Some tips on how to overcome a fly infestation

Why is the pest dangerous?

The main danger of flies to humans is that the insects on their legs carry pathogens of infections and other diseases:

• bacterial;
• fungal;
• viral;
• parasitic;
• intestinal.

The greatest threat to humans is the risk of infection:

1. tuberculosis;
2. helminths;
3. intestinal myiases;
4. anthrax;
5. dysentery;
6. cholera;
7. conjunctivitis;
8. diphtheria.

On the body of one housefly there are up to 6 million microorganisms potentially dangerous to humans. And adult individuals are capable of laying almost 7 thousand eggs for food.

Ways of flies getting into a person’s apartment.

Flies are flying insects, so getting into the apartment is not difficult for them. There are many ways, the main ones are:

• Ventilation pipes.
• Open windows and balcony.
• Gaps in doors, walls and windows.
• Contaminated food or cereals.
• Garbage chute.

It is noteworthy that it is garbage and various food products that have already begun to deteriorate and rot that most often attract the attention of insects. In nature, flies feed on the decaying remains of living organisms, so in an apartment they are most interested in rotting fruits, vegetables and meat. This is why you should not leave food on the kitchen table unattended.

Most often, flies can be found in an apartment in summer and late autumn. If in the warm season a person has a lot of ripe vegetables and fruits in his house, then there will definitely be flies there. Watermelons and melons are the most common prey for flies. But in late autumn the situation is a little different. The cold weather is coming, so the insects become uncomfortable outside. That is why flies in a huge stream head into the apartment in order to have time to lay eggs before the onset of cold weather.

Why is it difficult to kill a fly

It is difficult to catch the insect by surprise and swat it because of the insect’s unique vision: there are 5 eyes on the fly’s head: 2 main and 3 simple. Large volumetric eyes consist of 4 thousand facets and provide a 360-degree view.

The fly sees all objects in front and behind, above and below, to the right and left with three-dimensional eyes, so it will not be possible to sneak up from behind. With simple eyes, a fly examines objects close up, distinguishes small and medium-sized things well, and ignores large ones.

The insect processes 100 images per second at a speed 6 times faster than a human. The critical flicker frequency—the number of frames a fly sees per second—is 250 Hz. In humans, this indicator is only 60 Hz. Therefore, lightning-fast hand movements that people feel are seen by flies as a slow change of frames.

The only skill that a fly cannot master is the ability to distinguish the infrared spectrum. In the dark, the pest prefers to sleep in a secluded place where nothing threatens it.

This vision device saves insects from any danger, including the threat of physical harm from humans.

Mechanical methods

Despite the fact that it is difficult to kill a fly, the mechanical method is often used and consists of using:

1. Available materials: rolled up newspaper, slipper, heavy object. The insect is simply flattened by the force of a direct blow.
2. Fly swatters. A special plastic device is a stick with a flat silicone or rubber plate at the end.
3. Fly nets. It will not be possible to kill a fly with its help, but such an obstacle will not allow the pest to enter the house. It is better to install the mesh both on windows and ventilation holes.
4. Adhesive tape. A paper or silicone strip impregnated with a fly-attracting composition is hung on eaves or door (window) openings. Insects land on the sticky surface with their paws and stick. Pests actually die from lack of food and water.

It’s easy to make an analogue of adhesive tape at home. To do this you will need a glass jar, 40 g of castor oil, 1 tbsp. l. honey and 60 g rosin. All ingredients are heated and spread on thick paper or cardboard with a brush. The finished device is placed in a place inaccessible to children and pets.

Homemade traps - manufacturing options

Homemade fly traps

For home catching devices, improvised means are used. They attract pests by smell, light, and heat.

Plastic bottle

You will need an empty carbonated drink container, preferably mineral water.

1. Cut off the top part. To do this, first make a hole with a knife, then carefully thread the scissors and cut off the neck.
2. Turn the cut part over and insert it inside the bottle. Secure the edges with a stapler, tape, electrical tape or Moment glue.
3. Place the trap in any convenient place or hang it from a chandelier or ceiling.

Sugar syrup is used as bait. Pour 5 tbsp. spoons of sugar into a saucepan, pour a little water so that the liquid lightly covers the grains of the main ingredient. Bring to a boil over low heat. Stir until completely dissolved, allow to cool slightly, pour into a bottle, coat the edges.

On a note!

To make your homemade device more effective, you should periodically breathe into the bottle. In this way, carbon dioxide accumulates inside, which attracts flies better than any other bait. You can catch pests in a few days.

Can

It is convenient to catch flies with an ordinary tin can of pet food or canned food. Peel off the paper sticker, rinse the jar, and dry it. Cover the outer part of the jar with adhesive tape, electrical tape, and press well with your fingers. After a few minutes they peel it off. The surface of the jar became sticky.

If the trap is used in the dark, place a small flashlight in the jar and cover with a lid. Install the structure in any convenient place where it is necessary to catch pests.

On a note!

Instead of adhesive tape, you can use double-sided tape, which does not need to be removed from the can. To attract insects, you can drop honey or liquid jam onto the surface.

Trick with the lights on

If you can't catch a fly in a large room, you can easily catch it in a small space. But for this you need to lure her, for example, into the hallway or into the toilet. At night, you can turn off the lighting everywhere except the room where you want to lure the insect. In a matter of minutes, the fly will already be where the light is.

As soon as the fly is in the room where you replaced it, immediately close the door. After this, you can easily catch it or destroy it using a regular fly swatter or rolled-up newspaper.

Glass jar

Glass jar fly trap

You can catch flies with small jars.

1. They should be washed and dried.
2. Apple cider vinegar is poured inside.
3. Instead of a lid, use cling film. It needs to be pressed tightly to the edges, secured with electrical tape or tape. Carefully make holes with a toothpick or a sharp knife so that the fly can get inside.

The trap will attract insects with the smell of sour apple cider vinegar. Once inside, the pest will not be able to get out. You can catch a huge number of flies this way. Reusable containers should be periodically emptied, washed, and the whole operation repeated. Pests will be caught as long as the scent that is attractive to them comes from the trap.

Sprayer trick

This method is suitable for those cases when the fly does not want to sit on any surface and runs like mad throughout the apartment. You can make her lose the ability to fly. And when it stops, just pick it up with a napkin and take it outside or throw it out of the window. It is worth noting that this is the most humane way to combat flies, because in this case they do not need to be destroyed - you can simply neutralize them and throw them away.

Anyone familiar with the basics of aerodynamics does not need to explain the essence of this technique. This method is also well known to beekeepers. You need to take a bottle of water with a spray bottle and generously spray the fly with water. This can be done even when she is flying.

As you probably already guessed, microscopic drops of water fall on the fly's wings, making them heavier. The speed of the insect first slows down, and then the fly loses the ability to hold itself in the air. And in this state it is much easier to deal with it. This method is also used by beekeepers if they need to catch a bee colony that has strayed from the hive.

Lures

Flies feed on the juices of plants, rotting vegetables, fruits, meat, and fish. They are attracted by the smell of sour and the taste of sweet. The following is used as bait for homemade traps:

• sugar syrup;
• a piece of refined sugar;
• apples, pears;
• raw meat;
• honey;
• Apple vinegar;
• fruit juice.

What attracts flies most is the rotten smell. If the trap is set on the street, you can lure it with missing meat, salad, borscht, beer, and kvass.

To exterminate small flies and ordinary house flies, it is recommended to use several control methods. We should not forget about prevention - mosquito nets on windows and doors. Until mid-summer, house flies only buzz, irritating the nervous system with their presence; in August they are replaced by buzzers, which begin to bite painfully and cause an allergic reaction.

Application of paper bags

At home, you can catch flies using paper bags and tapes, making traps from them. To prepare Velcro you will need linseed oil and wax. Melt 10-20 grams of wax in a metal jar over a fire, add 150 g of linseed oil and 1 tsp. honey Mix everything thoroughly, let the mixture cool and soak paper strips with it, cut about 7 cm wide and 30-40 cm long. Similarly, you can prepare a mixture of rosin (2 parts), castor oil (1 part), a small amount of honey or jam .

Review

I live outside the city in a private house. In summer, windows and doors are often open, so flies are constantly flying. I usually buy adhesive tape at the store. I liked Raptor products. Sometimes you have to make it yourself using wax and flaxseed paste. Good bait for flies.

Olga, Kursk

You can catch flies using paper bags. Today, such grocery bags are always available in supermarkets. You shouldn’t throw them away; they will definitely come in handy on the farm. For the trap:

• cut it into strips 2.5-3 cm wide;
• Make small holes in the upper part of each, stretch a rope through them and tighten with a loop;
• Pour 120 ml maple syrup into a wide container, add 2 tbsp. l. brown and white sugar;
• put the strips into the prepared solution and leave them for several hours to completely saturate;
• remove the adhesive tapes from the bowl, allow excess liquid to drain and hang them in places where flies are most concentrated.

From a plastic container

To make a small, neat flytrap, take any transparent container - a glass, a plastic container. Place a little honey, sweet fruits, jam on the bottom, cover with cling film, in which 1-3 small holes are made. The operating principle of the device is the same as described above.

Advice! When using a homemade trap, do not forget to periodically dispose of any insects you encounter, wash the container, and renew the bait. Don't let the flytrap become a source of unsanitary conditions.

Using an attractive lamp

Flies tend to flock to light, so using an attractant lamp can help combat the problem. In order to catch an insect, it should be lured into a small space - a toilet or hallway. To speed up the process, you need to turn off the lights in the entire apartment, leaving the light bulb working only in a limited space. Once the fly is trapped, it can be caught or destroyed with a regular rolled-up newspaper.

Of course, special lamps that act as traps will also help solve the problem. Such devices operate silently, charging either from batteries, or from rechargeable batteries, or simply from the mains. Insects fly to the ultraviolet light emitted by such a lamp, as well as the heat and smell of carbon dioxide. A small fan draws the insects into the trap, where they become stuck on the adhesive backing.

Sometimes they use tape

It's amazing how much imagination and skill we use in everyday life. One of the popular ways to protect against flies is tape. Regular stationery or double-sided. It is glued to the ceiling, walls, even chandeliers. Like any sticky tape, insects will stick to it.

The method is impractical: the tape peels off from surfaces and falls off. Most often, on the inhabitants of a house, garage or other premises. Thin tape curls into a spiral, reducing the likelihood of a good catch. In addition, you then have to remove traces of tape and dust. But the flies actually stick to it.

If adhesive tape is chosen as a flytrap, then you should take a thick tape

Duct tape

Another type of DIY fly trap is homemade duct tape. Numerous videos on how to make a sticky substance from honey and sugar do not stand up to criticism. This coating will dry quickly, God willing, if you manage to catch a few insects. To get Velcro similar to store-bought ones, use the following composition.

• 2 parts pine resin (rosin), melted on a burner or water bath;
• 1 part castor or flaxseed oil;
• a little (“for taste”) honey, sugar syrup.

The result is a truly sticky substance that maintains a viscous consistency for a long time. Ribbons are cut from durable kraft paper, parchment, and oilcloth.

Advice! If you have ALT glue, which is used for small rodent control, you can use it for sticky tape.

A bag of water as a fly repeller

There is an opinion that flies do not like mirror surfaces that reflect sunlight. Therefore, as some housewives advise, you need to do the following:

• Select a whole plastic bag.
• We fill it with water.
• We throw shiny new coins into the water.
• We hang the package near a window or balcony.

The method, frankly speaking, is dubious. This way you can scare away sparrows and other small birds, but not insects. Regarding mirror surfaces, a reasonable question also arises: if flies do not tolerate them, why do we clean mirrors from traces of flies in the summer, almost every day?

Folk remedies

If you can’t deal with flies using standard means, you can try traditional methods. There are a lot of interesting, simple and complex ways to deal with annoying insects. The most popular ones are described below.

1. Place a ladle with a small amount of water on the fire. When the water boils, throw in a handful of cloves and a couple of bay leaves. Boil for 10–15 minutes over low heat without covering the lid. The aroma will spread throughout the kitchen and protect you from uninvited flying guests for a couple of hours.
2. To protect against flies, use lemon in combination with cloves. Cut it into slices and stick several clove inflorescences into the pulp. Place such devices on windowsills, near open windows. The aroma of lemon and cloves repels not only flies, but also mosquitoes and other insects.
3. Take 1 tablespoon of dried wormwood and thyme inflorescences and brew with boiling water. When it has brewed, strain and pour into a spray bottle. You can add a couple of drops of lavender oil to enhance the effect. Use the solution to treat windows and window frames; you can simply spray it indoors - you will get double benefits from this. Scent the air and get rid of insects.
4. Boil one lemon, grated, in a glass of water. Once the product has cooled, simply spray it indoors 2-3 times a day. Flies do not like the smell of citrus fruits and will avoid it.
5. Try adding a small amount of kerosene to your window cleaning water. This product reliably repels flies and other insects. The smell will quickly disappear and you will not feel it. Flies will fly around your home for a long time.
6. You can also use onions or garlic to control insects. Chop the onion and a couple of cloves of garlic on a saucer and place it on the windowsill. You need to change onions and garlic every 2-3 days, because these products quickly expire in the air and become ineffective.

Remember that any chemicals and folk remedies should be used with caution, following the instructions. For example, the aromas of herbs and essential oils can cause allergies and asthma attacks. Industrial chemicals can cause intoxication, so make sure the method you choose is safe before use.

Chemicals

In the fight against buzzing pests, insecticide chemicals are most effective in the form of:

1. Aerosols. To kill flies, it is recommended to use proven means: Dichlorvos and Chlorophos. However, when using them, be sure to use personal protective equipment for the respiratory system and mucous membranes, and thoroughly ventilate the premises. After disinfestation, the room is wet cleaned using a soda solution.
2. Electronic fumigator. Raptor, Off, Moskitol and other manufacturers produce devices with plates and liquids that help destroy and repel pests. The main advantages of such products: long-term effect, absence of odor and instant results.
3. Powders and granules. They are used to treat large rooms and are effective due to their immediate nerve-paralytic effect on insects.
4. Melkov. The popular product Mashenka works not only with cockroaches: the product kills flies just as effectively. One chalk is enough to process 20–30 m2 of space.

All chemicals are used in accordance with the instructions, in acceptable concentrations. There should be no children, pets, pregnant or lactating women in the premises during treatment. It is prohibited to carry out disinfestation in unventilated rooms.

How to kill flies in an apartment: use chemicals.

An effective and proven way to deal with flies is chemical exposure to insects. If you find flies in your apartment, you need to go to a hardware store and find a suitable product. You should not take typical Velcro, since they only destroy adult individuals. They are not able to kill larvae, so this remedy is ineffective. We recommend taking sprays, aerosols or powdered products. The following drugs are of the highest quality: “Agita against flies”, “GET”, “FLY BYTE”, “Alfacin”.

"Agita" can be presented in the form of a spray or powder. If you bought a powdered product, then it must be dissolved in water. The product is sprayed directly onto insects, which leads to their death.

"GET" has a composition that is safer for humans, which allows you to effectively deal with flies. According to the manufacturers, the product is of such high quality that flies will not appear for several years after treating the apartment.

“FLY BYTE” is a fairly expensive product that is sold in large containers. It is often used only by specialists, since it makes no sense to purchase such an expensive product for a one-time treatment in an apartment. But the product is amazingly effective: the flies soon begin to die.

Some products have to be reused, which slightly aggravates the process of killing flies in the apartment. It is necessary to spray the products throughout the entire house, otherwise the chemicals simply will not work. But you need to remember about the dangers of such chemicals, since some of them, having an aggressive composition, can harm the health of your pets. Also, the chemicals may turn out to be fake, which is why you will not see any effect from the procedure.

Guaranteed extermination of flies in Borisovo.

If you want to accurately and effectively destroy flies in your apartment, then contact the SES service. Sanitary and epidemiological treatment is a typical and absolutely normal procedure that helps to efficiently destroy parasites. The treatment is carried out by a professional team that is specially trained and has many insecticides in its arsenal. This means that the flies won't stand a chance. Specialists will warn you in advance that pets should not be in the apartment. Next comes the treatment, which is carried out in just one stage: specialists simply spray the selected chemical throughout the apartment. Through this spraying, it is possible to destroy both the imago (adult insect) and the fly larvae. We strongly recommend that you leave a request on our company’s website so that you never encounter flies in your apartment again.

Household substances

Household products not intended for such purposes are also suitable for fighting flies. Among them:

1. Glass cleaning liquid. To kill a fly, it is enough to spray a product containing ammonia on the fly from a spray bottle 5-10 times. This number of sprays is enough to kill a single adult.
2. Hair fixation spray. The same principle of spraying is applied, but most often 1-2 clicks on the bottle spray are enough to hit the target.
3. Dishwashing liquid and vinegar. The mixture of these substances is poured into a jar, the neck of which is covered with cling film. Pests fly into the small hole left, but they can no longer get out and drown in the composition.

The category of household appliances with special purposes includes fly repellers using ultrasound. The devices operate on mains power and emit ultrasonic waves that are not perceptible to human hearing, but are unbearable for flies.

The opposite effect is used in electron traps that emit ultraviolet light. The flies fly to the source and end up on the grid, where they die from the current. For humans, such a device is harmless (current-carrying elements are isolated), but for flies and other flying insects it is fatal.

Mechanical means

These include all kinds of fly swatters, fly traps, adhesive paper, and special exterminators.

Killing flies indoors using a fly swatter can be a very effective auxiliary method. Especially when insects accumulate in a certain place. A very effective fly repellent.

The flycatcher has also proven itself to be a good exterminator that can and should be used. Instructions on how to make a fly trap can be easily found on the Internet; there are plenty of options.

We will only say that an ordinary jar with something sweet and very viscous will do just fine, especially if you add rosin and castor oil to the bait, you will get a sticky jam.

Fly stick also works well as a proven fly killer. Velcro for flies can be made on your own, or you can also purchase a ready-made special tool for catching flies in the store.

Folk recipes

Using improvised means, it is easy to make formulations that are more effective than store-bought insecticides and repellents. The following homemade homemade recipes have stood the test of time:

1. Mix black pepper with sugar syrup. These foods familiar to humans are real poison for flies.
2. Saccharin. The product is toxic to insects. To get rid of flies, you need to soak the newspaper in a mixture of saccharin and water and let it dry. Dropping 2-3 drops of water onto the paper activates the trap, which kills flies in a few hours.
3. A mixture of tansy, castor oil and rosin. Natural repellent plants, together with a strong-smelling substance, leave insects no chance.
4. A solution of 1 part formaldehyde and 3 parts milk in sweet water has a detrimental effect on flies. The composition is coated on door frames, the surfaces of window sills, and baits are made from bread crumbs.
5. Beer. An open plastic bottle with a foamy drink is the simplest bait and trap in one form. Attracted by the aroma of hops and malt, the flies get inside, but cannot get out on their own.

A popular home ornamental plant, the Venus flytrap, will also be a faithful helper against flies. It is a natural predator of the plant world that feeds on flies and other flying insects.

It is quite difficult to kill flying insects with your own hands, but with the use of chemicals, traps and folk remedies it is quite possible. In addition to the fact that flies bother you with their buzzing, pests carry harmful microorganisms, bacteria and infections on their legs. That’s why it’s so important to get rid of insects in your home in a timely manner.

How to make an electric shock flytrap

We will need:

• Energy saving light bulb;
• high voltage module;
• insulating tape;
• hot glue;
• AA battery.

Manufacturing:

1. Let's disassemble the light bulb. We should still have a plastic case. And also a glass cone made of fluorescent tubes, mounted on a plastic base.
2. We drill holes in the plastic on both sides.
3. We take aluminum wire and thread it through one of the holes. We wrap the wire around the light bulb. Cut off the excess.
4. We do the same with the second hole.
5. There are 2 wires on the inside of the plastic base. We wrap one of them around the tip of the wire and bend it.
6. We have 2 contacts left: another wire and a second wire.
7. We connect the high-voltage module to the battery via a switch.
8. We make a hole in the case and insert the switch.
9. We insert the module into the case, now you need to solder all the necessary wiring.
10. Solder the module wires to the battery.
11. We fix it with electrical tape.
12. To make the module hold better, we glue it to the body with hot glue.
13. Then we insert the light bulb into the housing so that its contacts are in contact with the contacts of the high-voltage module.
14. We twist it. Our stun gun is ready.
15. We turn on the device. Flies will strive for the light from the lamp, but as soon as they fly up to the shocker, they will be electrocuted.

Do-it-yourself stun gun for flies - video

The method is effective, but not safe. Such a device should be turned on away from children and pets. Another disadvantage: the stun gun works as long as the battery is charged. As soon as its power weakens, the device will have to be re-soldered.

The most popular and interesting ways to make insect traps: some of them really help. Others are nothing more than a myth born of rumors and discussions. Try several options and choose the one that suits you best. And don’t let annoying flies bother your loved ones.