The Devil may be the lord of the flies, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t a legitimate component of our ecosystem globally—it just means their reputation precedes them everywhere. Flies are irritating. They get in your face, they’re loud, they land on human as well as animal excreta, and their function is aligned with decomposition—death.
It’s no wonder that distraction and death are associated with malevolence. The wonder is that such creatures as flies exist at all in our ecosystem. Like mosquitoes, wasps, and many spiders, they’re one of those bugs people tend to hate—and for good reason. Flies are nasty, disease-ridden creepy-crawlies with bug eyes and a bad attitude. And getting rid of them often involves solutions which are worse than those flies.
Fly paper feels tacky and looks tacky—especially if it’s working, and a bunch of dead flies are dangling from it. Varying pesticides have chemical aspects to them which can be extremely unhealthy in humans, even causing conditions like cancer in certain cases of use or misuse. Fly swatters aren’t a bad solution, but they’re not as effective as ecological options which organically solve the problem.
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Natural Solutions For Natural Pests
In this article we’ll go over some practical, eco-friendly steps as a means of getting rid of these most obnoxious pests we call flies. Beyond proper hygiene in food storage, refuse removal, and carnivorous plants, it turns out there are a variety of common house plants which can be put to the task of repelling flies. We’ll go over a few of those plants in this writing.
Mint
Mint is refreshing, it looks pleasant, and you can use it in all sorts of culinary settings. Mint will make cocktails like mojitos perfect, it’s great for sinuses, it helps soothe the throat when you’re sick, and for some reason cats love it.
Catnip is a kind of mint, as it turns out. If you don’t like cats, well, mint might not be the best option—but if you hate flies too, a compromise isn’t a bad idea!
Lavender
Lavender has a purplish color and a fine smell. It functions simultaneously as an herb that can be used in varying culinary pursuits, an aesthetically pleasing addition to any indoor or outdoor garden, and a fine fly repellant (this reminds me, check out my post on outdoor garden lighting ideas as well). Every single part of this plant can be used for cooking—the buds, stems, and leaves are all healthy. They can be used fresh or dried and cooked.
Lavender flavors are in the thyme, oregano, rosemary, and sage category—they’ve got a savory quality to them. Like mint, you can use lavender in cooking as well as repel flies. It will go hand in hand with vegetable gardens. It’s a win-win that not only enhances your premises directly, but indirectly.
Wormwood
Wormwood has a spooky name if you know your scriptures, and an exceptionally artistic aspect if you know French history. The drink “absinthe” is an alcoholic beverage with a very high percentage of the intoxicating herb—and there are psychoactive qualities to wormwood as well, which is the key ingredient in absinthe.
Like the other entries on this list, wormwood can be used in an “edible” way—provided it isn’t ingested with any amount of thujone. Wormwood also has many applications that don’t have to do with fermented spirits, and it will keep the flies away.
Citronella
Here’s the only non-edible house plant and natural insecticide on this particular list that you can use to get rid of flies: citronella grass. The reason it’s listed here is because it has a pleasant odor that isn’t overpowering in the right amounts, and it keeps away another exceptionally irritating (and disease-ridden) pest: the mosquito.
Rosemary
Rosemary and lamb go together like milk and cereal. Rosemary also has an aesthetically pleasing appearance to it, it can be used in multiple other culinary areas, and it will repel flies. That’s a cumulative win-win. Just like mint and lavender, you can use this herb for multiple purposes: aesthetic, culinary, and as a means of repelling unwanted pests like flies.
Check out my post on plants in small apartments as well.
Keeping Your House Free From Pests
Of course, there are some situations where an entire garden of plants won’t immediately solve your fly problem, and for such situations, those trying to learn how to get rid of flies may default to ecologically-considerate exterminators, like the option in the link. However, once the problem has been rectified, adding fly-repellent plants isn’t a bad idea at all.
Beyond insect repellents and organic plant-based alternatives for the repellant of pests, there are things you can do in the home to diminish the presence of flies. When you finish eating, rinse the dish and either load it in the dishwasher, or if you don’t have a dishwasher, give it a more complete cleaning so you can put it away.
Do you have cats or dogs? Well, be sure you clean up after them quickly and completely whenever they do their business indoors. Cats don’t only use the litter box, they also expurgate hairballs in inconvenient places all night long—take care of such issues. They attract flies as well as ants. If you have neither cat nor dog, be sure to clean up after yourself accordingly.
If you’ve got children, keep them showered and throw diapers in the outside trash. Don’t leave food out. Take out garbage quickly. Wipe down countertops and sweep. Whenever you’ve got a spill, clean it up. Get in the habit of doing these things, and add house plants that repel flies as you go. Get the balance right and you’ll naturally deter flies and repel insects.
