Fly Away Flies: Organic Repellents for Flies and Moths

Flies and Moths

Flies have probably been on this earth for longer than humans have and yet, humans have taken over and would like the flies 

to take a hike.  It seems they’re buzzing around the kitchen all summer long and nothing, not even the fly swatter can get 

rid of them.   Moths take over at night and hover around the patio light, making nuisances of themselves.  Fortunately, 

there are several organic pest control methods that can keep them out of your living space. 

One organic fly repellent is crushed mint.  You can crush the fresh mint leaves (from your garden or the plant store) and 

put them into little sachets.  Place them around your home and watch the flies disappear.  In addition, bay leaves, 

eucalyptus leaves and cloves put in sachets or placed around the house will act as repellents of flies.  It seems as though 

there are a lot or organic herbs that flies don’t like.

Another great organic fly repellent that acts like flypaper involves mixing a quarter cup of corn syrup or maple syrup, a 

tablespoon of granulated sugar and a tablespoon of brown sugar in a bowl.   Then you soak the mixture in brown craft paper 

and let it dry overnight.  The next day, you can poke a hole in each strip and hang it with a paperclip or some string.  

Flies are attracted to the organic mixture and get stuck on it, rendering them helpless.

It seems like science is helping us out more and more when it comes to organic fly repellents.  You can now buy completely 

organic, nontoxic, pheromone-based fly trap for indoors or outdoors. Pheromones are chemical sex attractants for flies that 

draw them in and help them stick to the inside of the trap.  

Moths are flying insects that are attracted to light and can sometimes end up in the house. Certain moths can get into your 

clothing and can eat away at the fabric.  Fortunately, there are several organic pest control methods for moths.  One 

involves putting cedar chips in a square of cheesecloth to make a sachet.  One can also use cedar oil, also referred to as 

juniper oil and drench pieces of fabric to drive the flying bugs away.

Another organic and natural moth repellent involves using dried lemon peels.  Place them in a clothes chest or tie some up 

in the cheesecloth to keep them out of your clothing.  Other organic herbal remedies include making sachets containing 

lavender, rose petals or rosemary and placing them between the folds of your clothing or inside the closets.  

Finally, science has helped us with moths as well, providing us with organic pheromone-based moth traps for your pantry or 

for clothing.  Outdoors, a “bug zapper” is a light that is associated with a zap of electricity.  This will keep moths and 

other flying insects to a minimum, as long as the “zapping” sound doesn’t drive you crazy.  Moths and flies are insects for 

which safe chemical repellents don’t exist.  This means that using organic methods for repelling the insects are going to be 

the safest choice by far and will help make the warm summer days and nights more comfortable.