I live in a very rural area and we usually always have problems with one pest or another. Most often ants, ticks and fruit flies.
I know how to deal with the ants and ticks but I can't seem to find a solution as to how to prevent fruit flies from being a problem.
I keep my house extremely clean. I have a family member with severe asthma and I refuse to allow the house to become cluttered or dirty because of thier health.
It seems that no matter how much I clean I still have a problem with fruit flies.
I don't leave food, beverages or fruits and vegetables sitting out. Breads are always kept in a bread box so they won't attract anything. Any spills are immediately cleaned up. Dishes are done after every meal and the sinks and appliances cleaned and dried.
I notice the problem gets really bad during the summer when the temperatures get into the high 90's and over 100 (Fahrenheit as I'm in the States). Neighbors and family friends have also noticed an increase of fruit flies during really hot, humid weather.
I had someone tell me once that I have the problem with these little pests because I live out in the woods. All the trees keep them around and I'll never get rid of them as long as I have all the trees around me. Is this true? Should I have someone come in and cut down all the trees that are close to my house or is there some other way I can keep the fruit flies from bothering my family?
Is there anything I can make and leave sitting out that the flies don't like that will serve as a deterrent to keep them away? I'd like to be able to do something natural rather than have to remove the flies with chemicals. I don't want to endanger my family members or pets with chemicals if all possible.
Any help will be hugely appreciated as the little annoyances have already started to make their appearances for the year. I'm almost ready to sell the house and move somewhere else just to get away from these pests! lol
I happened across a tip for deterring flies yesterday which says they detest the smell of basil and suggests putting small pots of this herb on window sills. Whether this applies to fruit flies I don't know but it might be worth trying.
