Everyone loves summer, don’t they?
It is one of the most anticipated seasons of the year! It’s when we get to explore the outdoors, stock our home with fruits, and have an excellent time out with friends and family.
We don’t like the fact that this same anticipated season is when lots of fruit insects fly around in mischief.
Having fruit flies swarm at you for even the littlest fruit scents is certainly not pleasant. The good news is, I have a solution… here are 5 essential oils that you can use to help deter fruit flies from your home.
Do Essential Oils Repel Fruit Flies?
When it comes to the nice outdoors, the first question in mind is how to get rid of fruit flies. How to get rid of them is a task that comes along with the summer season. Essential oil is a natural, safer, and effective alternative for fruit fly repellents.
Unlike harsh chemicals, essential oils made from natural ingredients give the same amount of damage to fruit flies, maybe even more, without the possible health risks.
All in all, essential oils are an excellent natural fly repellent.
How Does It Work?
They are carefully selected natural aromatic ingredients. These ingredients give off a scent that can seem very familiar and casual but give off a pungent smell that fruit flies can’t seem to stand.
If you know how to get rid of fruit flies, then you are on your way to a fly-free home and outdoors.
5 Essential Oils to Repel Fruit Flies
If you are looking to get rid of fruit flies this summer or against the next without using harsh chemicals, here are five essential oils that would do a perfect job against a fruit fly!
1. Peppermint Essential Oil
As a common ingredient for candy lovers and Christmas specials, peppermint has a refreshing smell. While most of us love the scent this seemingly harmless ingredient gives off, it is unbearable for fruit flies; we can even say it is a fruit fly trap.
Apply to open areas of the body when going out or and spray around you. One advantage peppermint has over others is that it is useful for many flies that frequently invade our homes.
It is effective against cockroaches, beetles, spiders, ants, moths, and fleas other than fruit flies. Some even spray it on pets to repel fleas but in minimal amounts, especially for scent-sensitive pets like dogs.
2. Lemongrass Essential Oil
Over the years, lemongrass has been a beneficial ingredient in the home. From refreshments to health remedies, lemongrass has been at the top of its game. Not surprisingly, it has also made its way to the top of the list of essential oils to repel fruit flies.
Unlike other chemical-induced repellents, lemongrass contains natural Citronella, a substance known for its strong lemon-like smell that gives the grass its name. Oil extracted from lemongrass is a fantastic bug repellent, most effective for the notorious mosquitoes.
Oils made from lemongrass are entirely safe and can be applied directly onto the skin to keep away fruit flies or put in a spray bottle. It could be diluted with another oil or in water and used as a spray.
3. Cedarwood Essential Oil
As a prevalent ingredient used in making soap, creams, and other skincare products, it is no surprise that it is on the list of oils useful for repelling insects like fruit flies.
Not only is it known for its soothingly serene scent, but it is also used as an ingredient for skincare routines. Cedarwood seems to offer a bit more than the everyday essential oils when it comes to getting rid of fruit flies. Cedarwood acts as both a repellent and a pesticide.
That means it not only repels the insects but also kills fruit flies.
4. Lavender Essential Oil
When we think of lavender, we think of a sweet-smelling gift of nature.
We also know that lavender is an awesome weapon to get rid of bed bugs!
We do not know that apart from just a pretty little thing with a pleasant smell, it is also an effective essential oil—used in making scented candles, perfumes, creams, and some home air fresheners. We don’t understand that this intoxicating scent is repulsive to a few little creatures is like a sweet fly trap. Fruit flies absolutely cannot stand lavender.
Using essential oils from lavender would leave you smelling nice all day long and give your hands rest from swatting at fruit flies all summer.
With properties ranking close to apple cider vinegar, lavender also has a secret move up its sleeve. While many essential oils repel fruit flies, they do not stop the itching and irritating feel. Lavender’s anti-inflammatory properties allow it to heal bug bites and stop itching. It is an essential oil very close to home.
5. Tea tree Essential Oil
Just like apple cider vinegar, you hardly see any skin and hair care product that does not include tea tree oil. It just so happens that this ingredient cuts across a wide range of therapeutic benefits.
Due to its natural anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and antimicrobial properties, tea tree oil tops the list of the most used ingredient for essential oils when it comes to insect repellent.
Like the others, it is also very effective against many types of insects, including fruit flies and even roaches!
Essential Oils – How Do I Use Them?
One main advantage of essential oils is that they are made from natural ingredients that can be gotten easily yet still very effective against flies.
You can always make your blend and switch up the concentration however you want. When mixing your essential oil, using a carrier oil is advisable to dilute it in a container or spray bottle. It could be either coconut or almond oil.
You can apply essential oils to any part of the skin except exposed wounds and around the eyes. If you plan to be outdoors for long, especially in grassy areas with lots of flies, reapply the essential oil every 2 to 3 hours or use a spray bottle.
You can even dilute the essential oil with water and use it as a spray. Essential oils with a little bit of alcohol/witch hazel and water are useful for keeping fruit flies out of your garden and home.
NOTE, not every essential oil is suitable for pets!
Do I Need Any Other Equipment For The Essential Oils?
You will need a container to keep your essential oils, advisably glass, a spray bottle, and carrier oil.
If you plan to extract the oil yourself, you need some apparatus that could be improvised at home or gotten from your everyday store.
Conclusion
Essential oils are a perfect way to keep fruit flies away while still maintaining a healthy, scent-filled summer.
Since the idea is a natural solution, it is not advised to mix up chemicals with your essential oils.
With these five choices, you have all you need to enjoy the great outdoors. Now that you know how to get rid of fruit flies today with essential oils.
I’ve been fighting fruit flies all spring, with bringing in fresh fruits, vegetables. I did a quick google for e.o.’s for these pesks and was deelighted to find this article! I’m wanting a carrier that’s not oil, although having a bit of almond oil in my sink is no big deal, right?!
(I’m a doTerra & Young Living kind o’ woman, but am going to less expensive oils for this project.)
Thank you for this invaluable, timely information!
Thanks for getting in touch!
I am glad you found the article useful. Fruit flies really are a pest, and I hate the way they fly close to your face!
I had a friend who once used Vodka as a carrier… not that I recommend it, of course.
The only alternatives are butter (Cocoa butter, for instance), but they will need to be used at a specific temperature, or they will be too solid.
Just be mindful if you place Almond oil in your sink, as some people have an allergic reaction to nuts. If any of the oil contaminates something in your sink and is transferred to someone with a nut allergy, you could have a problem on your hands.
Long story short – try Cocoa butter. Melt it on low heat and apply the essential oils. Hopefully, they will mitigate against the butter from solidifying.
I hope that helps!
First of all, I apologize for not having thanked you before now.
Thanks! Tried the almond oil, but not as effective as peppermint oil, mixed with a little water. However, it too leaves a residue wherever it’s sprayed.
Just yesterday ordered a “Katchy” Indoor Insect Trap – friend said it works wonders on fruit flies, moths, etc.
Hi Ree
No problem! Yes – peppermint oil is excellent for preventing pests. I’ve been using it for years. I’ll take a look at the Katchy trap, and I’ll see how successful it is. I might even write an article about it too.
Thanks