Repel Flies Naturally More Pest Control Solutions

by Annie B. Bond, Executive Producer, Care2 Healthy Living Channels, author of "Better Basics for the Home" (Three Rivers Press, 1999).

Flies are such a nuisance! If you're tired of having the pesky little critters buzzing around your house--but you don't want to resort to using harmful chemicals--check out these easy, great ideas. They use kitchen cupboard ingredients and they really work!

Find out how to get rid of flies safely and naturally.

Simple Solution:

Here are a few hands-on methods:

Keeping flies away is often a matter of cleanliness. Remove compost to the compost pile, and don't leave food uncovered.

Invest in window screens and screen doors and encourage your children to close screen doors quickly when they enter or leave the house.

Use flyswatters. Children enjoy this. Make it a contest to see who can swat the most.

Encourage the spiders in your house: they eat flies.

Hang pomanders on doors: citrus peel is a great repellent.

Dust the bottoms of your trash cans with borax.

Place potted basil plants in infested areas.

Homemade Fly Paper

INGREDIENTS

1/4 cup corn syrup

1/2 cup sugar

1. Cut 4 or 5 long strips about 2 inches wide from brown paper bags. Mix the ingredients in a bowl and spread it on the strips with a knife. Hang the strips over a bowl to catch drips.

Hanging Herbal Repellents

Hang a pine bough in the kitchen: flies dislike pine oil.

Whole or ground cloves in a small muslin teabag make a good fly-repelling hanging sachet.