Skip to Content

How To Get Rid Of HoverFlies – A Comprehensive Guide

Sharing is caring!

You shouldn’t be concerned if hover flies are present in your garden. Flies are a common problem, especially since they seek out food and drink everywhere.

They’re also a potential source of the disease that can spread among family members or friends visiting your house. People despise getting insects in their homes, particularly flies. Therefore, a question is usually asked how to get rid of hoverflies.

Even if hoverflies may be useful in your outside environment, having insects swarming about in your conservatory while you’re reading a book and drinking a cup of tea is never pleasant.

Fortunately, once you know how to repel and destroy them, they are simple to manage. The good news is that you may eliminate hoverflies in the same way as fruit flies and house flies.

This comprehensive article is a one-stop solution for your hoverfly problem if you’re looking for solutions to eliminate hoverflies from your home.

Let’s have a look at the ways you can implement to get rid of uninvited guests. Keep in mind that one of these solutions will work for the most part. Your unique circumstances will determine the greatest solution. Let’s dive in.

How To Get Rid Of HoverFlies

Method 1: Use Homemade Repellents

Ammonia and Soap Repellent

It’s possible to make an organic, all-natural repellent using ammonia and soap.

  • Mix 1 tablespoon liquid dishwashing soap and 1 quart of warm water.
  • Add 2 teaspoons of household ammonia into this mix.
  • Blend the ingredients
  • Pour the mixture into a spray bottle. You may need to use about 2 cups of water for this purpose to avoid spilling.
  • Take your spray bottle outside and start spraying it around.

Lemon and Clove Repellent

It’s simple to create with only two ingredients, and the aroma is wonderful.

  • Place a clove on the cut half of fresh, juicy lemon.
  • Place it in a location where hoverflies visit frequently. Hoverflies will no longer be seen in the area in a few days.

Alternative

  • Fresh oranges or lemons might be placed near the hoverfly-infested region.
  • To boost its effectiveness, wrap it in a cotton cloth or a tea bag with a few drops of neem oil.

Apple Cider Vinegar Repellent

It’s a low-cost and simple solution to create fly repellent that is just as popular.

  • Mix two pints of water with a pint of apple cider vinegar
  • Add one tablespoon of dish soap
  • Fill the solution in a spray bottle
  • Spray the solution in hoverfly-infested regions

Method 2: Build a Fly Trap

FlyPaper Trap

  • The trap is formed from a piece of paper with glue on it; they’re quite simple to use.
  • The hoverfly is drawn to the trap by its aroma and lands in the glue.

Sugar Water Trap

  • Dissolve three teaspoons of sugar in a gallon of water that has been covered with plastic wrap with holes in it.
  • The sugar fragrance attracts the flies, who enter via the opening but are unable to exit.
Sugar Water Trap How To Get Rid Of HoverFlies
Easy fly trap via Reddit

Method 3: Strategically plant nectar-filled plants

  • Hoverflies are good for your garden since they eat insects that could harm it.
  • Hoverflies are attracted to nectar-filled flowers, so plant them.
  • They get preoccupied with feeding themselves in a garden and will not fly over and annoy you on the patio.
  • Make sure these plants aren’t in areas where hoverflies aren’t allowed.
  • Insect repellent herbs include mint, basil, bay leaf, and lavender.

Method 4: Use Essential Oils

Using essential oils like peppermint, eucalyptus oil, cedar, lavender, and lemongrass is one of the most popular natural methods. The strong fragrance of essential oil keeps them away from the area and makes them avoid it.

Peppermint Oil Spray

  • Mix 1 tablespoon of pure castile soap into 2 cups of water
  • Add 5 drops of peppermint oil to this mix
  • Pour the mixture into a spray bottle and shake it well
  • Spray this solution where necessary.

Lavender Oil Spray

  • In half a liter of water, add 20 drops of lavender essential oil
  • Mix the ingredients
  • Pour them in a spray bottle
  • Store the mixture in a cool place for up to two weeks.
  • Use it on plants and around the house for great results.

Method 5: Light Up Citronella Oil Candle

  • Different varieties of lemongrass are used to make a citronella candle.
  • It keeps flies and insects away from your home.
  • The strong odor of these burning candles deters hoverflies from flying around the porch or into the house.

Method 6: Use a Fly Zapper

Hoverflies are attracted to the ultraviolet light of the zapper. Once they reach that area, it electrocutes them with its 10,000 volts.

Method 7: Use a Fly Swatter

  • Use this method for quick results since it’s quite effective.
  • Strike them down quickly before they can harm you or your indoor plants and flowers.

Method 8: Use Fan to Blow Hoverflies Away

  • If you have a ceiling-mounted fan in the balcony or patio, turn it on to blow away flying insects like hoverflies.
  • The air current of the moving blades makes them leave the area very quickly.
  • By constructing a wind tunnel with a fan, you can help prevent pests.
  • The fan is placed at one end of a row of plants in this method.
  • The fan provides a strong, consistent wind through the plants.

Method 9: Use Insecticides

  • Using the correct insecticide will help you get rid of hoverflies quickly.
  • A combination spray with a pyrethrin and neem oil solution is quite popular among homeowners.
  • Place a protective covering over exposed food and water during the application, as this chemical may poison them.

Method 10: Use Fly Tape

  • Heavy-duty fly tape can capture plenty of hoverflies in a short time.
  • Apply the adhesive side of the fly tape to items you don’t want them to be on or around.
  • Coat the area with the glue, which gets stuck to the wings of the insects.
  • The adhesive peels off easily, and you can dispose of it once it’s full.

Method 11: Keep the Garden Dry

  • Hoverflies are attracted to moist and damp areas.
  • Keeping the garden or lawn dry, especially after irrigation, can make them go away from your home.

>> Related Post: How To Get Rid Of Corn Flies (10 Effective Methods)


Conclusion

Although hoverflies are considered beneficial to the garden, they can be annoying to live with indoors. These simple tricks can help you get rid of hoverflies and keep your home pest-free.

Since they’re attracted to bright colors and floral scents, plant beneficial herbs like lavender and basil around your house to keep them away, keep the room clean, and free of clutter since they breed in dirty areas of the home.

After following these methods, the population of hoverflies will likely decrease significantly.