The simple trick to keep flies from entering your home using a natural ingredient they ‘hate'

The Sun

16-05-2025

IT'S second nature to open doors and windows to let fresh air in during the warm summer months.
But unfortunately, this is also how pesky flies can find their way inside - and they can be tricky to get rid of once they're in.
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Luckily, the pros from Express Bi-Folding Doors have revealed some of the best tricks and tips for banishing flies and other insects without breaking the bank.
The first hack is perfect if you have leftover citrus peel from recipes - don't throw away this peel!
Instead, collected the peel and add them to small pots around both doorways and windows.
Not only will they leave your home smelling great, but they'll keep pesky flies out, since they hate the scent.
And since oranges can be picked up for as little as 28p in supermarkets like Aldi, this is a budget-friendly hack too.
If you want to go all out, you can also combine two scents flies hate - cloves and lemon.
Simple cut the lemons in and stick in a few fresh cloves before placing them in the same spots around your home.
You don't have to reply on left over fruit though, as essential oils can also do the trick.
For those who'd rather not have fruit peels around their homes, essential oils will work just as well - flies hate the smell of strong oils.
Again, strong scents work best, like peppermint, lemongrass and eucalyptus, the pros told Express.co.uk.
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All you need to do is add a dab or two of the oil to some kitchen roll or a cloth and hang them out around windows and doors.
For this hack, simply cut up some strips of kitchen paper or cloth, and place a little bit of your chosen essential oil on them.
Even more tricks to banish pesky flies
According to the whizz behind this purse-friendly hack, Chris J Carr, a DIY concoction that costs pennies to make and will give you results in a mere five minutes.
''Just put it in the kitchen, and all flies, mosquitoes, and bugs will go away." he said.
To whip up the cheap and simple remedy, you will need: 1/2 cup vinegar, 1/2 cup olive oil (or other vegetable oil), as well as 1/2 cup shampoo.
When it comes to adding the latter, there's no need to use your fancy shampoo - any cheap discount store version will work just fine ans save you extra cash.
Start by mixing all the ingredients together in a bowl and place it in the kitchen, before waiting for the bugs ''to flock to it''.
Although Chris had caught dozens of teeny fruit flies in just five minutes, he advised to leave ''the mixture out for a couple of hours or until you feel the insects have been caught.''
If you still spot the annoying flies and mosquitos taking over the kitchen, repeat the process, he added.
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!