I swear by my three-ingredient hack to get rid of pesky flies this summer – and a 55p Asda buy is key
IF you are fed up with flies and gnats invading your home, then fear not, you’ve come to the right place.
There’s nothing more annoying than trying to enjoy a warm day, only to find flies and gnats have entered your home and garden, un-invited.
But thankfully, a savvy woman has shared a simple hack that will banish pesky flying creatures this summer, and it’s left many totally stunned.
And if you’re on a budget, don’t worry, you won’t need to go out and splash the cash on pricey products.
In fact, you’ll only need three ingredients for this hack – and you probably have them in your kitchen cupboard already.
Debbie Bailey, a woman from Alabama, US, proudly took to social media to share her top tip on how to get rid of flies and gnats, as she shared her clip with the caption ‘Things TikTok university taught me’.
She then revealed that if you have a fly or gnat problem, all you’ll need is some granulated sugar, apple cider vinegar and washing-up liquid.
Debbie added the ingredients into a glass container, along with some tap water, and gave it a good stir.
Once mixed, she left the container outside and then after just one hour, showed off the results.
After only 60 minutes, the DIY liquid had attracted a number of flies and gnats, many of which were now floating in the mixture, stopping them from flying around her garden and into her home.
Debbie later wrote: “I was trying to kill flies, instead I’ve killed more gnats. It didn’t take long.”
Debbie explained that you can use this mixture inside or outside.
She also claimed that the sugar and the apple cider vinegar are used to attract insects, whereas the washing-up liquid is what traps them in the solution.
If you fancy giving this trick a try, you can nab washing-up liquid from Asda for just 55p.
Meanwhile, a small bag of granulated sugar is just 85p from Sainsbury’s, whilst apple cider vinegar is just £1.30 from Tesco.
Why do flies come out in summer?
Flies are present all year round, but all of a sudden when summer comes, they are just EVERYWHERE!
The main contributing factors are the breeding cycle of flies and the soaring temperatures.
Insects are cold blooded and in summer, when their body temperature rises from the external heat, they become more active.
The hotter weather also let’s them seek out cool moist spots, like inside your home, to escape from the sweltering heat and to lay their eggs.
House Fly eggs take around 20 hours to hatch, but when the temperature rises above 37 degrees, can hatch within 8 hours!
In extreme hot weather the eggs can mature from larvae to adult fly in as little as four days.
The average lifespan of a housefly is 21 days, so each female can lay up to 900 eggs during the summer months!
‘NEED TO TRY THIS’
The TikTok clip, which was posted under the username @debbiejbailey, has clearly left many open-mouthed, as it has quickly racked up a jaw-dropping 121,200 likes.
Social media users were impressed by the simple hack and were keen to give it a try.
One person said: “Going to try it, hopefully it works.”
I did this a few months ago with fruit flies and it worked!!
TikTok user
Another added: “Thank god, I need to try this.”
At the same time, others praised the effectiveness of this trick.
Keep pests out all summer
IF you want to ensure that your home is pest free this summer, here's what you need to know.
Hornets and wasps – hate the smell of peppermint oil so spraying this liberally around your patio or balcony can help to keep them at bay.
Moths – acidic household white vinegar is effective for deterring moths. Soak some kitchen roll in vinegar and leave it in your wardrobe as a deterrent.
Flying ants – herbs and spices, such as cinnamon, mint, chilli pepper, black pepper, cayenne pepper, cloves, or garlic act as deterrents.
Mosquitoes – plants, herbs and essential oil fragrances can help deter mozzies inside and out. Try eucalyptus, lavender and lemongrass.
One user beamed: “I do this and it works AMAZING.”
A second wrote: “Thanks for the reminder! I did this a few months ago with fruit flies and it worked!!”
MORE SIMPLE HACKS
Meanwhile, others shared their advice on methods that have worked for them to get rid of flies.
One woman explained: “I use pure peppermint extract in a bottle and spray it around outside of door frames.
“They can’t stand the smell. Also keeps wasps away.”
Someone else shared: “I tried bananas, sugar and water, it caught so many.”
Whilst a third penned: “I use plain old beer.”