Prevent Houseflies with Cloves and Lemons

There are many natural ways to prevent houseflies. For instance, some people find that using vinegar works. Another natural method you could try is using cloves and lemons. Here’s everything you need to know on how to prevent houseflies with cloves and lemons…

Using cloves and lemons to prevent houseflies

Cloves and lemons are effective against houseflies because of their scents. Houseflies have a strong sense of smell, especially because their sense of smell is an important part of their quest for food. Fun fact — houseflies don’t have noses. They smell with their antenna.

There are many fly species out there, but houseflies in particular just hate the scents of cloves and lemons. They hate particular scents such as basil, cayenne pepper, lavender, and mint because these ingredients overwhelm their sense of smell.

You can use this to your advantage. Use cloves and lemons to repel houseflies. Put them in areas where you don’t want the houseflies to be.

Should you rely on natural remedies?

Natural pest control solutions like cloves and lemons have many advantages. They don’t have the toxic ingredients that you will find in many commercial pesticides. And they do work. But here’s the thing — their effectiveness can only go so far.

Cloves and lemons can’t kill houseflies. These ingredients can only repel the pests. In other words, they are just repellents. They are not really pesticides. If you have a housefly infestation at home and you are only repelling the houseflies and not killing them, you are not really solving your fly problem.

Natural remedies are great if you use them as a complement to more traditional pest control solutions. On their own, they can only go so far.

You can prevent houseflies with cloves and lemons because houseflies hate their scents.

How to prevent houseflies with cloves and lemons

1. Buy the necessary ingredients

You really only need two ingredients — cloves and lemons. Get your ingredients whole — not crushed or powdered. You can also buy their essential oil versions as alternatives. You can make a clove and lemon spray with these essential oils instead (more on that later.)

The problem with essential oils is that they are a little more expensive compared to whole cloves and lemons. And essential oil poisoning is a thing.

2. Cut the lemons and poke them with cloves

Cut each lemon into two even halves. It’s up to you how many lemon halves you are going to use. Of course, more will be more effective. Poke each half with above 15-20 cloves. While buying ingredients, make sure you have a good ratio of lemons and cloves to make as many lemon halves with cloves as you can.

Some people add a little fun with their lemon halves and cloves. They create patterns on the lemon halves using the cloves, such as smiling faces. You don’t have to do this, but it’s something you can do if you want.

3. Put the lemon halves with cloves around your home

Your natural remedy for houseflies is finally complete. You can now scatter them in areas where you see housefly activity. The dining area and kitchen are hotspots, so you can put the lemon halves with cloves on countertops and dining tables. You can also put them around doors and windows. After all, houseflies use these passageways to get in and out of your home.

You can also put them on areas that are directly linked to the outside world, such as balconies, patios, and porches. They will act as a natural barrier against houseflies.

4. Let them do their thing for a few days

The lemon halves with cloves will last a few days until they dry up. The number of days will depend on a variety of factors, such as the freshness of the lemons and the temperature of the area where you have put them. Generally, they will only last about two days.

You can then replace them with a new batch of lemon halves with cloves. But until then, enjoy the peace around your housefly-free home.

5. Consider making a clove and lemon spray

Whole cloves and lemons can indeed repel houseflies, but you can also use their essential oil versions instead. They can be just as effective. The idea is simple — just spray the clove and lemon essential oil mixture on areas where you would have put the lemon halves with cloves.

To create a clove and lemon essential oil mixture, simply dilute a few drops of clove essential oil and lemon essential oil in water. And then put the mixture in a spray bottle. You actually don’t need to use both essential oils. Clove essential oil plus water or lemon essential oil plus water will do just fine.

It's possible to get rid of houseflies with home remedies such as cloves and lemons.

Other ways to prevent houseflies

Get rid of houseflies with commercial products. Natural remedies can only repel houseflies, but commercial products like pesticides can actually kill them. Pyrethroids, organophosphates, and carbamates are the ones most commonly used against houseflies. You can also try other commercial products, such as flycatchers. You can use these traps to get rid of houseflies without killing them. Once you have trapped the houseflies, you can release them back into the wild.
Try other home remedies. There are other natural repellents you can try. They basically work the same way — put them around your home to repel houseflies with their scents. You can also use their essential oil versions and dilute them in water to make a spray. These natural repellents are basil, cayenne pepper, and lavender.
Clean your home. Why do you have houseflies in the first place? The most likely reason is that your property has a lot of food and water available for pests. By cleaning your home, you are removing food crumbs and water spills that may attract houseflies. Also, remember that human food items are not the only ones flies eat. They are also attracted to your pet’s poop you leave in your yard and the rotting fruits in your garden that you refuse to throw away.