Flies buzzing around your food can quickly turn a pleasant meal into a frustrating experience. Not only are these tiny pests annoying, but they can also carry harmful bacteria that contaminate your food. So, how do you keep flies away from food and enjoy your meals without worrying about these unwanted guests? Let’s explore practical, easy-to-follow methods to keep flies at bay, whether you’re dining indoors or hosting an outdoor barbecue.
Why Are Flies Attracted to Food?
Flies are drawn to food because they are looking for nourishment and breeding sites. Sugary, sweet, and rotting foods are especially attractive to them. They can smell food from a distance and are particularly interested in exposed dishes, garbage, and leftovers. Understanding this helps us take the right steps to prevent them from landing on our meals.
Practical Ways to Keep Flies Away from Food
1. Maintain Cleanliness and Sanitation
Flies thrive in dirty environments. Keeping your kitchen, dining area, and trash bins clean is the first line of defense. Wash dishes promptly, wipe down surfaces, and empty garbage regularly to eliminate food residues that attract flies. Ensure your trash bins have tight-fitting lids and are cleaned often to prevent odors that lure flies.
2. Cover Your Food
One of the simplest ways to keep flies off your meals is to cover your food. Use lids, mesh food covers, or cling film to protect dishes, especially when eating outdoors. This not only keeps flies away but also prevents contamination from airborne bacteria.
3. Use Fans to Create a Fly-Free Zone
Flies are weak fliers and struggle against wind. Setting up electric fans around your dining area creates a breeze that makes it difficult for flies to land on your food. This method works well indoors and outdoors and has the added benefit of keeping you cool on warm days.
4. Employ Natural Repellents and Aromatics
Flies dislike certain smells, so using natural repellents can help keep them away:
– Citrus fruits: Place lemon or orange peels around your eating area.
– Cloves: Stick cloves into lemon halves or apples and set them near food.
– Essential oils: Eucalyptus, lavender, basil, rosemary, and lemongrass oils can be used in diffusers or on cloth strips hung near food.
– Herb jars: A jar filled with a mix of basil, lavender, lemongrass, and rosemary can act as a fragrant fly deterrent centerpiece.
5. Set Up DIY Fly Traps
If flies are persistent, homemade traps can be very effective. One popular method is the sugar-water and yeast trap:
– Mix warm water with sugar and active dry yeast in a jar.
– Cover the jar with plastic wrap and poke small holes.
– Flies enter attracted by the carbon dioxide produced but cannot escape.
Other traps use sweet liquids or milk, sugar, and pepper mixtures to lure and trap flies.
6. Manage Drinks and Spills
Sugary and fermented drinks like soda and beer attract flies. Keep these beverages sealed when not in use and clean up any spills immediately. Position drinks away from the main eating area to reduce fly attraction.
7. Use Physical Barriers
Installing fly screens on windows and doors helps prevent flies from entering your home or dining space. For outdoor events, consider screened tents or mesh covers to keep flies out while still enjoying fresh air.
8. Eliminate Breeding Grounds
Flies breed in moist, decaying organic matter. Keep drains clean by flushing them with vinegar and baking soda followed by boiling water. Remove pet waste promptly and avoid leaving food scraps exposed.
Additional Tips for Outdoor Dining
– Choose picnic spots away from garbage bins and heavily trafficked public areas.
– Find shaded areas with gentle breezes that naturally deter flies.
– Use mothballs or camphor tablets around eating areas to repel flies, but keep them away from children and pets.
Why You Should Take Fly Control Seriously
Flies are not just nuisances; they are vectors for diseases such as cholera, typhoid, and dysentery. They carry bacteria on their bodies and can transfer these to your food, posing health risks. Taking proactive steps to keep flies away protects your family’s health and enhances your dining experience.
Enjoy your meals without the buzz and bother of flies by applying these simple, effective strategies. With a little effort, you can create a fly-free zone that lets you savor your food in peace.
Flies may be tiny, but with these tips, you can keep them far away from your food and your fun!