Whether it is a child’s birthday party or an adult’s barbecue, we all enjoy outdoor parties. But sometimes, there are uninvited guests that can ruin all the fun – flies! Flies are the last thing you want at your outdoor party. They can literally suck the food and fun out of your party! Here are seven ways to keep flies away from your outdoor party.
Why you should keep flies away from your outdoor party
We all know that flies are health risks, so they should be as far as possible from all the food at your outdoor party. But how do flies become health risks, exactly?
- Flies are dirty. Flies are disgusting creatures. They thrive in unsanitary places like drains, sewage, and trash cans. It’s not surprising to know that they are physically dirty and can contaminate everything they make contact with. This is just one of the many ways they spread diseases.
- Flies spit on your food. Flies don’t have teeth so they can’t chew their food. What they do instead is spit on their food to dissolve it. Then they suck on the dissolved parts using their stingers. The problem here is that their spit contains a lot of bacteria. If you eat food that happens to have fly spit, you are sure to get those bacteria into you.
- Flies urinate and defecate around you. Just like any other animal on the planet, flies urinate and defecate. If you see random black spots around, be wary. They may be from fly urine and feces. Because they live in dirty environments, flies have a lot of bacteria inside their body. Some of these bacteria are transferred to the urine and feces.
So, you really do not want these vile creatures buzzing around your outdoor party…
How to keep flies away from your outdoor party
Fortunately, you don’t need a pest control professional to keep flies away from your outdoor party. You can easily get rid of these pests with these simple tips.
1. Cover your trash cans
Flies are attracted to food and water. But remember that these resources can also be found in trash cans, not just on your party tables. Keep their lids closed to prevent them from attracting flies.
Outdoor trash cans are actually more vulnerable to fly infestations because you can’t always control their vicinity, unlike the trash cans inside your home where you have full autonomy. Aside from keeping the lids closed, also practice proper waste disposal to prevent the trash cans from overflowing. Even the soda residue on the edge of trash cans can attract flies.
2. Keep your surroundings clean
As much as possible, pick up all crumbs and leftovers and wipe spills and stains. Flies are small creatures. Even small pieces of food and droplets of water are enough for them.
But you shouldn’t just clean during the party itself. It’s best to prevent flies from thriving on your property anyway. Keep your greens short and trimmed. Pick up ripe or rotten fruits and vegetables in your garden. And most importantly, keep your garbage cans closed.
3. Cover your party food as much as possible
It’s understandable if you don’t want to cover your party food. You want everything to be easily accessible to everyone. But if you see flies buzzing around uninvited, it’s time to bring out the fly covers, lids, picnic meshes, and tents.
You can actually attract a lot of pests if you don’t cover your party food. For instance, yellow jackets are attracted to sugary foods, and sugary foods are likely to be abundant at your outdoor party.
4. Turn on the fan
When you want to actively get rid of flies, one of the first methods you think about is swatting them. But this isn’t as simple as it sounds. Flies react fast, so it will be hard to get rid of them this way.
An effective way to get rid of flies is to set up a fan or two in your outdoor party. Flies are weak fliers. They don’t do well on winds. Create artificial winds with fans and make your outdoor party fly-free. The fans can also cool down your guests, which is a plus.
5. Spread some natural fly repellents
Insecticides are effective, especially those that are specifically formulated for flies. But they have harmful ingredients that may get into your party food, not to mention strong smells that may not be very pleasant for your guests.
You can try natural fly repellents instead. These are home remedies that have natural properties that keep flies away. Basil, cayenne pepper, cloves, lavender, lemons, and even vinegar may do the trick. They repel flies because the pests simply don’t like their intense smells.
6. Apply some bug repellents on your skin
Repellents don’t just work on your surroundings. They can work on your skin too. There are a lot of commercial products available today that repel all kinds of bugs, including annoying flies. You may find these on garden supplies, pest control shops, pharmacies, and even online stores.
The great thing about these repellents is that many of them are made of the same natural ingredients that repel flies mentioned earlier, so they are not as harmful as insecticides.
7. Bait and trap the flies
Indeed, flies are attracted to food and water. This is bad news for your outdoor party, but you can actually use this to your advantage. You can bait the pesky flies with food and water and trap them in a container.
You can try the soda bottle trap, where you attract the flies with apple cider vinegar and trap them in a bottle. If you don’t like the DIY approach, you can always buy commercial traps, like bug vacuums and flycatchers. There are even versions that don’t kill flies. They just trap them in a container, so you can release them somewhere else when the container is full.
Don’t let flies ruin your outdoor party
Flies spread bacteria with their bodies and fluids, and that can ruin the fun at your party really quickly. It’s a good thing that you can easily deal with flies. Just be mindful of the things they find attractive – food and water, no matter how small the source is.