Home Remedies to Get Rid of Black Flies

A black fly is a nuisance for human beings. As the summer season arrives, black flies are found to flourish across our surroundings. They are not only responsible for causing irritation, but are also responsible for spreading many diseases like river blindness, etc. These tiny insects belong to the family Simuliidae and most of its species belong to the genus Simulium. Around 1800 species of black flies are found worldwide, which clearly suggests how extensively these insects are present in our surroundings. In the U.S., many states carry out programs to control the fly population in order to prevent spreading of diseases. As these flies can lead to potential health hazards, their control becomes necessary. Given below are some easy home remedies that will definitely help you out.

Easy Home Remedies for Black Flies

• Keep the lid of your garbage can closed all the time. Black flies love to feed on rotten food. If you keep the garbage away from their reach, it is likely they will go away due to absence of food.
• Stagnant water is one reason behind black flies in your surroundings. Therefore, make sure there is no stagnant water in and around your house.
• Keep drains around your house clean and closed, as dirty and open drains tend to attract flies.
• If you have a pet in your house, make sure to clean his droppings which can be responsible for attracting flies. If you do not have one, see to it that your neighbor's pet is not spoiling your surroundings with his droppings.
• Prevent the entry of flies in your house by installing window screens. If you already have the screens installed, check if there are any holes in it and cover them with duct tape as a temporary measure. As these flies are very small in size and active, they can easily enter your house through these holes.
• Use measures to increase air flow in your yard as these insects avoid being in airy places. Also, cut short the grasses and excessive growth of vegetation to reduce moisture content of your surroundings.
• Some flies feed on human blood. To get rid of such flies, use sprays containing "deet" which is effective in keeping them away. You can also apply creams containing citronella oil to keep flies away from you.
• Fly strips is a nice option to control flies. To make a fly strip, simply cut a paper bag into strips which are 2 inches wide and 18 inches long. Make a hole at one end and tie a string to facilitate hanging. Spread a mixture of corn syrup and granulated sugar on the strip and hang it in a corner of the house to attract the flies . Do not forget to place a bowl below the strip to collect the dripping residue of the mixture.
• Make a fly trap by using a jar of large size and place sugar, soda, and any other sweet item capable of attracting flies in it. Place the lid and make holes large enough to let the flies enter and keep it in a corner. Flies will get attracted towards the sweet food, enter into the jar and get entrapped.
• Planting marigold and mint in your yard will help in getting rid of flies as these plants are natural deterrents to these insects.
• Take bright-colored cards of the size of index cards and apply some sticky oil on them. Place these cards at several places in the house to attract flies which ultimately, die due to sticking to the cards.
• Make a mixture of bananas, milk, sugar, and a pesticide. Place this mixture in a bowl such that flies can feed on it. The presence of pesticide will kill them and reduce their presence in your house.
• Take some cloves, pierce them in an apple and place it in the area where the concentration of flies is high. Flies cannot stand the odor of cloves and would leave a place where the smell of cloves is present.

Hope these home remedies help you out in getting rid of black flies from your house. If the problem is not solved by these remedies, check whether a fly control program is going on in your locality. If it is, take their help to make your home and surrounding fly-free.