The £2 buy that brightens up your garden & ‘works wonders' keeping flies out as mum urges people to ‘forget' DIY hacks

The Sun

15-07-2025

WITH summer in full force and Brits enjoying glorious weather, many homeowners may have noticed more flies appearing in their garden and houses.
This is because this is the time of year that pesky bugs love the most, as the warmer, brighter days boost their energy levels.
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The start of summer also marks the start of their mating season and they can all emerge at once to begin reproducing.
Not to mention, there is also increased food availability with BBQs and picnics, meaning they are often on the search for a tasty snack.
So it's no wonder that homeowners across the country will be trying all different tips and tricks to keep them at bay.
Online, there are what feels like dozens of different hacks - from using basil, a viral apple cider vinegar and cling film method and more.
However, if you've given these a shot but with no worthwhile results, there's another remedy.
The best part? Not only is it effective and wallet-friendly but will also brighten up your outdoor space in seconds.
The genius solution was recently shared on TikTok by mum-of-three Jaimie Elmo, who also urged people to ''forget'' other DIY hacks.
According to the savvy mother, whose username is @ theelmosworlds, homeowners should get their hands on a disco ball - a quirky method to repel pesky flies with no faff.
Pest control expert, Juan C. Rezk, explained that this method can be ''effective'' because flies mostly rely on light and reflection for navigation.
''Their sense of direction may be affected by the reflections cast everywhere by a spinning disco ball in direct sunshine,'' he told Homes and Gardens.
The 2C method which stops flies plaguing your home and ruining your BBQ
''It doesn't harm them, but if it irritates them enough, they may avoid the area.''
For best results, the disco ball - available for just £2 on Shein - should be placed somewhere bright and sunny to capture and reflect the light, rather than being hidden away in the shade.
According to Juan, using a disco ball to get rid of gnats and flies works best outside, on decks, patios, and barns.
Why do flies come out in summer?
Flies are present all year round, but all of a sudden when summer comes, they are just EVERYWHERE!
The main contributing factors are the breeding cycle of flies and the soaring temperatures.
Insects are cold blooded and in summer, when their body temperature rises from the external heat, they become more active.
The hotter weather also let's them seek out cool moist spots, like inside your home, to escape from the sweltering heat and to lay their eggs.
House Fly eggs take around 20 hours to hatch, but when the temperature rises above 37 degrees, can hatch within 8 hours!
In extreme hot weather the eggs can mature from larvae to adult fly in as little as four days.
The average lifespan of a housefly is 21 days, so each female can lay up to 900 eggs during the summer months!
''To truly reflect, it requires direct sunlight or a powerful light source,'' he explained.
''Inside is not worth it though. Flies just ignore the scatter effect because most interior lighting isn't intense enough to produce it.''
While this remedy won't work well on cloudy days, a disco ball is a fun way to add flair to your patio and repel those annoying flies and a good trick to add to your arsenal this summer.
Sharing the hack - which is ideal if you want to keep your garden chemical-free - Jaimie said in the caption: ''Forget the water and pennies in a Ziploc trick. This has been working wonders.''
'I love how it looks'
The clip, where the savvy mum also showed how well the shiny disco ball reflected the sunlight, has taken the internet by storm.
Since being uploaded, the informative video - one that's sure to help millions of frustrated people - has won almost 920k views.
As over 28k people gave it a like, more than 170 flooded to comments where one joked: ''It puts the flies into a panic at the disco.''
Another also swore by this wallet-friendly solution, writing: ''I did this too & it actually works and also I love how it looks.''
Someone else chimed in: ''I hung 6 on my back deck, and I'm so obsessed with the look.