Flies are everywhere, and unlike other pests, they can be a year round annoyance depending on the climate. Whatever the type of fly may be, they are never welcome, with their buzzing around which makes us crazy, but they are especially drawn to the one place where we really do not want them, and that is the kitchen, as like many animals and insects, they enjoy the smell and taste of food.
There are many ways that people have tried to keep them at bay for years, mosquito nets, sticky tape, and even those ugly and loud lanterns that most restaurants use during the summer months when they are more prevalent. But they are hard to repel, and more often than not we end up quitting while we are ahead and using some kind of bug spray to kill them and resigning ourselves to just close the windows.
But it does not have to be like that, as there are some remedies that can help us, if not keep them out forever, make our homes uninviting for them so that they leave without much fuss. And what is even better, because the remedy we are going to talk about today is natural, it is not dangerous to children or other house pets and can even help with other unwanted critters as well.
The natural remedy to get rid of flies in our home
Ironically since they like the kitchen so much, the natural remedy that helps you get rid of flies lives in the kitchen, and it is bay leaves. This tree leaf is quite common in mediterranean cooking and is quite toxic for those who eat it, but it does provide a really amazing taste to many dishes when it is cooked.
The secret to using bay leaves is that they produce two natural essential oils, cineole and eugenol, amongst many others, that smell wonderfully for humans but are extremely displeasing for insects, which repels them from any food that may contain them. And while it is tempting to only eat stews year round so that we can use them in our cooking and not see flies swarming our food year round, that is not practical.
Despite the number of eyes that they have, flies mostly guide themselves y smell, this way they are able to identify foods that they might want to eat and plants they might want to avoid, and since bay leaves are not a pleasant smell for them, they tend to avoid spaces where bay leaves have been placed.
This means that if you are in an area where flies are predominant, you can just leave bay leaves lying around your spaces, remembering to hit them every once in a while so that the smell form the oils is released from the casings and you will have a natural repellent that you will enjoy.
Using bay leaves as a natural insect deterrent is fairly straightforward. Tuck a few dried leaves in strategic places like window sills, behind doors, or inside pantry corners. If ants are present, lining their travel paths with bay leaves may interrupt their movement.
For cockroach prevention, place leaves in dark, concealed areas such as under sinks or at the back of cupboards. Crushing the leaves slightly or boiling them to create a scented spray can also intensify the aroma, making the repellent effect more potent, especially in less accessible areas.
While this is a good trick and you should follow it, remember that nothing can substitute a good clean, so if you find that you are having a lot of insects in your home, take the chance to empty out cupboards, patch holes that might be letting them in and refreshing your home with more leaves.