Despite the weather in the UK picking up over the recent days, opening windows to allow the fresh air in can also come with the added annoyance of flies. To help keep the insects at bay, former Great British Bake Off winner Nancy Birtwhistle appeared on ITV’s This Morning to share some simple repellents.
Instead of forking out for chemical products, Nancy explained you only need a few items already in your kitchen to do the job effectively. All you need is to pair two ingredients for a fool-proof repellent. Nancy described the repellent as “too good”.
How to repel flies
Nancy said: “You see insects are attracted by scent. So if you leave food around, they’ll come looking for it. If there’s horrible things laying around, you know, if you’ve got pets or anything stinky or going off, rotting food, anything like that… the flies will find it.
“They hate the smell of citrus and they hate the smell of cloves.”
To start, cut a lemon in half and piece the flesh with the cloves. Place the lemons near entrances to the house, like windows and doors, either by themselves or in egg cups.
Nancy even keeps one of the lemons in her pantry to ward off flies from her food. She continued: “I’ve had some followers on social media say, ‘My husband just didn’t believe this until he saw a fly come in, turn around and fly out!’, whether that’s true or not.
“But yeah that and they do dry out, they dry out in a week or two.”
The experts at Purdy and Figg stand by the lemon and clove combo, calling it one of the “simplest and most effective natural fly repellents”. A benefit to this hack is that it can also act as a fragrance to brighten up the room.
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.
Lemons can also help mask any odours – like other food – that could potentially attract flies into homes. However it’s important to make sure you throw away any lemons before they begin to mould.
Mouldy fruit could ultimately have the opposite effect, attracting flies, particularly fruit flies, into the home. Flies also hate the scent of cloves, and pairing it with lemon will only amplify the smell further.
Glen Peskett, DIY expert at Saxton Blades, spoke to Ideal Home about flies’ dislike of citrus fruits, saying: “‘Orange peel contains natural oils rich in limonene, a compound known for its strong citrus scent. While this smell is fresh and pleasant to humans, it can be overwhelming for flies. Limonene affects their olfactory receptors, which masks their ability to detect food and navigate.
“It doesn’t just repel them, it can disorientate and confuse them, making the environment feel unsafe. That’s why they tend to avoid areas where citrus oils are present.”