Flies seem to be everywhere this time of year. Some people prefer to use homemade fly traps. What if you want to simply repel flies instead of trapping them after they’ve already become a nuisance?
I was out at a local farm just yesterday and the flies were very noticeable and quite annoying as I went about my work. Seeing all those flies reminded me of a simple, non-toxic, and very effective fly repellent that I observed in action at one of my children’s field trips a couple of months ago.
The class was visiting a petting farm with a large open barn where donkeys, horses, goats, and other livestock were available for the children to observe and interact with.
Despite so many animals in a small semi-enclosed area, there were no flies buzzing around! Curious, I asked the owner about this, and he pointed to the heavy-duty plastic bags partially filled with water hanging over every stall.
He explained that a clear bag of water with a penny at the bottom would repel the flies very effectively. He went on to explain that the “eye” of a fly is actually hundreds of eyes and the reflection of light on the bag of water keeps them away.
“Why the penny at the bottom of the bag?”, I asked.
Grandpa the farmer answered that he wasn’t exactly sure but the penny did seem to increase the effectiveness of the hanging bag of water alone. He added that he didn’t know how many square feet each bag covered so he just put a bag over every animal stall to keep as many flies away as possible.
He also had put up a few bags over the picnic area and it was so nice to be able to eat lunch without flies swarming everywhere!
Note that the clearer the water, the more effective this trick is. If you use rusty well water, it won’t work as effectively as ultra clean and clear filtered water.
Try this fly repellant method for yourself! If you do, please check back and let us know how it worked for you!
Fly Repellent Only Works for Flies
Please note that this fly repellent trick only works for flies, not mosquitoes, and other insects. It also works very well for flies in the Southern United States. However, it may not work as well for flies from other geographical areas such as blowflies in Australia.
If you need to repel other insects like mosquitoes, ticks, or horse flies, this article on natural herbal insect repellent can help.
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How do you suspend the bag without it ripping?
i used tire wire. it worked perfectly in suspending the bag w/o ripping it.
however, does the size of the bag matter because i used smaller bags and i still see a few flies hover around the grass on our porch?
is there a certain angle at w/c these bags should be hung to become effective?
One of my girlfriends puts listerine mouthwash in a spray bottle and sprays it on herself and it keeps the mosquitos away! 🙂
I put off brand mouth wash in a spray bottle and used it for my daughters outdoor wedding 4 years ago to keep the mosquitoes away, and boy, did it EVER work. I live in Hotlanta, and we get our fair share of mosquitoes, especially when it starts getting dark outside. This technique will only last for 3-4 hours, but that’s all we needed. Don’t add water with the mouth wash, use it straight.
I finally understand why here in South Korea at many of the open-air fresh fish markets the vendors have plastic bags of water hanging over their stalls! 🙂
I tried this method all different ways and there were still flies everywhere :(. Not even any food out to attract them :(. Our camp lots were covered in flies last summer and nothing we did seemed to work
This does work. Last year while eating at an outdoor restaurant, I noticed hanging bags of water with a penny inside. They were placed about every 10 feet or so at ceiling height on a pole. It was the first time I had ever seen this, and was told it was to keep the flies away! Great idea!
http://www.snopes.com/critters/wild/flies.asp – false
Mythbusters also did a show (in sunlight) to test this concept which failed. No difference in water vs no water if I remember correctly. (whatever the results were, it doesn’t work)
I have a bag hanging by my back door and flies do not come into my house. Great.
So, I had an idea about how to hang the bags! I haven’t tried it yet, but I thought that you could hang the bag over a wire or something thin and then put binder clips on each end.
The first time I saw this in use was about 15 years ago in an outdoor dining area in Mexico. I asked what they were and then looked at the waiter skeptically when he told me. He then said, “you don’t see any flies, do you?” (in spanish of course LOL). I’ve never tried it myself though.
This most definitely works! A friend told me about it last summer when I hosted a pool party and my kitchen had at least 10 flies in it. We hung them right away and within minutes the flies were gone. I couldn’t believe it! I took them down during the winter and just hung new ones, however, I forgot to add the penny and still had a few flies. Just added the penny and not a single fly. To hang the bag, I gather one side, tie a ribbon or twine around the corner and hang it from the curtain rod above my kitchen window and back sliding door.