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.
More Natural Pest Control  Ideas
Removing Ticks Safely (plus prevention ideas)
Nontoxic Pest Control Ideas that Work
Natural Fire Ant Killer that Works FAST
Effective Bed Bug Removal Techniques
Natural Flea Infestation and Prevention Strategies
Attracting and Using Ladybugs for Garden Pest Control
Safely Get Rid of Carpenter Ants in a Snap
Spider Repellent Guaranteed to Work
Mosquito Bite Remedy
I heard about this on the radio, and suggested it to a friend having a cookout. She hung bags of water all around (I had not heard about the penny), and they did nothing to keep the flies down. I was the target of much good-natured teasing all day, I was SOOO glad when it was time to go home!
We have backyard chickens. 10 little clucking, laying, and POOPING pets. Poop attracts flies. I had just searched for a natural fly control remedy about two days before you posted this and I read an article about the bags of water and a penny…. I thought this would be a waste of time. When you posted it I thought… what the heck… can’t hurt. IT WORKS!! Day one greatly reduced. Day 3… I don’t see a fly out there. I never would have guessed. Now I don’t know how old of a remedy this is. Plastic bags? Maybe mason jars would work as well???
Love it – will try it in our hen house run and by our patio and will let you know how it goes! Thanks
Love it – will try it in our hen house run and by our patio and will let you know how it goes! Thanks
Without the one or several pennies in the bag, the water will turn green & stop working
Wow, that sounds like a great idea, Sarah! We’ve always had a fly and gnat problem in our house so I’ll have to try this. Also a little trick with gnats: leave a cup of sweet fruit juice sitting around and the gnats are naturally attracted so they end up drowning in the liquid.
I remember seeing that in Mexico when we lived there; it did seem to work. I’d forgotten all about that though-must try next fly season here in Aus. 🙂