Nancy Birtwhistle says 'keep flies out' using one simple tip

Daily Mirror

14-05-2025

Nancy Birtwhistle, an author and regular figure on ITV's This Morning, shared her advice on Instagram
Flies can be a nuisance to deal with, especially when they buzz around the house during summer. But one expert believes their lesser-known hack may keep them at bay - and it's surprisingly straightforward.
Nancy Birtwhistle, an author and regular figure on ITV's This Morning, shared her ideas on Instagram this week. All you need are egg cups plus two ingredients you probably have lurking in the cupboard.
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"Keeping the flies out," she said, standing in her kitchen. "Two egg cups, lemons. Cloves, stick them in [to the lemons]." Nancy panned the camera down to show herself placing individual cloves into each segment of a halved lemon.
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The 2014 Great British Bake Off winner continued: "Insects hate the smell of cloves, not too fussed about lemon, whereas we love the smell. I keep one in my pantry [and I] keep flies away from my houseplants."
She popped another lemon into a squeezer and went on: "Or use your lemon [first and] add your cloves." Nancy certainly isn't alone in using this trick.
Citrus fruits have long been used as natural insect deterrents in various cultures. Recent research suggests this may be due to the fruits' phytochemicals, including limonene, citronellol, and citral, which produce scents that may be off-putting to unwanted houseguests.
However, it's crucial to note this isn't a foolproof method. Another study, which explored using lemon oil and other aromatic products to repel spiders, found that they did not affect them.
While its scientists, therefore, classed its spider-repelling properties as bogus, they did acknowledge that its use had been referenced in more than one million Google hits. And for flies, at least, Nancy's followers also claimed the trick worked.
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Amidst a wave of comments, one fan wrote: "My goodness it works. It's a beautiful day so my doors are open. They're flying in and within seconds flying out. Thank you." Meanwhile, another added: "My fruit flies gone! Just like that! Thank you."
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While flies are annoying, they also pose a potential health hazard, especially when buzzing around food. Species like fruit flies are not only attracted to your dinner, but also take a liking to faeces, rotting products and manure.
This means they may carry a wealth of bacteria as a result, including Salmonella, E. coli, and Listeria, which can make you very ill. Previous advice from Pest UK has warned: "They like to live, feed, and breed in warm, damp spaces such as drains, cleaning cloths, mops and buckets, waste disposals, bins, or anywhere there is ripe, rotting, decayed fruit or empty beer and wine bottles and food tins.
"An adult female fruit fly can lay up to 2,000 eggs on the surface of anything that's moist and rotting. Within 30 hours, tiny maggots hatch and start to eat the decayed food. Within two days, they're all grown up and ready to mate, too."