Fragrances attract them and fragrances can also drive them away. We are talking about annoying flies. The fragrances that protect us from them do not have to come from a spray can. They naturally bring some herbs, flowers, and even vegetables with them. Anyone who can smell one of these plants well and invite them at home no longer has to worry about flying nuisances.
Table of Contents
Herbs as a fly repellent
In this country, numerous fragrant herbs are cultivated for personal consumption. Aside from that, we also bring an effective fly repellant into the house with a herb pot. While their essential oils are healthy for us, they seem to be more of a deterrent to the flies.
Basil Basil
tops the popularity list, but only for us humans. Flies avoid the aromatic green leaves. With inexpensive basil you can keep all places in the apartment fly-free.
- Also repels mosquitoes and wasps
- warm and sunny place is ideal
- Pay attention to the water supply
- not too wet and not too dry
Nasturtium
Nasturtium is a real feast for the eyes with its round green leaves and bright orange flowers. With its intense taste, it sets accents in salads. But the nasturtium can do even more: drive away flies!
- Sow from the middle of the day
- quickly grows to a stately size
- the climbing version is ideal for the balcony
- is modest in their care standards
- also drives away the smaller mosquitoes
Real catnip
Many herbs that make us happy with an aromatic tea are a horror for flies. It is the same with catnip. It reliably drives away the winged troublemakers, but magically attracts purring four-legged friends. If you like cats, this herb is the ideal fly repellent for you.
- likes sunny locations
- tolerates drought well
- produces small lilac flowers
- blooms for a long time and is extremely decorative
Peppermint
The aroma of peppermint is particularly intense in the summer when there are flies. If you have them in a pot on the windowsill or in a large bucket on the balcony, you don’t have to provide a fly swatter. There simply won’t be a fly near you.
- is offered cheaply in stores
- likes partially shaded places
- lush growing
- loves moist and nutrient-rich soil
Lavender
Lavender is a blooming and fragrant fly repellent that everyone likes to have around them. Over the years, the shrub grows larger and, with the right cut, also more beautifully shaped. The purple flowers are good for all sorts of things, also as a fly protection.
- Lavender loves sun and warmth
- spreads Mediterranean flair
- keeps mosquitoes and ticks away in addition to flies
Real laurel
The real laurel, also called spice laurel, forms essential oils that are good for many soups. But they are also one of those substances that flies cannot smell well. Laurel can stand outside in summer.
- requires sheltered space
- still a lot of sunshine
- requires regular attention during the growing season
- and a frost-free area for the winter
Lemon Balm
Summer is not only the best time to be outdoors, it is also the favorite time of flies. It’s good that the lemon balm also thrives and keeps the flying nuisances away from us with its lemony scent. She is also happy to give us protection in the apartment when she has a sunny spot on the windowsill.
- perennial plant
- grows quickly and compactly
- also tolerates partial shade
- Scent gives off when the leaves are rubbed
Lemongrass
For the interior of the apartment, lemongrass is ideal as a fly repeller. As the name suggests, it smells of lemons. Lovers of Asian cuisine have it on the kitchen window sill. You will definitely not find a fly in the soup with him.
- prefers a bright location
- South window is ideal
- It also thrives on the terrace, sheltered from the wind
- needs plenty of nutrients
- just as generous watering in summer
Lemon verbena
A gentle breeze is enough to mix the equally delicate citrus scent of verbena with the air. This scent is probably also what makes the flies fly far away. That is not the only benefit of the plant, which originally came from South America. The leaves make a delicious tea or flavoring when cooked.
- also known as the lemon bush
- in a pot ideal for the balcony
- likes to stand on a sunny house wall
- requires plenty of water in summer
More herbs
Perhaps the taste of the following herbs suits you better:
- Oregano
- rosemary
- sage
- chives
- thyme
If so, put it in a pot in your apartment. Its essential oils are also said to have a fly deterrent effect.
Ornamental plants as a fly repellent
It’s good that flies and humans do not have a common taste for fragrances. So we can admire some fragrant ornamental plants while the flies avoid them as much as possible.
Rose
geranium Geraniums are a luxuriant balcony ornament that can be seen from afar because of its numerous brightly colored flowers. The appearance of the geraniums is less likely to impress the flies. You avoid the plant so that you don’t have to sniff its intense scent. But since this is very pleasant for us, we can welcome you on the balcony as a fly repellent.
Whitsun
also offers us natural protection against flies of all kinds.
- The sweet scent of the flowers drives away flies from mid-May
- actually a bedding plant
- is also suitable for the vase
Then you can sit undisturbed at the table without being bothered by unwanted insects.
Tansy
Tansy is often found on roadsides in the wild. The yellow flowers deter many pests. Since this flower feels good in a bouquet, you can pick a few stems to protect against flies at home after your next summer walk.
Marigolds
A marigold grows quickly and blooms tirelessly. In a pinch also in a bucket outdoors. If it shows its orange flowers there, the flies will migrate to another balcony. In the apartment she spreads this deterrent effect in a pretty bouquet.
Tagetes
Tagetes is also widely known as marigold. This somewhat out of fashion plant is not an integral part of cottage gardens for nothing. No fly misses its fragrant effect. Even as a cut flower in a vase, this useful property does not diminish.
Vegetables as a fly repellent
It couldn’t be more ideal than opting for a natural and at the same time edible fly repellant. You don’t necessarily have to have your own garden for this. A large planter on the balcony is sufficient. All vegetable fans, please read on!
Beans
Beans are not the flies’ favorite food, and no flying visitors are seen near them. The climbing runner beans do not necessarily only have to be placed in garden soil. They can also find a home in a large pot. There they sprout up in no time, form a privacy screen against strangers and a fragrant wall against flies.
Tomatoes
The intensely fragrant tomato leaves have also proven themselves in the fight against flies. A well-supplied tomato plant on the balcony is enough for a handsome harvest and next to it for fewer flying vermin. This plant kills two birds with one stone.
Carnivorous plants – the flycatchers
Carnivorous plants also hunt for flies for us. Admittedly, their amount of prey is limited, they are less suitable for dealing with a plague of flies. But isn’t it often the case that “the one fly” annoys us? Carnivorous plants are still good for this and of course they provide the most exciting fly repellant in the whole plant kingdom.
Venus Flytrap
It is the most famous carnivorous plant that can close its trapezoid in seconds. The fly can no longer escape.
- Snap shut up to seven times per tentacle
- then useless as a trap.
Pitcher plant Pitcher
plants have developed their own catching technique, for which they set up lots of pitchers around them, or rather let them grow. Inside is an acidic liquid that the unsuspecting flies fall into and never get out of. Don’t worry, you don’t have to empty the cans. The fly is broken down into its components in the liquid and digested by the pitcher plant.
Sundew
Sundew equips its leaves with a sticky mass that does not release the feet of the flies after they land. In the home, this plant can pull a few flies out of air traffic.
“Trees as a defense against flies”
If you have your own garden, you can also create a fly-free zone with trees. But even those who only own one apartment can make use of its wonderful properties.
Camphor tree
If there is a small camphor tree in the bucket on a balcony, you will look in vain for flies. If there is space available, it can be planted outdoors and thus protect the summer evenings in the garden from flies.
Horse chestnut
This magnificent tree can be found everywhere in nature. Countless brown chestnuts tumble down in autumn. It is worth keeping a few copies and taking them home with you. A few horse chestnuts in the fruit bowl reliably drive away the annoying fruit flies.
Conclusion
Even a single fly floating around in the air can annoy us, let alone a whole swarm of flies. Picking up a fly swatter or a spray can is close at hand. But there is another way to fight flies and, above all, naturally. Some herbs, ornamental flowers and even vegetables keep our surroundings fly-free with their intense scent.
