchen of mold, bacteria, and other unwanted substances.
Flies are repelled by vinegar, and the smell of boiling vinegar can make them leave. Pour some malt vinegar in a pot or pan, let it boil, and wait for the flies to desperately try to escape.
If you're a nature lover, spraying yourself or equipment with chemical repellents may seem an unattractive solution. Thankfully, eucalyptus oil provides a more eco-friendly way to repel flies and other bugs.
Two big reasons that flies hate to be around lavender are the natural oils it produces called linalool and geraniol. A 2008 study showed that linalool and geraniol are more effective at repelling flies than citronella oil.
Use Fly Bait or Traps
Pine oil cleaner is one of the best fly repellents for your patio. Flies hate the odor of pine, so they'll stay away if you use it to clean your patio space. If you're looking for a more permanent solution, you can use fly bait or sticky traps to lure and kill the bugs.
Peppermint oil
It repelled every single fly from the area where it was applied. And it continued to work just as well for six days after application. The study used neat peppermint oil. You could try smearing some on door and window frames to keep the flies away.