Flies are irritating pests even at the best of times, and when you’re trying to enjoy some relaxing time on your patio, it can be frustrating to be batting away swarms of flies. Here are eight effective ways to get rid of circling flies on your patio.
- Remove attractive objects
- Get a flytrap
- Use an ultrasonic repellant
- Encourage natural predators
- Add fans to your patio
- Keep a swatter on hand
- Grow carnivorous plants
- Deter them with smells
There are lots of effective ways to keep those pesky bugs away from your patio, and with a little prep work, you can have a much more relaxing afternoon experience without flies circling around. The rest of this article will walk you through each of these methods to get rid of pests for good.
Remove Attractive Objects
This is the first and most important step in getting rid of flies on your patio. Quite simply, flies will flock to your home if there’s something there that’s attractive to them, so good maintenance goes a long way towards discouraging flies on your patio.
Garbage
Make sure that all of your trash can lids are tightly sealed. Garbage provides an ideal feast and breeding ground for flies.
Pet Waste
Similarly, pet waste is very attractive to flies, so be sure to clean up after your dog regularly. Make sure you dispose of the waste securely so that flies can’t access it.
Food
Leftover food is, well, food to flies, so be sure not to leave any dishes or glasses out on your patio for flies to snack on.
Uncut Lawns
Believe it or not, flies benefit a lot when you don’t mow and tidy up your lawn regularly. Flies love to lay their eggs in long grass, so an unkempt lawn tells the flies that your property is an ideal place to breed and set up shop.
Get a Flytrap
Flytraps come in all shapes and sizes, from bug zappers to the tried-and-true flypaper. Whatever your preference, flytraps are a great way to reduce the number of flies around your patio for some well-earned peace and quiet.
Just remember that while flytraps are great for reducing fly numbers, you should address the underlying cause of making the flies pester you on your patio. Otherwise, they’ll just keep coming back.
Use an Ultrasonic Repellant
Ultrasonic repellants are another good solution for keeping flies and all sorts of creepy crawlies away from your home.
They work by emitting a high-frequency noise that humans can’t hear but is extremely irritating to flies. So annoying, in fact, that they’ll want to vacate the premises immediately. To some degree, these repellants also work on roaches and spiders.
Encourage Natural Predators
Natural predators like birds and bats are a great way to keep flies away from your patio by naturally controlling the population.
Simply install a bird feeder or bat box and watch the magic happen. As before, natural predators aren’t a cure-all to eradicate flies from your patio, so make sure to pair this strategy with a thorough examination of what might be attracting flies to your property.
Add Fans to Your Patio
Flies are not too great at the one thing they’re named for: flying. At least not in windy conditions. As such, adding a few fans to your patio is a great way to ward off flying pests.
Flies are also attracted to the sweat on your skin, so if you want to get rid of that unpleasant feeling of flies landing on you, then having a fan blowing your way while you relax on the patio is a great option.
Fans also provide a nice cool breeze during an otherwise arid summer day, making them a great addition to your patio in general.
Keep a Swatter on Hand
It’s always prudent to keep a fly swatter on hand when you head out onto the patio, especially if you’re bringing food. It’s simply not possible to swat away circling flies by hand, so a good old-fashioned fly swatter (even an electronic one) is great for taking out droves of them in one swat.
Grow Carnivorous Plants
This one is kind of hardcore, but who else has carnivorous plants growing in their backyard? Plants like pitcher plants and the very recognizable Venus flytrap are not only unbelievably cool for a patio defense force, but they do a good job of handling flies and other small bugs.
Admittedly, they’re not as effective as some of the other methods on this list, but the best part is that you don’t have to dispose of a plethora of fly corpses like you have to with fly paper.
Deter Them with Smells
Flies use their sense of smell to detect food, but there are lots of smells that they abhor. Lavender, basil, citronella, mint, tansy, rosemary—there are lots of natural herbs and plants that flies can’t stand. Additionally, oils like peppermint oil or pine oil work well to deter flies when used as a fragrance.
Not only do you get to bring out your green thumb in the war on flies, but you can also appreciate the sights and smells of these wonderful herbs and shrubs around your patio.
FAQs
Why Do I Have Flies on My Patio?
Flies are attracted to light, warmth, food, and moisture. As such, any leftover food, standing water, or even your body heat can attract flies.
How Do I Get Rid of Flies and Spiders in My Yard?
Keep your yard nice and clean, regularly pick up after your pets, and address any open or uncovered compost bins or garbage bags to discourage flies from hanging around.
As for spiders, unless they’re in your path, let them be. They’re going to help you manage that pesky fly population anyway.
Conclusion
Flies have no place circling on your patio, and their very presence can disrupt a good afternoon of relaxation.
Thankfully, there are lots of great ways to address flies on your patio by adding smells they don’t like to kill them off with flytraps. Always remember to clean up after your pets, keep your trash can lids tightly sealed, and mow your lawn often. All of these methods make your patio a much less ideal place to live for flies and will discourage them from breeding there.
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