Using Cloves to Repel House Flies

Last Updated on: September 23rd, 2017 at 3:04 pm

Imagine it’s a nice Sunday afternoon, you are on your picnic table, just starting your lunch and suddenly out of nowhere a dozen of flies come and attack the place.

Obviously, you would want to get rid of those flies as quickly as possible. And in such situations, cloves can come quite handy in deterring these unwanted guests.

Cloves are good at repelling flies, flies hate the subtle scent of cloves. Please note that cloves are most effective against house flies, although they can also deter other fly species but they are not so much effective against them.

If you are dealing with any other species of flies, other than House Fly, then you should also have a look at these methods: Method 1, Method 2.

Don’t forget to go through our comprehensive guide on how to get rid of flies.

What are Cloves?

Cloves are basically aromatic dried flower buds of a plant named Syzygium aromaticum. Cloves are dark brown, pungent and nail shaped spice.

Cloves

Cloves are only grown in a few countries but they are used in almost all the parts of world. They have a calming effect on mouth tissues and also have other medicinal properties.

Cloves are also known to have insect repelling properties, particularly against flies and mosquitoes.

Now let’s see how to use cloves to deter flies.

Using Whole Cloves to Repel Flies:

In this method we are going to use cloves and fresh lemons to deter flies. Flies hate cloves and they hate lemon too. So, we will combine both of them to make a powerful fly repellent.

So, here we go:

  • Take 2 lemons, cut them into halves.

Cut a lemon into halves

  • Next, poke 6 – 12 cloves into each half of the lemon as shown.
Lemon with cloves

Clove Decorated Lemons

  • Now, place the clove decorated lemons on a plate in the middle of your picnic table. You will be amazed to see that no fly will come near your table to share your food.
  • Set back relaxed and enjoy your food.

Alternatively particularly for indoors, you could also wrap few cloves in a cheesecloth or in a muslin bag and hang them in the most fly prone area. Whenever you feel the need to release more scent from the packets, try squeezing them.

Using Clove Oil to Repel Flies:

In this method we are going to create a fly repellent skin lotion using clove oil. Similar to whole cloves, flies also hate the fragrance of clove oil.

Please note that clove oil should never be applied directly on the skin as it can cause burning sensations, skin irritations and nerve damage. So, before applying it to skin we have to dilute it to safe levels.

To create your clove based fly repellent lotion follow the below steps:

  • Take some clove oil. Here, Clove oil will work as an insect repellent.
  • Take any of Olive Oil, rubbing alcohol or witch hazel as a diluent. You could also use water as a diluent but as water doesn’t mix well with oil’s so I don’t prefer using it.
  • Now, mix the clove oil and the diluent. You should use 1 part of clove oil and 10 parts of diluent. Mix well and apply only on the uncovered parts of your body. Please note that do not let this lotion to enter your eyes or mouth.
  • After applying the lotion, you will notice that flies won’t come to annoy you.

So, this was how you can use cloves to repel flies. Try these methods and let us know how these methods worked for you.

Peace.

About Ankit Zadi

My name is Ankit Zadi, and I can call myself a 'Fly Expert'. My adventures with flies began when we shifted to our new house seven years back. My goal on this website is to share everything that I know about flies. Check out my full story here.