If you’ve been following us you’ll be familiar with our tests on whether water-filled baggies really help to repel house flies.

Hold on a minute while I swat a fly!

Our weather went from warm to cold over night. We decided to conclude our test and take down the water-filled baggies before they turned to bricks of ice. Yes…tall humans beware, as one of our readers commented!

Anyway, I’m on the fence with this idea. At first, I wanted to believe it really worked as I counted and compared the number of flies from day one to day three.

Well by the end of day three and now it’s two days later, I’m now killing plenty of baby flies!!

Now I did leave the doors open for an extended amount of time over and above the normal so I don’t have test results based on the average amount of time a door is naturally entered and exited.

The point is that I went through the house and tried to make sure it was fly free first. So the fact that I now have baby flies means that flies went right past this repelling method – probably laughing at the silly human, which would be me!

At this point, I just don’t know what to think about water-filled bags repelling flies.

Maybe in the spring and summer we will try these again and perform the test in a more natural approach. For now it may be time to break out the Natural Household Fly Spray!

If you don’t have the recipe…than keep reading it’s included below!

People who like this article may also find this article on amazing mosquito repellent very informative.

How to Make a Natural Household Fly Spray

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

Got flies? You don't need to run to the store and get a noxious chemical spray. It is possible to make your own fly spray at home. This one is based on the U.S. Forest Service bug spray recipe.

Ingredients

Body spray:

• 1 cup water
• 1 cup Avon Skin So Soft Bath Oil
• 2 cups vinegar
• 1 tbs. Eucalyptus oil (found in health food stores)

Optional: few tablespoons of citronella oil.
Room spray:

• 18 oz white vinegar
• 2 Tbsp dish washing soap

Steps

Body Spray

1. In a non-reactive bowl (ceramic or glass), mix all ingredients together.
2. Pour into a clean spray bottle.
3. Shake the spray bottle well to mix ingredients.
4. Label. Date and label the bottle with each of the ingredients plus directions for use.
5. Use by spraying on body. It is probably wise to do a skin patch test to ascertain any allergic reactions.

Room Spray

1. Mix the ingredients in a spray bottle.
2. Shake well to blend. Add water to dilute if you consider this is necessary.
3. Spray at flies and on surfaces where flies are alighting. Note: This will leave a residue that requires wiping but that's better than having flies annoying you.

Tips

• This recipe is suitable for humans, horses, and dogs.
• Store in a place out of reach of children and pets.
• This mixture will not keep indefinitely; throw out if not used up with a season.

Warnings

• Do not use on cats.

Things You'll Need

• Bowl (ceramic or glass)
• Wooden spoon for mixing
• Funnel for pouring
• Spray bottle
• Labels and markers

Related wikiHows

• How to Make Natural Outdoor Fly Repellent with Essential Oils
• How to Make Fly Paper With Golden Syrup
• How to Make a Fly Trap
• How to Get Rid of Fruit Flies

Sources and Citations

• Body spray adapted from US government resource cited at Moniteau Saddle Club, Flyspray recipes.

Article provided by wikiHow, a wiki how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Make a Natural Household Fly Spray. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

If you were to visit us right now, you would see a couple doorways with water-filled plastic bags hung over them. You should now believe that flies are not likely to be inside.

Flies don’t go where the water bags hang right?

If you want to keep flies out of your home or business hang a plastic bag, half filled with water, over your doorway. The flies will mysteriously be turned away – right?

That’s what the buzz is all about and what we’re trying to prove one way or another.  Some would argue that the reason for this phenomenon may be more urban legend than science, but some will argue right back and swear it is effective, nonetheless.

Well if you read our recent article Best Flying Insect Repellent you’d know that Home And Garden Guide decided to test this theory out.

We have a project going on that requires the doors to be open and shut, entered and exited many times throughout the day so we couldn’t think of a better way to check out such an idea.

Further online research on this subject has given us quite a bit more knowledge and insight on this theory.

Seems that this practice is more well-known than I had first thought.  A few of our faithful readers commented as to NEVER hearing of it.

On the forum at Ask Meta Filter.com, posters from Pennsylvania to Chile to Spain responded to a query as to the science behind this method. It appears to be a global phenomenon.

Numerous folks I’ve talked to swear by this practice. I found that many people believe you should put either a couple pennies, up to four or other shinny metallic objects in the water!

Restaurant owners in the south from Florida to Texas are a part of some of the biggest support group for this practice.

So the big question – Why Do Plastic Bags Filled With Water Repel Flies?

How a plastic bag filled with water repels flies seems to come with a lot of speculation. One theory and from the mouthes of some locals claims the multiple eyes on flies causes them to see the bags as a confusion of light and darkness. Disorientation causes the fly confusion, so they fly off in the other direction.

Another popular theory is the bag, with its ability to cause visual distortions, is interpreted to the fly as a HUGE predator. The flies fear for their lives and leave the vicinity.  Side note:  I think they must see the visual distortion of likes of me with a fly-swatter in hand, you know…just in case!

One question we had in the previous post was whether or not this theory worked on other pests and from what I researched, the general belief is that a plastic bag filled with water does not repel any other type of bug. Bees, wasps and mosquitoes will still fly in. Creepy crawlies such as spiders and roaches are likewise not intimidated by hanging bags of water. It appears this simple home remedy is for flies only.

So you’re probably asking whether our test of this teory past or failed.

I must admit at first, it seemed to reduce the number of flies in the house.  Now notice I didn’t say completely eliminate.

Two identical days as far as weather, sun and light to no breeze.  The first day, without bags, I must have killed 20 flies after shutting up the house for the day.

Day two – bags hanging, I went around and killed 6 flies total.  This morning so far I’ve killed 2 flies upstairs and two downstairs and the doors have been closed.

Today I’m going to go around and try to eliminate all flies before opening up the house for most of the day.  By the way, the weather conditions are exact which should help with the consistency of our test.

So we’re off to test this theory for another day.  The big question on everyones mind is…

Whether Water Filled Baggies Really Repel Flies?

While we’re testing this out for you, here’s some funny MythBuster views we found being discussed about the theory over at Wiki Answers and we give them full credit for these wise and quick-witted remarks. I would gather by some of these thoughts that the author is some what skeptical – you be the judge:

It’s believed that a common house fly has a morbid fear of drowning and is somewhat clostraphobic so goes out of its way to avoid enclosed bodies of water.

Truth: This is a domestic legend– flies are not repelled by any type of water, regardless of whether it contains pennies. The best way to repel flies and bees is to get an orange wiffle bat out of the garage and swing away.

—————– RESULTS OF TESTS ————–
As I tested my hypothesis, I discovered that having more than one bag in a room cancels out the effect, unless the ionization is synchronized prior to deployment. This is accomplished using the following procedures.
1. Each bag should have an odd number of pennies, but more than one. (see note 6 for detail) The pennies are not for ballast, because the water has enough mass to keep the bag behaving as per Newton’s ‘local cluster’ theory of Gravity. Anything more than 5 pennies produces diminishing effects.
2. Pennies should be soaked in 2 parts Vinegar to 5 parts distilled water for 48 hours, then rubbed with salt for 2 minutes on the heads side, and 3 minutes on the tails side.
3. Pennies should be stacked and remain in contact with each other for another 24 hours, to synchronize electron frequencies.
4. Size of bag has no amplification effect; a sandwich bag is sufficient. 30 Gallon Garbage bags demonstrated no additional range or amplitude in effect.
5. IMPORTANT! The bag should be placed where it will be exposed to direct sunlight for no less than 1 hour, and no more than 4 hours. On rainy/cloudy days, hand-warming of bags will be sufficient to sustain 50% effectiveness.
6. The penny issue dates are inconsequential, but should be after 1958. 1934-1936 issued pennies work also. Pennies minted in different regions of the country and at different years will have solidified under different geomagnetic influences, which enhances the physiomolecular generation of an electromagnetic field. To avoid the cancelling out of ionic emission frequencies, an odd number of pennies is necessary.
In addition:
7. Because effectiveness is based on the reflective properties of the walls and furniture, a test group of flies in the room are necessary to determine optimal placement of bags. The placement of bags will create fly ‘kill zones’ of about .5 cubic meters. When placing additional bags, observation of the flies are critical in determining optimal placement. Auditory observation is sufficient; a fly will let out a audible ‘yelp’ when it enters a ‘kill zone’ before falling to the ground in mortal seizure.
8. Ensure the fly is dead prior to handling; if only stunned, the fly may become aggressive and dangerous when recovered.
9. On a periodic basis, relocate bags in room; flies may learn kill-zones over time and avoid.
10. Effect may ‘leak’ out of room into adjacent living areas. Ensure your neighbors are aware of your effort to avoid ‘flyslaughter’ litigation.
11. As always, use safety goggles and knee/elbow pads, and OSHA approved safety gear when conducting setup and maintenance.
12. Contact your local Community Services division to determine any City, County or State ordinance prohibiting/restricting construction, and obtain permit if necessary.
13. If a male develops EDS over a period of time, or if a male that suffers from EDS finds relief from the condition, notify medical professionals immediately. If a female develops EDS, discuss this development with parents.
Also,
Standing or sitting ‘in’ a fly kill-zone may cause discomfort over an extended period. Reposition yourself if you have any of the following symptoms:
Headache (esp. if daily or at lower back of head)
Painful tension in neck
Fatigue
Migraines
Dizziness
Visual disturbances / loss of vision / spots in vision / double vision / seeing spots or “halos” / nystagmus
Tingling / numbness in the extremeties
General imbalance / clumsiness
Memory loss
Restricted movement
Intolerance to bright light / difficulty adjusting to light change
Vertigo from position change or sudden standing
Difficulty walking on uneven ground / feeling ground under feet
Poor / degraded motor skills
Difficulty driving
Difficulty negotiating steps
Pressure / pain in the neck
Pressure / pain behind the eyes (soreness in the eyeballs)
Back pain
Neck spasms
Insomnia
Ringing in ears (like the tone heard in a hearing test)
Swaying
Pain when changing position
Tingling / crawling feeling on scalp
Intolerance to loud / confusing sounds
Decreased sensation to touch in extremeties
Decreased sensitivity to temperature
Pain & tension along ear / eye / jawline
Difficulty swallowing / lump in throat / sore throat / swollen lymph nodes
Drooling
Spontaneous vertigo
Hand tremors
Poor blood circulation / cold hands & feet
Sinus / mucous problems
Sleep apnea
Decreased muscle tone
Pressure in ears / ears feel stopped up
Nausea
Difficulty reading / focusing on text
Depth perception problems
Burning sensation in extremeties / shoulder blades
Menstrual problems / severe cramping during period
Fluid-like sound in ears (like water running)
Loss of sexual interest / lack of sensation in pelvic area
Pulling sensation while sitting / standing
Intense itchiness w/profuse sweating
Slurred speech
Gag reflex problems / lack of gag reflex
Pressure / tightness in chest
Loss of bladder control
Frequent urination
Dehydration / excessive thirst
Electric like burning sensations
Unequal pupil size
Loss of taste
Popping / cracking sounds in neck or upper back when stretching
Dizziness
Loss of smell / problems with sense of smell
Dry skin and lips
Sudden / abrupt changes in blood pressure due to awkward position of head
Hiccups associated with drinking carbonated beverages
Skin problems
Also: Migraines, oscillopsia, lump in throat, colour blindness, albinism, visual floaters, astymosism, thinning hair, hear heartbeat in ears, throat closes when lying flat, vomit in sleep, swollen face, low body temperature, low blood pressure, legs feel heavy, “strangling” feeling, “floating” sensation, thickening of finger joints.
If you have ALL of the above symptoms, please submit a video of yourself to Youtube.

Source: WikiAnswers

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

We’ll be back!

Home and Garden Guide Online is on yet another quest to find out if the “water in a plastic bag – hung above an entry door,” really works.

We’re testing it out and we’d love to hear your feed back on whether this works and how effective you think it is so please make a comment.

The idea to test this theory came about as we ventured into another home project.

We are in the process of Installing a wood burning stove which requires many trips in and out of the house. Opening and shutting the doors…sometimes, LEAVING THE DOORS WIDE OPEN!

Although it IS November and SHOULD be cold…we are experiencing high temperatures in the high 70′s which mean that flying insects are in flight!

So I thought, what a great time to test this idea for repelling these pests.

This first post will cover what we learned while preparing for this test.

Hope you enjoy!

Questions:

* What kind and size of bag is the best to use?
* How much water is really needed to make this idea work?
* Where is the best place to position these bags?
* Does the effect just work on flies or any “flying pests?”
* What is the best method of hanging these bags?

First, we found out that even a good ziplock bag is NOT air and water tight.

We chose to use the expandable bottom type gallon size bags for our test. Bigger seemed better. We decided to fill the bags to a little below half full.

Then we decided to find out what this much water weighs. Can you believe that this bag weighed almost 4 lbs. !!

NOTE: Better be careful where you hang this! Who wants 4 lbs. of water hitting them in the head!

We positioned two bags, one on the upstairs entry and one on the downstairs entry doors. We decided for safety purposes to hang the bags to the extreme right of entry.

We decided to use standard thumbtacks to hang these bags and made sure they were fully inserted in the door trim also making sure that we caught the bags below the zipper portion of the bags which is the strongest point of support.

So with he bags installed, it’s time to test them out!

We’ll be back to let you know what we think. Meanwhile let us know if you’ve tried this and what your thoughts are. If you know first hand that this works and know how and why please let us all know.

People who like this article will also like:

How To Make A Natural Fly Repellent

Amazing Mosquito Repellent

How To Get Rid Of Slugs And Snails…

…Well we couldn’t think of a better way to follow up on those two posts than to bring to you a great idea on how to make a “natural” repellent to rid your home and garden from those pesky little flies!

How to Make Natural Outdoor Fly Repellent with Essential Oils

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

Tired of fly sprays and the unwanted chemicals they contain? There is a very easy solution to keeping flies away from the outdoor dining area and you can do it yourself.

Steps

1. Clean out a small tin with a lid.
2. Take a clean piece of cloth or a small piece of dish sponge able to fit into the container. Saturate it with one of the following oils (after it has been diluted appropriately, see Tips):
   • Lavender oil - lavender is considered to be particularly effective against flies
   • Citronella oil (dilute with water first)
   • Eucalyptus oil (dilute with water first)
   • Pennyroyal oil (dilute with water first)
   • Peppermint oil (dilute with water first; likely more effective against mosquitoes but also considered to work against horse-flies
   • Lemongrass oil (dilute with water first)
3. Place the cloth in the tin and shut the lid. Allow to sit for 24 hours.
4. Use. Whenever you need to use the tin, remove the lid and place on the entertaining table. Make as many as you wish to put around the entertaining area to deter flies.
5. Replenish the oil after each use; once open to the air, the strength weakens and needs to be topped up.

Tips

• Wear gloves when handling the saturated cloth, especially if you are handling food and/or have skin sensitivities.
• You can amplify the effect of the essential oils by using candles. Simply add a few drops of the chosen essential oil (or use different ones at different ends of the table) into the melted wax area of a burning candle. The odour will waft out as the candle burns.
• If you are familiar with combining essential oils to produce scents, try a combination of the above suggested essential oils for a pleasant odour and possibly a more powerful fly dissuader.
• Note that lavender oil can be used freely without needing to dilute with water. Water dilution should follow the instructions accompanying the essential oil. Providing you do not wear the oil, dilution at a ratio of 1 part oil to 3 parts water will likely prove sufficient for most oils but know the properties of your oils before making assumptions. If you intend to wear any of these oils as a repellent, the advice here does not apply and you should seek information from the appropriate source.

Warnings

• Always read the warnings accompanying essential oil products and do not use if you are pregnant, have a poor immune system or allergies unless you know the oil to be safe.
• Always keep essential oils out of the reach of children. Many are toxic if ingested, especially pennyroyal. Containers should be kept out of reach.
• As with any herbal remedy, you are the best judge of whether or not the herbal solutions are doing what you seek from them. If not, experiment with different types until something meets your needs. Sometimes the effectiveness of oils is dependent on local conditions.

Things You'll Need

• Small tin with lid; ideal tins include confectionery tins, cough drop tins, candle tins etc.
• Small piece of cloth, for example, calico, cotton, handkerchief etc.; or cut a piece of dish sponge down to size

Related wikiHows

• How to Get Rid of Flies Around Your Dog's Water and Food Bowls
• How to Get Rid of House Flies with Cloves
• How to Get Rid of Fruit Flies
• How to Get Rid of Flesh Flies
• How to Get Rid of Horse Flies
• How to Keep Flies Out of Your House

Sources and Citations

1. ↑ Annie's Remedy, Natural herbal homemade insect repellent, mosquitoes, flies and The Frugal Life, Getting Rid of House Flies
2. ↑ Gerald F McCarthy, Better Living with Essential Oils
3. ↑ Care2 Green Living, Easily Custom Make Your Own Insect Repellent - How-to
4. ↑ Care2 Green Living, Easily Custom Make Your Own Insect Repellent - How-to
5. ↑ Maria Schasteen, 10 Steps to Health - The Ultimate Peppermint Guide
6. ↑ Natural Health Crafters, Lemongrass Essential Oil

Article provided by wikiHow, a wiki how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Make Natural Outdoor Fly Repellent with Essential Oils. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.