Flies are pesky winged insects that can cause a lot of problems in your life. Flies are generally attracted to sweet items, or leftover food items, and can cause a lot of problems.
To put it simply, flies are attracted to decaying organic filth, and there could be any number of reasons why flies might be attracted to your property.
Most people don’t really notice flies all that much because they tend to buzz around alone. Finding their nest or colony is going to be virtually impossible unless you know where to look.
In most cases, flies usually enter a house because they can smell food. They like to feed on trash, and also prefer sitting in places that are moist. Even ripe produce is fair game for flies.
Getting rid of flies in your garage is not going to be easy, and you will need to spend a bit of time figuring out what kind of flies are coming into your garage. Obviously, this is much easier said than done.
The common house fly is attracted to a myriad of different things such as organic filth, rotting meat, feces, and various other sugary substances. Alcohol, spilled soda, or any other sugar substance is also going to attract flies.
The drain fly, on the other hand, requires a moist climate, and will be attracted to areas where the humidity is high. Also, they need an environment where they won’t be disturbed, so they can lay their eggs and build a nest.
Before you can go about fixing the problem, you need to first figure out exactly what brings the flies indoors. As you can imagine, there can be any number of reasons why flies might end up inside your house.
Ideally, the best thing to do is maintain an overall level of hygiene. If you keep your place neat and clean, you won’t have to worry much about flies in your house.
Unfortunately, that’s much easier said than done. Some of the conditions that are going to attract flies into your house include the following:
- Uncovered garbage bins
- Feces from pets or manure spread around the yard
- Scum at the bottom of the drain that is exposed
- Animal carcasses on the floors, the bins, or in the walls
- Fermenting fruits on the counters or tables
- Uncapped containers of alcohol or spilled soda
One of the most common places in the house where flies might be attracted to is the garage. The garage is a popular place of work, mostly for the men in the house, and it has quite a bit of potential for attracting flies.
For starters, most people do not take garage cleaning seriously, and often leave the garage completely undisturbed.
There might be open cans in the garage that could attract flies, some old bottles of alcohol that have not been disposed of properly, or virtually anything else. You might notice a few flies buzzing around in the garage when you are working on your car or something else, and there’s a pretty strong chance that you might not pay much attention to it.
However, if you notice the number of flies increasing with the passage of time, it’s a clear sign that more flies are entering your garage. Or, they might have hatched inside the garage.
One of the reasons why so many flies are attracted to the garage is because it’s very properly contained. There aren’t many windows in the garage, if any, and if the garage door doesn’t have an opening, the flies are only going to multiply inside.
Flies can be a big nuisance in the garage, and can prevent you from working on your own inside. Not only that, but flies can also cause damage to the things that you might have kept in your garage.
If you notice a fly infestation in your garage, the first step you need to take is to figure out the extent of it.
Depending on the size of the infestation, the methods you use to get rid of the infestation are going to vary. So, here’s how you figure out just how big the infestation is.
Small Clusters
One of the clearest indications of a fly infestation is the appearance of dark spots or clusters. They usually appear in lighter areas, especially those that receive a bit of light as well.
These clusters are incredibly small, usually around the size of a pinhead at most. This is arguably the first sign that an infestation is brewing up in your garage.
With the passage of time, this cluster is only going to grow, and you will be forced to take serious action. The appearance of small clusters is usually visible in the corners of the room, or you can also spot them behind shelves or other hard to reach areas.
If you try to approach it, the flies are likely to scatter.
Regular Sighting
This one is pretty straightforward, and it’s important that you keep a lookout for it. Regular sightings of flies in your garage are a clear sign that the infestation is spreading.
You need to make sure that you observe just how much the flies are bothering you. If you notice the flies buzzing in your bins or anywhere in the garage, you need to take action right away. It’s only going to spread over the passage of time.
Maggots
Maggots are basically baby flies. They are in their larval stage, and if you notice these tiny insects buzzing around your property, it’s a clear sign that there’s an infestation.
The presence of maggots indicate that flies have laid eggs that have hatched. That’s a bad sign, and if you aren’t serious about getting rid of the infestation, it won’t be long before there are flies buzzing all over your garage.
These are the most common signs of a fly infestation in your garage. Once you notice any of these, you might want to consider taking action to get rid of the problem.
Now, how do you get rid of flies in your garage? There are quite a few things that you can do to tackle this problem.
Here are the most effective methods that you can use.
Find the Root Cause
What is the one thing that’s attracting flies to your garage? Finding the root cause is the first step, because it doesn’t matter how many traps you put up and how many flies you kill; they are only going to continue coming back again and again. You need to figure out exactly what’s attracting the flies to your garage, and then come up with a solution.
This is not as easy as you might think, especially when you consider the overall state of your garage. When was the last time you cleaned everything?
It might be a leftover piece of chicken or any other edible that has fallen to the floor and moved out of plain view. Or, it might be a can of soda that was opened, and the liquid has dribbled out on the floor.
Perhaps the best way to keep flies away is to make sure that you look for the root cause of the problem. If you regularly clean the garage at least once a month, you will be able to figure out what’s attracting the flies, and eventually work on fixing the issue. If you clean the garage properly at regular intervals, you don’t have to worry about a pest infestation.
Once you find the root cause of the problem, you can then get rid of the flies. It’s not going to be much of a problem for you to get rid of the thing that’s attracting the flies. So, if you want to find the root cause, you need to start narrowing down the area.
Check for smells or a pungent stench that might be attracting the flies. If you can’t exactly figure out the problem, the best thing to do is carry out a thorough cleaning of the whole area. You will end up figuring out what’s attracting the flies and also get rid of the problem. On top of that, your place is also going to be clean and tidy.
A thorough garage cleaning is one of the best ways to get rid of all the flies in your garage. If there are any bins with garbage inside, you might want to clean those too.
Keeping your garage neat and clean is going to help ensure that there are no breeding grounds for the flies. You need to make sure that everything is neat and clean in the garage to get rid of the flies.
Use a Fly Swatter
Sometimes, the simplest methods are the most effective. Another excellent way to get rid of flies in your garage is to start using a fly swatter. Pick up an electric fly swatter, and go on a killing spree.
Kill as many as you can! It’s one of the best ways to get a head start on killing the flies in your garage. Unfortunately, if it’s a serious infestation, you won’t be able to get rid of it just by using a fly swatter.
However, it’s a way for you to thin the herd and get a jumpstart on killing the flies. If they are breeding in the garden, your only option will be to first remove the breeding grounds, but that’s easier said than done.
Using a fly swatter will help you reduce the population considerably.
Get New Trash Cans
One of the most common things that people do is keep their old and unused trash cans in the garage. However, you should know that open trash cans are never a good choice. Most people, subconsciously end up throwing their trash in these bins, and over time, this turns into a festering ground for flies.
During the hot summer months, you need to make sure that you clean the trash cans at least once a month as well. You have to make sure that you get rid of all the trash in the bin and ensure that they are clean.
If you don’t have a trash bag inside the bin, there’s also a risk that certain organic matter might be stuck to the sides.
Making use of a high-quality cleaner is important because just using water isn’t going to be enough. You need to take appropriate steps to ensure that the trash bins are completely clean.
Check for Leaks
Another important way to get rid of flies in your garage is to take a look for leaks in the garage. If there are small gaps around the windows, or if the main garage door does not close properly, there’s a pretty strong chance that flies are going to be able to find their way inside the garage.
In many cases, flies just look for a closed environment free from environmental threats, where they can just hatch eggs. Your undisturbed garage might provide the perfect backdrop, so it’s recommended that you check for and plug any leaks in your garage. It’s going to ensure that flies are not able to find their way in.
But, that’s not all. There are several other things that you can do to prevent flies from entering the garage.
Strategic Placement of Fly Traps
Fly traps are generally designed to attract flies and kill them with a bit of electricity. Fly traps need to be placed strategically if you want them to work. You need to hang them in a clear area that’s easy to reach, or you might want to hang them near an open window.
These are just a few ways to get rid of flies in your garage. It’s recommended that you reduce the population and also clean the garage thoroughly to ensure that the infestation is completely rooted, and that flies do not return.
I have a bachelor’s degree in Computer Information Systems and over 10 years of experience working in IT. As a homeowner, I love working on projects around the house, and as a father, I love investigating various ways to keep my family safe (whether or not this involves tech). I’ve also played guitar for almost 20 years and love writing music, although it’s hard to find the time these days.