Is there anything more annoying than eating while a fly buzzes around the table? Let us tell you how to make a homemade fly swatter with things from home. With these, flies won’t dare to come near your door! Fighting a fly infestation at home is easy. Now you can eliminate flies from your home.
Flies are fast, annoying, and… very, very persistent. That’s why we’ve gathered the best homemade fly swatters, so you don’t have to endure the buzzing inside your house. Moreover, we’ve also compiled some tricks not to kill flies, but to prevent them from coming to your house and drive them away from your home. Take note of the following tricks because they really work and can help you have a peaceful meal and night.
Homemade Fly Swatter With a Water Bottle
To make one of the most effective homemade fly swatters, you only need a plastic bottle (one liter, liter and a half, or two liters).
1. Mentally divide it into three sections and cut it at the height of the first third, leaving about four fingers from the nozzle. Keep both halves because we will use them later.
2. Boil water for 10 minutes. Then, lower the heat and add five tablespoons of sugar. Stir and let it sit for a few minutes until it cools down. Now, grab the bottle again because we’re going to assemble it to turn it into a homemade fly swatter.
3. The final result will be something like a trap for flies, so we recommend painting the bottle a dark color (or cover it with insulating tape) so you don’t see them accumulating inside it (no, it’s not very pleasant, the truth). Now take the smaller part (the bottle’s nozzle) and place it inside the wider half, upside down, like a funnel.
4. Finally, add a little yeast to the water, which should be at room temperature by now. Pour the mixture into the bottle and hang it in a strategic place (windows, porch, in the garden, near the door…) The CO2 from the yeast will attract them, and they won’t move beyond the trap.
Homemade Fly Swatter With Sugar and Soap
A version just as effective but less unpleasant for killing flies (because at least you don’t see them), is to create a homemade fly swatter with sugar and soap. The former attracts them, the latter traps them.
1. Fill a glass jar (like those for candles or kitchen jars) with three tablespoons of white sugar and hand soap (the thicker the better).
2. Mix it and place it near windows, in the garden, or in a corner of the house.
3. Flies will be drawn to the jar and, when they try to absorb the sugar, they will get trapped in the density of the soap. The upside is that they usually sink and you don’t see them floating as happens with water. Change the mixture every week (or biweekly) and forget about toxic and expensive insecticides.
Drive Away Flies With Aromatic Plants
The homemade fly swatter made with a bottle is very effective, yes. But we acknowledge that it’s not very pleasant having to change the water every week with a bunch of dead flies inside. That’s why we wanted to give you some tricks to drive away flies without trapping or killing them.
Placing rosemary, mint, basil, or thyme in your home’s windows is a very effective natural option that also acts as a home fragrance. The fragrance of these aromatic plants repels flies so they will act as a natural barrier against them. For greater effectiveness, tie several twigs of rosemary, mint, and thyme together with a string and hang them upside down in a corner of the window.
Another trick? If you have rubber or metal strip curtains, you’re in luck. By themselves, they are a perfect barrier against flies and, at least, will prevent them from easily entering. But if you want to be sure that no fly enters, try rubbing lavender on the curtains. Flies will flee, and you will fill the hall with a fresh aroma every time someone opens the door and moves the lavender curtains.
Drive Away Flies With Vinegar and Lemon
You know that annoying feeling of eating outdoors and having a bunch of flies buzzing around sandwiches, potato omelette… right? Well, we assure you flies hate strong scents with citrus notes. Therefore, we propose two options. One lethal and one just preventive.
1. The first consists of mixing vinegar with a bit of detergent and leaving it on a plate a few meters away from the table where you are eating. If they come close and drink, they will die in a few seconds. If they don’t drink, they won’t die but white vinegar contains acetic acid which makes flies move slower and unable to fly.
2. The second option is to squeeze a lemon around the area where you are eating. Don’t throw away the peel; it’ll be another barrier against flies. Fill it with 6 or 7 cloves and leave it near where you are eating. It’ll be impossible for a fly to invade your space!
How to Make a Fly Swatter With Recycled Material
Making a homemade fly swatter using recycled material is not only an effective way to keep these annoying insects at bay but also contributes to sustainability by giving new life to objects that might otherwise end up in the trash. Here is a list of items you can use to create your own eco-friendly and effective fly swatter:
– Plastic Bottle: Cut a plastic soda bottle in half and use the bottom part as a base to trap insects.
– Paper or Cardboard: Cut a piece of paper or cardboard to serve as a surface to hit and trap flies.
– Wooden Stick: An ice cream stick or a pencil can serve as a handle for your homemade fly swatter.
– Sponge: An old sponge can be used as a soft part to trap flies without making much noise.
– Fabric Net: If you have a fabric net you no longer use, you can adapt it to create a fly swatter that traps insects instead of killing them.
– Paper Towel: A folded paper towel can be effective for hitting and trapping flies.
Lamps for Flies and Mosquitoes
Another fairly widespread, and less homemade, solution for killing or eliminating flies and mosquitoes from your home could be electronic insect traps. It’s a system that attracts the mosquito or fly into its interior where, without radiation or chemicals, the insect dies.
There are many products of this type on the market, from open lamps to closed ones, which we believe are better because the insect remains inside. These anti-fly and anti-mosquito systems are safer than traditional ones, you won’t need mosquito repellent, it is non-toxic, chemical-free, and 100% harmless for pregnant women, children, and pets.
