As the beautiful days return, it’s hard to escape the flies that invade the house. These unwanted insects, besides being annoying, can carry germs and contaminate our food. However, there’s a simple, natural, and surprisingly effective solution that doesn’t require chemical products: just use a cut fruit placed on a plate. Curious to know which one and how to do it? Here are all the answers.
Why Do Flies Invade Our Homes?
Before discovering the solution, it’s essential to understand why flies seem to love our houses. Their attraction is mainly driven by the search for food, warmth, and humidity. Food scraps, ripe fruit bowls, damp sinks, and poorly sealed garbage bags are all elements that attract these little invaders.
In our kitchens, flies find an ideal environment to reproduce and proliferate. A simple oversight can trigger a full-blown invasion. Thus, it’s important to counter them with natural yet effective techniques.
The Magic Fruit Against Flies: A Simple and Effective Weapon
Among the various natural tips, using a cut lemon stands out as a particularly effective solution. More specifically, by combining this fruit with a simple ingredient that everyone has at home – cloves – the result is impressive.
The principle is simple: cut a lemon in half and insert several cloves into it. Then, place the halves on a small plate, and leave it in strategic areas: near windows, in the kitchen, next to the fruit bowl, or on the coffee table.
Why Does This Trick Work So Well?
The success of this method lies in the olfactory sensitivity of flies. These insects use their sense of smell to find food but also to navigate their environment. When the air is saturated with the citrusy and spicy scent emanating from the plate, it creates a sensory barrier that disorients them and drives them away.
Additionally, lemon and cloves have natural antimicrobial properties. This not only repels flies but also slightly purifies the ambient air, limiting the proliferation of bacteria.
How to Optimize This Method For Maximum Effectiveness?
To ensure the effect lasts several days, remember to renew your plate every two to three days. As the lemon dries out, its scent diminishes, reducing its repellent power. You can also vary the locations to better cover all rooms and target the areas most frequented by flies.
If you want to further enhance the effectiveness of your setup, feel free to multiply the plates in different rooms or combine this tip with other natural methods, like dried lavender sachets or basil plants, which are also disliked by flies.
Can Other Fruits Be Effective?
Lemon remains the most effective due to its acidity and fragrance, but other fruits can also be used successfully, especially oranges or grapefruits. Their usage is the same: cut in half and sprinkled with cloves. However, since their scent is slightly sweeter, their effectiveness may vary depending on the types of flies present.
It’s advisable to experiment to find the combination that best suits your environment.
Precautions to Take to Avoid Flies Long-Term
Of course, this cut fruit trick works perfectly, but it’s important to pair it with some good habits for lasting results. Avoid leaving food uncovered, regularly empty your trash, and clean your countertops thoroughly.
Also, consider ensuring good ventilation in your home and, if possible, installing screens on windows to limit intrusions.
By combining rigorous hygiene and natural tips like the lemon and cloves trick, you can achieve a fly-free home without resorting to harmful chemical insecticides that could jeopardize your health and that of your loved ones.

I’m a disabled, xennial Christ-follower, slightly off kilter (but aren’t all “ar-teeests”?).
Hope you enjoy my rantings, don’t take my sarcasm too seriously and know that comments are welcome. 🙂
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