As the weather gets warmer, most likely so does the number of flies in your home.

And fly swatters may have been a wonderful invention that helped get rude of these nasty pests.

But thank God, that’s not all we can do to prevent and get rid of them now.

Relying on a fly swatter to get rid of flies one fly at a time may seem like fun for some…(my husband always laughs and says that his first job in the Marine Corps was as the “official fly killer” at basic training.)

But even though you have hopefully smooshed that fly, you are still stuck with residue that should be cleaned and possibly an infected surface.

Sure they’re nasty, but more than that.

They breed like rabbits, if not just so much worse.

Although the typical fly only has a lifespan of about 30 days, during that time a female fly can lay as many as 500 eggs.

No wonder we never can seem to get rid of them.

Although flies cannot bite as so many other insects, such as fire ants and mosquitoes do, they are still gross.

They can transfer bacteria from your trash and drains onto food surfaces…meaning that you will probably end up eating whatever that fly has put on your food.

So how can we get rid of them…and even prevent them from becoming a problem in the first place?

It’s as easy as ABC…(don’t we all wish that was actually true)…

But at least there’s some hope…

Apple Cider Vinegar: Heat half a cup of apple cider vinegar. Pour it into a wine bottle or jar. A couple of drops of dish soap prevents flies from escaping. Now cover the mouth of the jar with parchment paper. Poke holes into the parchment paper for the flies to enter into the trap. Secure with a rubber band.

Alcohol: Spray rubbing alcohol around the places where flies seem to gather.

Beer: Beer contains enough yeast to mimic the smell of rotting fruit and attract flies.  You can set up traps using beer instead of apple cider vinegar…But word to the wise, you may never want to drink another sip of beer that has been opened for any significant amount of time…unless you do desperately need more protein.

Cayenne Pepper: Mix a small amount of cayenne pepper with water in a spray bottle. Spray in “problem areas” such as doors and windows.

Citrus Peel: Flies typically do not appreciate the fresh, tangy smell of citrus peels. So go ahead and eat that orange…and throw your peels on a windowsill or near the door…if a trashcan is not readily available. I won’t mind…as long as help me tell a fly “Goodbye.”

Dish Soap: Combine equal parts vinegar and water in a spray bottle. Add several drops of dish soap. Shake gently.  Spray directly at the flies. The dish soap weighs down the wings of the  fly and leaves it powerless.

Essential Oils: The best essential oils to help get rid of flies are eucalyptus, lavender, lemongrass and peppermint. To use essewntial oil to help combat flies, combine ½C hot water and 20 drops essential oil in a spray bottle. Spray the mixture on problem areas – sinks, trashcans, windowsills and so forth. You could also place cotton balls saturated with these essential oils in problem areas. Even though this will not kill flies, but it will help keep them away.

Fans: Flies have trouble flying around fans. So take advantage of this…and take a break from the Texas heat perhaps…by setting fans near windows and doorways.

Fly Tape: Commercial fly tape or ribbon is an old-fashioned option that many people still take seriously…even seriously enough to make their own fly tape by cutting strips of yellow paper, coating the strips with honey and hanging them around their kitchen.

Fruit As Bait: Instead of apple cider vinegar in your homemade trap, you could also use a banana peel.

Herbs: Place sprigs of fresh herbs basil, bay leaf, lavender, mint, rosemary – in the fruit bowls sitting out on your counter. Flies generally find the smell to be too strong and, as a result, stay away. You could also place potted herbs near doorways, trash cans and drains.

Lemons: Yes, I do realize that lemons are a fruit…but lemons seem to be the powermonger of fruits when it comes to home management and maintenance.

So to use a lemon to repel flies, cut the lemon in half. Stick a dozen whole cloves into the flesh of each lemon half. Place the lemons on or in a dish. Then set the dish on your kitchen counters of dining room table.

Magnetic Fly Curtains: For those of us who don’t have those infamous squeaky screen doors that we all ran in and out of constantly during the summer, you can buy doorway-sized mesh screens. These screen have small but strong magnets in the center seam. Hanging one in the doorway or across an open window can help keep flies outside where they really belong.

Milk Mixture: Combine 1Cmilk, ¼C sugar and 2Tbsp pepper in a saucepan. Bring to a simmer. Let simmer for 10min. Place the mixture into dishes placed around the house. You could also add a few drops of dish soap to the mixture. Flies will drown whenever they thought was a delicious milkshake.

Plants: Venus flytraps and other carnivorous plants are another natural method of killing flies in the house. These plants have developed the ability to detect insect movement.

Pitcher plants have slippery tunnels that flies fall into and then cannot escape.

Sundews use sticky, natural glue-like droplets to trap flies.

The Venus flytrap snaps shut once the plant detects an insect. A single mature Venus flytrap can catch up to five flies per week.

Salt Gun: Salt guns can actually make killing flies fun…well maybe…Shotgun-shaped tool allows you to actually shoot the flies with grains of salt.

Sugar: Make a trap with sugar instead of apple cider vinegar.

Turmeric: The small and texture of turmeric makes flies uncomfortable. Mix the turmeric with an equal amount of salt. Sprinkle around doorways and windowsills. 

Vodka: Mix vodka, aloe vera juice, lemon eucalyptus oil and an essential oil blend into a spray bottle. Spray around those key areas to ward off flies. (Don’t worry. Cheap vodka will work just fine.)

Wine: Just like beer, be careful leaving wine out in open containers. The wine attracts flies. If your goal is to kill flies, go ahead and leave it out. If it’s good wine, pay attention. Drink with caution(?!)…

Zappers: Bug zappers are a redneck’s favorite toy. Nothing quite beats the noise of a zapper zapping another bug and shouting out “Hallelujah! It got another one.”

And yes, there are actually smaller bug zappers that are designed for indoor use…(a fact that I just learned myself)…

Zevo: Zevo traps are a God-send. These indoor traps use blue light and UV light to attract flies to an inescapable sticky surface.