Latest news with #flies
The Sun
2 days ago
- Lifestyle
- The Sun
Aldi's £3 buy keep pesky flies out of your home all summer – and it smells amazing too
ALDI is selling a £3 product that will keep flies out of your home all summer long, and make your house smell amazing. Summer is finally here, and according to the Met Office, it's set to be a scorcher. 2 2 However, although there are so many positives to summer, from warm weather to longer days, it also has its downsides, such as the emergence of irritating pests. House flies can be an incredible annoyance at this time of year, as they sneak in through open doors and windows. Chasing them around with rolled-up newspapers and makeshift fly swatters can seem an endless task, and can ruin your summer's evening. However, according to experts, a quick and easy way to get rid of them is to plant pest-repelling herbs in the garden. Although lavender is one of the most beloved scents for humans, flies can't stand the scent of it. Therefore, if you plant the fragrant flower near the entrance to your home or on the windowsill, it will act as a barrier against flies. Plus, lavender also attracts bees, which will give your garden a wildlife boost. Anyone wanting to try out this simple hack won't have to fork out much, as Aldi is launching a lavender plant for just £3.79. The bargain bloom will be available at stores across the UK from June 12, so flower fans had better set their alarms to be in with the chance of snagging the product. Another plant that flies hate the scent of is cooking staple basil. Tips and Tricks to Keep Your Garden Pest-Free Purchasing a pot and placing it on the windowsill will keep the insects at bay. Plus, you can pull of a leaf or two and add it to pastas, pizzas or salads to enhance their flavour. Mint is another plant that flies can't stand due to its sharp refreshing scent. Plus, it works great as an addition to summer cocktails such as mojitos. IF you want to ensure that your home is pest free this summer, here's what you need to know. Hornets and wasps - hate the smell of peppermint oil so spraying this liberally around your patio or balcony can help to keep them at bay. Moths - acidic household white vinegar is effective for deterring moths. Soak some kitchen roll in vinegar and leave it in your wardrobe as a deterrent. Flying ants - herbs and spices, such as cinnamon, mint, chilli pepper, black pepper, cayenne pepper, cloves, or garlic act as deterrents. Mosquitoes - plants, herbs and essential oil fragrances can help deter mozzies inside and out. Try eucalyptus, lavender and lemongrass. How to Care for Lavender To get the most out of your lavender, plant it in a sunny spot with well-drained soil. Once it's settled in, it won't need much watering – in fact, it prefers to stay on the dry side. French lavender typically flowers from late spring into early autumn, with a peak bloom period between May and September. Some varieties, like Lavandula stoechas "Papillon" and "Tiara", are known for their continuous flowering from late spring to early autumn. After French lavender flowers, you should trim the spent flower stalks to encourage more blooms and keep the plant compact. You can also prune the plant back in late summer or early spring to rejuvenate it and prevent it from becoming woody.
The Sun
3 days ago
- General
- The Sun
Aldi launches £2.49 buy that will banish flies, wasps and mosquitoes from your home this summer – it works ‘instantly'
IF you've noticed an army of flies and wasps entering your home, fear not, you've come to the right place. There's nothing more annoying than relaxing on your sofa or enjoying a freshly-cooked dinner, only to have an irritating insect that won't leave you alone. 4 4 Flies tend to thrive in the warmer weather and reproduce quickly - and while this is great for them, it may not be so positive for us. 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. But fear not, luckily for you, Aldi has now launched an incredibly effective solution that will banish the annoying pests from your pad in no time. Not only is it said to work 'instantly', but it also gets rid of mosquitoes too. And if you're on a budget, then you'll be pleased to know that this supermarket buy is incredibly affordable. So if your purse is feeling the pinch and you're searching for a solution that won't break the bank, you'll need to get your shoes ready and move quickly. Thanks to Aldi's latest drop of Specialbuys, shoppers can now get their hands on the Zero In Fly & Wasp Spray. It's priced at just £2.49, making it great for those looking to pocket pennies where possible. It's been described as a 'fast acting killer' that works to 'instantly stop wasps and flies'. This 'fast action formula' will 'kill flies, wasps and mosquitoes' and is intended for indoor use. How to Keep Wasps, Bees, and Flies Out of Your Home with a 5p Onion Hack This affordable spray works to banish insects on contact and you must make sure to thoroughly shake it before use. Spray directly at insects from a distance of 60cm to 90cm. Shoppers should note that this bargain buy contains Permethrin, Tetramethrin and PBO. 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! It's important that users avoid direct contact with soft furnishings, carpets and polished areas. It is also not for use on clothing or bedding. It is available to buy from Aldi stores nationwide, while stocks last. But you'll need to get to your nearest Aldi fast if you want to nab it, as like all middle aisle finds, it is sure to sell out incredibly fast. Why do Aldi and Lidl have such fast checkouts IF you've ever shopped in Aldi or Lidl then you'll probably have experienced its ultra-fast checkout staff. Aldi's speedy reputation is no mistake, in fact, the supermarket claims that its tills are 40 per cent quicker than rivals. It's all part of Aldi's plan to be as efficient as possible - and this, the budget shop claims, helps keep costs low for shoppers. Efficient barcodes on packaging means staff are able to scan items as quickly as possible, with the majority of products having multiple barcodes to speed up the process. It also uses 'shelf-ready' packaging which keeps costs low when it comes to replenishing stock.
Telegraph
6 days ago
- Health
- Telegraph
‘They're buzzing everywhere': Inside the town hit by a fly infestation
A dark cloud hangs over Royal Leamington Spa, in Warwickshire. If you look closely, it's not raindrops gathering, but millions of small black flies that residents say are making their lives a misery. Abigail and her partner Paul bought their home in the suburb of Heathcote last year. They had no idea they would soon be sharing it with a swarm of uninvited visitors. At 10.30am on Wednesday, Abigail hung a strip of fly paper in her kitchen – as she does every morning. By midday it was speckled with dozens of dead or dying flies that had found their way into the house. Abigail says it is costing her at least £12 a week in fly-prevention measures, from sprays and electric fly-zappers to the screen on the back door. She worries about the effect all those chemicals are having on her six-year-old daughter. Her next-door neighbour hasn't opened her curtains for weeks since the infestation began – they all dread the coming of summer. Abigail and her family are currently in the process of renovating their home and the doors are open much of the day. 'We moved in the winter and no one warned us,' she says. 'We found out for ourselves at the end of February – that was when things changed. The flies have been everywhere constantly since then. They are there when you get something to eat. We daren't open the windows upstairs.' There is also something else in the air in Heathcote: the constant smell of rubbish emanating from a recycling plant at the centre of a sprawling industrial estate. This is the epicentre of the infestation according to local residents, who have been plagued by flies since it opened three years ago. The Amcor plant, which processes 50,000 tonnes of kerbside-collected plastic waste each week, says it has passed all environmental and health checks, but complaints led by Matt Western, the MP for Warwick and Leamington Spa, to warn in the House of Commons of a 'public health risk'. There's something else in the air in Heathcote: the persistent smell of rubbish wafting from a recycling plant at the centre of a sprawling industrial estate. According to local residents, this is the epicentre of an infestation that has plagued the area with flies every spring since the facility opened three years ago. The Amcor plant, which processes 50,000 tonnes of kerbside-collected plastic waste each week, says it has passed all environmental and health checks. But complaints have continued, prompting Matt Western, MP for Warwick and Leamington Spa, to raise concerns in the House of Commons about a potential 'public health risk.' Amcor, formerly known as Berry Circular Polymers, says there is no proven link between the activities at the site and the swarms of flies, which have appeared every spring for the past three years. The streets around Amcor's towering, seemingly spotless stainless-steel plant are named after characters created by William Shakespeare, who lived just a few miles away in Stratford-upon-Avon. Fittingly, it is in Othello that the Bard mentions the 'summer flies in the shambles' – the grim market stalls where butchers once disembowelled animals and processed offal. It's surely coincidence that Othello Avenue lies just a street away, not far from Orsino Close, Shylock Grove and Calpurnia Avenue. In the Royal Horse pub, a group of five elderly women are enjoying their first visit in three years. They had stayed away after their last meal together was ruined by flies. Pat Weake, 85, only booked the table this time after checking whether the problem had been resolved. 'I was told there was, but it hasn't been as bad [recently] so we decided to take a chance,' she says. Thus far their meal hadn't been disturbed by anything more annoying than a Telegraph journalist, but it was still early in the day and they were ready to make a run for it if necessary. Tony Woodcock, 28, and his partner Abbie Sweet are among the area's newer residents, drawn like many young couples to Heathcote's affordable homes. But no one, Tony says, warned them they might be sharing their new life with a swarm of flying insects. Both he and Abbie suffer from respiratory issues, and shortly after moving in, she ended up in A&E with breathing difficulties. They don't know whether the Amcor plant is to blame, but they've begun to wonder if they should have stayed in Lillington, a nearby village where, Tony says, the air was 'pure and sweet'. 'We have a three-year-old daughter and it was a very small flat,' he adds. Tony works wrapping kitchens in vinyl to give them a fresh look at modest cost. Now, he's turning his attention to something more urgent: designing a fly screen using the same skills. Catherine McIntyre, 41, who lives nearby, is dreading the arrival of peak summer. 'It was really bad last year,' the mother of three explains. 'They were getting into the bedroom and everywhere.' At Stagecoach's Leamington Spa bus depot, where vehicles are cleaned before setting off across the country, one driver reported having to deal with more than a dozen flies before he could start his route. Meanwhile, Matt Western painted a grim picture when he raised the issue in Parliament. 'Imagine being in your own home and unable to eat with your family, unable to leave food for even a minute without your kitchen being swarmed with flies, and unable to sleep in your own bed without flies landing on your face,' he said. 'Imagine flies everywhere, in every room of your house, in business premises, in pubs, in restaurants and in takeaways, and vile odours permeating your life, whether at home, walking the streets or driving your car. 'That is the reality for hundreds of families in one part of my constituency. I estimate that as many as 10,000 – if not more – of my constituents are impacted by this. 'This is not just a minor inconvenience; this is ruining people's lives. 'People are getting ill, and some residents are actually selling up. Then there is the all-pervasive foul-smelling odour. Constituents describe the smell as being like 'raw sewage'. They say it is 'sulphuric' and 'toxic'. Many have told me that the smell is utterly unbearable.' An Environment Agency spokesperson confirmed that the Amcor site had been inspected four times since April 1, and apart from a minor breach of 'management techniques', no issues had been found. No one was available for comment yesterday, but a spokesperson for Berry Circular Polymers (now Amcor) had previously stated: 'We take these concerns extremely seriously and although both ourselves and our regulators cannot find a substantial causal link, we are committed to ensuring we do not negatively impact Warwickshire residents.' Few agree. The only ones who don't seem to mind are the flies.
The Sun
6 days ago
- General
- The Sun
The easy way to stop flies coming into your home and dying on your windowsill this summer using a £1 seasoning buy
FLIES are a common pest in the summer. And although they are harmless, they are annoying to deal with when all you want to do is sit down and relax in the summer heat. While we often open the windows or doors in the summer to keep us cool, flies also have the same idea. The reason we see an influx in the heat is because they too are trying to get out of the sun's rays. This can often lead to flies buzzing around the home before eventually falling dead and creating a mess on your windowsill. Thankfully, an expert has shared a simple way to keep them away for good. While commercial fly sprays are convenient, they contain toxic chemicals that can pollute your home and be poisonous to breathe in. This might lead you to try a more natural method to keep them away. Andre Kazimierski, a cleaning expert from Sophia's Cleaning, and has shared how you can easily keep flies away without spraying chemicals using a kitchen staple. He revealed some cayenne pepper, which many will already have in their seasoning drawer is all you need. He said: 'Mix cayenne pepper with a cup of water to make a simple spray that repels common fruit flies. "To be exact, mix one tablespoon of cayenne pepper in two cups of hot water.' 'These miracle bags should be in every home,' says mum who created a cheap hack to prevent flies from entering your home It may sound odd, but flies rely on their sense of smell to find food and to navigate their surroundings. However, cayenne pepper contains capsaicin, which has an incredibly strong smell and is also spicy so will really irritate flies senses. Not only do flies find cayenne pepper uncomfortable, but it makes them less interested in lingering about as it will mask the smell of food that attracts them to homes. To keep flies away with the DIY solution, you will need to boil 475ml of water in a kettle, then pour the water into a bowl. Keep pests out all summer IF you want to ensure that your home is pest free this summer, here's what you need to know. Hornets and wasps - hate the smell of peppermint oil so spraying this liberally around your patio or balcony can help to keep them at bay. Moths - acidic household white vinegar is effective for deterring moths. Soak some kitchen roll in vinegar and leave it in your wardrobe as a deterrent. Flying ants - herbs and spices, such as cinnamon, mint, chilli pepper, black pepper, cayenne pepper, cloves, or garlic act as deterrents. Mosquitoes - plants, herbs and essential oil fragrances can help deter mozzies inside and out. Try eucalyptus, lavender and lemongrass. Add one or two tablespoons of cayenne pepper to the bowl and give it a good stir. Wait for the water to cool down before placing it into an empty spray bottle. You can usually buy spray bottles in the cleaning section of most supermarkets but pound shops, garden centres and hardware stores will also sell them. Spray the solution around windows, doorways, kitchen and anywhere else flies are known buzz about. Flies will naturally stay far away from the spicy scent so your home is more likely to stay insect free throughout the summer. Cayenne pepper can travel in the air after spraying and get into pets eyes so generally should not be used if you have a cat or dog. You can purchase a container of the seasoning for as little as £1 in Tesco.
The Sun
03-06-2025
- General
- The Sun
Stop flies coming into your house immediately with £3.99 Home Bargains buy – it takes seconds to install & looks stylish
YOU can stop flies coming into your house immediately with £3.99 Home Bargains buy. We all know how the warmer summer months can mean that more insects come into the home. 4 4 But instead of potential chemical sprays and repellent, there may be another way to keep flying bugs out. It also happens that the item looks stylish and it takes just seconds to install in the house. Home Bargains is selling the Jardin Magnetic Insect Door Screen for under a fiver. You can stay cool and breeze through summer with the protective barrier for just £3.99. It features magnetic closure and lace detail which comes in handy if you don't have a tool box. No instruments are needed to install the screen, which means it's easier than ever to keep the insects at bay. The population of house flies is far higher in the warmer months as they are more active and they reproduce more rapidly. The daytime is when most house flies are most active as peak activity often occurs in either the early morning or the late afternoon. It may be an idea to keep food sources away from the window as the insects are attracted to them. This also includes rubbish like waste, bones, leftovers and rotting food. Urgent 'do not eat' warning issued for cereal In the UK, wasps are also most active during the summer months when their colonies are at peak size. In this period, they are busy foraging for food, feeding their larvae, and they build nests - which are difficult to get rid of. This also means the activity of stingers is at its peak, so shoppers need to protect themselves, particularly from June until the end of August. 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! 4 4
