Flies can be a common problem to deal with during the warm summer months as windows and doors are left open to let in the crisp air. If you’re dealing with flies this summer, a cleaning fan has shared an easy homemade remedy that will trap them for good.
Lily, who goes by Clean with Lily on TikTok, detailed two remedies you can use. A benefit to these solutions is that the ingredients used, you probably already have in your kitchen cupboards. This is what you’ll need to do.
Lily used a clean jar – a cup can also be used – filling it with equal parts of olive oil, lemon juice, and white vinegar. Then place a piece of cling film over the top of the jar, poking some small holes in with a knife.
The aroma of the solution will attract small flies into the jar, with the olive oil trapping them in the liquid. The addition of cling film will also prevent the flies from escaping back into the room.
The white vinegar will help entice flies into the solution, especially if you’re dealing with fruit flies. Vinegar contains acetic acid, a component of the scent that decaying fruit releases, making it attractive to flies seeking food.
Clegg’s Pest Control explained that flies may avoid both low and high concentrations of vinegar, so you need to make sure that the solution is balanced. While vinegar won’t kill the flies, the viscosity of the olive oil will lead them to become trapped.
The olive oil will break the liquid’s surface tension, causing the flies to sink, drown, and die. However, if you’re dealing with larger house flies or blowflies, they may be less susceptible to being trapped.
The addition of lemon will also help interrupt a fly’s senses. Lemons have a strong, pungent aroma of citrus oils like limonene, which flies find unpleasant.
Lemon works well as a natural fly repellent as flies have an aversion to citrus. As lemon also produces a strong smell, flies will always avoid them, but the vinegar will keep them enticed.