There’s so many things to love about spring and warm weather- but the return of pests is not one of them! We’ve been slowly moving everything out of our house the past few weeks. Initially, we could leave the door open while loading the trailer and not have to worry about flies flying in constantly. Well, that ship has sailed! The flies have returned and so we’re back to trying to keep the door shut as much as possible.

But even with keeping the doors shut, those pesky flies sure like to find a way! I swear they coordinate their plan of attack, lurking quietly, waiting for their moment of opportunity to infiltrate by sneakily awaiting just on the other side of the door.

Or, they’re just flies. And they like the doors.

Luckily, you don’t have to be completely defenseless against these annoying home invaders! Here are some tactics to keep some of these home infiltrators out!

• Plant lavender. As I mentioned in a previous article, flies hate the smell of lavender. Plant bushes around your doorways, keep an indoor plant by your garbage can, or even use some lavender-infused water to spray surfaces and doorways to keep the scent strong and the flies out! If you don’t love the smell of lavender, basil, mint and rosemary are other plants to try!
• Irish Spring soap. Another very strong scent that flies despise! Put one in a mesh baggie and tie it around your door handles on the outside to keep flies at bay! Replace when the scent dies down.
• Utilize essential oils. Put a few drops in a spray bottle filled with water and spray your doorways, windowsills, and other surfaces to keep flies away. They hate the smell! Sources vary on which ones are the most effective, but if you have some essential oils, feel free to experiment and see if one is more effective than another! Eucalyptus, lemongrass, mint, and basil are all ones to give a try!
• Hang baggies of water. Apparently the water reflects light and throws off the flies. This won’t keep every fly out, but it will definitely help! Adding a handful of pennies to the baggie can increase the light reflection and throw them off even more. My mom hangs these up outside of every door and swears by its effectiveness!
• Buy a Venus Fly Trap. Flies are bound to get in your home, no matter what you do. But having a plant that eats flies is definitely one way to combat their invasion! And a pretty green plant looks a little more pleasant on your windowsill than a strip of fly paper!
• Prevention!! Don’t give flies a reason to come in the first place! Empty your garbage promptly, and clean out the garbage can if you have spills and stenchs. Clean up regularly after your pets. Stay on top of dishes. Keep your kitchen sink clean. Basically, by keeping a clean home you can actually keep flies away as well! Obviously, no matter how clean your home is, there will always be flies that find their way in, but having a clean home that smells good will help prevent a fly infestation.

What do you do to safeguard your home from these obnoxious invaders?

    Camille Hoffmann
    Weekly Newsletter Contributor since 2014
    Email the author! camille@dvo.com