Flies seem to be everywhere this time of year. Some people prefer to use homemade fly traps. What if you want to simply repel flies instead of trapping them after they’ve already become a nuisance?
I was out at a local farm just yesterday and the flies were very noticeable and quite annoying as I went about my work. Seeing all those flies reminded me of a simple, non-toxic, and very effective fly repellent that I observed in action at one of my children’s field trips a couple of months ago.
The class was visiting a petting farm with a large open barn where donkeys, horses, goats, and other livestock were available for the children to observe and interact with.
Despite so many animals in a small semi-enclosed area, there were no flies buzzing around! Curious, I asked the owner about this, and he pointed to the heavy-duty plastic bags partially filled with water hanging over every stall.
He explained that a clear bag of water with a penny at the bottom would repel the flies very effectively. He went on to explain that the “eye” of a fly is actually hundreds of eyes and the reflection of light on the bag of water keeps them away.
“Why the penny at the bottom of the bag?”, I asked.
Grandpa the farmer answered that he wasn’t exactly sure but the penny did seem to increase the effectiveness of the hanging bag of water alone. He added that he didn’t know how many square feet each bag covered so he just put a bag over every animal stall to keep as many flies away as possible.
He also had put up a few bags over the picnic area and it was so nice to be able to eat lunch without flies swarming everywhere!
Note that the clearer the water, the more effective this trick is. If you use rusty well water, it won’t work as effectively as ultra clean and clear filtered water.
Try this fly repellant method for yourself! If you do, please check back and let us know how it worked for you!
Fly Repellent Only Works for Flies
Please note that this fly repellent trick only works for flies, not mosquitoes, and other insects. It also works very well for flies in the Southern United States. However, it may not work as well for flies from other geographical areas such as blowflies in Australia.
If you need to repel other insects like mosquitoes, ticks, or horse flies, this article on natural herbal insect repellent can help.
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We went to Mexico several years ago. The hotel we stayed at had bags of water hanging about every 6 feet on the perimeter of the outdoor diner , no pennies, it was great! No flys. We have done it here at home and it works great!
Try attaching bags to the ceiling fans throughout the house. Keep the fans on high (for some
reason it will not work on a lower speed). We have have done this for years and it works very
well. There are no flies anywhere,and to our amazement there are no flies on patio or
in the yard because of this trick.
Hi Bill,
how do you attach the bags to the the fans?
Pennies kept the water from getting bacteria in it. I think it’s to do with the copper, so use pennies before 1982(CDN)
Not working for us…..!!!
Unfortunately, I would like to see this for myself before believing this blindly. Not to mention the fact that Mythbusters did this exact experiment with NO repelling results
They didn’t do it properly AT ALL though. I guess we’ll take the word of a couple misinformed scientists over years of proof around the world by common people. 🙁
(PS. Your link only leads to a video that ends before they even get to the actual experiment.)
You can also use cotton to repel flies from around the door. My grandmother did this all my life. Make a nice little wreath of natural fiber, cut some cotton bolls and attach to the wreath. Not only is it decorative but functional!
I have tried this and it did not work 🙁
I’ve seen this before but instead of a penny they used a goldfish.
I’m wondering if this will work with a clear bottle too ( more aesthetically pleasing ) ???
From recent reading of other Pinterest postings, I think the placing of a penny into the bag helps keep the water clear. The copper in the pennies in a natural algaecide.