How to Get Rid of Flies Outdoors (And Keep Them Away for Good)

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Enjoy your backyard, patio, or garden space fly-free
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Enjoying a lovely summer day outside sounds nice, but it’s not so fun when there are dozens of flies buzzing in your ear. If you’re fed up with the flies outside, you’re not alone: lots of people wish they could banish flies from their garden or patio space. That’s why we’ve gathered all the methods you can use to repel flies and keep them away for good.

Things You Should Know

  • Use fly traps outside to attract and kill flies.
  • Plant basil, elderberry, or mint to deter flies using landscaping.
  • Set up outdoor fans to blow flies away when they come near you.
Method 1
Method 1 of 2:

Killing and Repelling Flies

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  1. Mix molasses and cornmeal and place it in a shallow dish or saucer. Put the saucer far away from your patio or garden—the flies can congregate there while you enjoy your meal in peace. [1]
  2. Place fly light traps out at night. A fly light trap is an electrically charged light that attracts flies and zaps them. [4] Try hanging them around your backyard, making sure they’re above head-height.
    • Be careful setting these up. Light traps could never seriously injure anyone, but it's still quite painful to be zapped by them.
    • Alternatively, try a UV light trap . Flies have compound eyes, and thus find the spectrum of UV light attractive. The UV light attracts the flies, and when they go to investigate the light they get stuck to the glue board built into the light. [5]
    • Sticky traps also work well, as long as you change them out often.
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  3. Flies hate the smell of vodka. Try hanging plastic bags full of vodka around your porch or garden area. When the flies smell the vodka, they’ll head somewhere else. [6]
    • Quarter gallon freezer bags, tied with string to a gutter, work well.
    • Use any cheap vodka that you have on-hand.
    • You can also try putting small amounts of vodka on your skin. However, the smell can be intense, and it might dry out your skin.
  4. Flies are deterred by the scents of some plants, so keep potted plants on your patio or near your doors. Choose from plants like: [7]
    • Basil
    • Elderberry
    • Lavender
    • Mint
    • False Indigo
  5. While some plants simply repel flies, others actually eat them. Plant Venus Fly Traps and Pitcher Plants outdoors to keep the fly population in check. [8]
    • You can also keep these plants indoors if you deal with any pests inside.
  6. Spiders eat flies, but if you destroy their webs, the flies lose a natural predator. [9] If you see any spider webs outside, leave them alone so the spiders can eat the pests.
    • Spiders tend to congregate around entryways and underneath porches.
  7. Encourage natural predators with birdhouses and bird baths . Birds are a huge natural predator of flies, along with bats and frogs. Encourage animals like these to hang out in your yard by setting up birdhouses, bird baths, or bat houses. [10]
    • While adding a pond to your landscaping might sound like a good idea, the standing water can actually attract more insects.
  8. Flies don’t like the breeze. It may seem silly to put a fan outdoors, but if you are entertaining, a small house fan on your deck or patio may deter flies. Set up the fans so they point away from you to push flies out of your space. [11]
  9. Flies aren’t the smartest insects around, and smoke from a candle is enough to confuse and repel them. Use Citronella candles to repel mosquitoes and flies at the same time. [12]
  10. The smell of cloves repels flies. Decoratively place cloves on an outdoor dining table to deter flies from landing on any food. [13]
    • If you don’t want to use actual cloves, try spraying clove essential oil around your patio or garden area for the same effect.
    • Other essential oils, like lavender, mint, and lemongrass are also effective.
  11. While insecticide isn’t super effective against flies, it does work in some cases. Set up insecticide traps, like QuickBayt or Golden Malrin , wherever the flies gather. When the flies feed on the bait, they’ll die.
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Method 2
Method 2 of 2:

Preventing Flies

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  1. Flies are attracted to any strong smell, which often comes from trash or food left outside. [14] Flies have very short lifespans (only about 2 weeks), so if you eliminate anything that causes odors outside your house, the flies will leave or die within that period. [15]
    • Pick up dog poop, too. Make sure you put it in sealable bags before you put it in the trash can.
    • Keep garbage can lids tightly closed. If you are having a party, make sure the trash can be used for paper goods disposable has a tight-fitting lid, and ask the guests to replace the lid after they dispose of their trash.
  2. Flies are strongly attracted to the smell of meat and will swarm your grill the minute you bring meat outside to cook it. Keep all meat covered tightly when it is not on the grill, and keep the barbecue lid closed while the meat is cooking. [16]
    • Protect your grilling tongs and utensils—flies will smell the meat and land on them. If you see flies have landed on your grilling utensils, take them inside and wash them before you pierce or turn the meat with them.
  3. Cut your lawn often. Flies love tall grass and piles of brush. Keep your shrubs trimmed and don’t leave piles of cut grass, leaves or brush in your yard.
    • All grass grows at a slightly different rate, depending on the species and time of year. A good rule of thumb is to trim your grass once a week in the summer.
  4. A compost bin is filled with decaying matter, which is like a smorgasbord to a fly. Don’t let the compost pile get too moist, and move it as far away from your patio, garden, and home as you can. [17]
    • Maintain your compost pile properly. Keep it “cooking” so that it is too warm to support fly larvae.
  5. Flies are attracted to moisture and standing water. Keep the water in birdbaths fresh, and don’t allow buckets or other containers to fill up with rainwater. Discard old tires or any debris in your yard that can collect rainwater. [18]
    • Standing water also attracts other pests, like mosquitoes.
  6. If you want to give your backyard birds fruit treats, be sure to locate the fruit or peelings as far from your house as possible. Or, stick to using bird seed, which won’t attract flies.
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How Do You Get Rid Of Flies Outside?


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  • Question
    What smell do flies hate the most?
    Kevin Carrillo
    Pest Control Specialist, MMPC
    Kevin Carrillo is a Pest Control Specialist and the Senior Project Manager for MMPC, a pest control service and certified Minority-owned Business Enterprise (MBE) based in the New York City area. MMPC is certified by the industry’s leading codes and practices, including the National Pest Management Association (NPMA), QualityPro, GreenPro, and The New York Pest Management Association (NYPMA). MMPC's work has been featured in CNN, NPR, and ABC News.
    Kevin Carrillo
    Pest Control Specialist, MMPC
    Expert Answer
    Generally, flies are pretty much attracted to anything that we consider a horrible smell, and find practically no scent repelling.
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      Tips

      • Insecticides usually aren’t an effective way to control fly populations. Flies can develop a resistance to pesticides, so it’s best to use other methods. [19]
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      • Some people swear that hanging shiny objects around their yard deters flies. There is no concrete evidence to support this, but you can try hanging strips of aluminum foil or anything else that has a reflective surface near your patio or in your garden.
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      Warnings

      • Flies can spread typhoid fever, malaria, yellow fever, sleeping sickness, and dysentery. [20]
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      Expert Interview

      Thanks for reading our article! If you’d like to learn more about pest control, check out our in-depth interview with Kevin Carrillo .

      References

      1. ↑ https://www.sciencebuddies.org/stem-activities/make-homemade-fly-trap
      2. ↑ Joshua Bloom. Pest Control Specialist. Expert Interview. 22 April 2020.
      3. ↑ Joshua Bloom. Pest Control Specialist. Expert Interview. 22 April 2020.
      4. ↑ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6377917/
      5. ↑ Kevin Carrillo. Pest Control Specialist, MMPC. Expert Interview. 5 November 2019.
      6. ↑ https://www.mainewoodlandowners.org/articles/6-natural-ways-to-repel-black-flies-and-mosquitoes
      7. ↑ https://www.townsville.qld.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0019/10297/Mosquito-Repellent-Plants-information-sheet-EHRS-December-2019.pdf
      8. ↑ https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/carnivorous-plants-meat-eaters-of-the-plant-world.html
      9. ↑ https://www.nps.gov/ever/learn/nature/insects.htm
      1. ↑ https://www.doi.gov/blog/13-facts-about-bats
      2. ↑ https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/FY1029
      3. ↑ https://candles.org/a-citronella-summer/
      4. ↑ https://www.pestexterminatorshertfordshire.co.uk/are-there-smells-that-repel-flies
      5. ↑ Luke Lewis. Pest Management Expert. Expert Interview. 21 June 2022.
      6. ↑ Kevin Carrillo. Pest Control Specialist, MMPC. Expert Interview. 22 October 2019.
      7. ↑ https://www.thebustersgroup.co.uk/news/what-attracts-flies-how-your-company-can-prevent-an-infestation-of-flies#:~:text=Flies%20are%20drawn%20to%20rotting,and%20is%20simple%20to%20discover .
      8. ↑ https://www.hlw.org.au/news/composting-at-home-how-to-start-and-tips
      9. ↑ https://www.pesticide.org/fruit_flies
      10. ↑ https://ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7457.html
      11. ↑ https://health.hawaii.gov/docd/disease_listing/typhoid-fever/

      About This Article

      Article Summary X

      To get rid of pesky flies outside, set up an oscillating fan near where you’ll be hanging out. The strong breeze will blow away any flies that buzz by. You can also light a citronella candle, which flies hate the smell of. To make your own fly trap, mix ¼ cup of sugar and 1 cup of water in a jar. Roll a piece of paper into a cone, cut off the tip, and tape the cone inside the jar so the tip is just above the sugar water. Flies will go through the funnel to get the sugar water, and then they won’t be able to get out. Another thing you can do is cut up thin strips of cloth, then dip them in essential oils that repel flies, like lavender, eucalyptus, rosemary, and lemongrass oil. Hang the strips up outside on branches or railings. To prevent flies from coming back, keep your yard free of food scraps, dog droppings, and open garbage cans. Also make sure there isn’t any standing water in your yard so flies don’t gather there to drink. If you want to learn how to make homemade fly traps for killing flies in your yard, keep reading!

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