You’re probably unwillingly cohabiting with quite a few flies in your house at the moment, right?
It’s only natural that as the warmer months set in and the temperatures begin to rise, flies will do their best to make their way into your home for a number of reasons.
Most common house flies will enter to feed on rubbish or moisture, as they are attracted to decaying organic matter such as rotting meat. Fruit flies are on the look-out for sugary substances and tend to feed more commonly on over-ripened fruit and veg, spilled fizzy drinks and alcohol. Drain flies require moist climates and organic materials, so will be attracted to drains and kitchen sinks – where they will also lay their eggs.
There’s no denying that flies tend to become a nuisance in the house, and although they may seem harmless in small numbers, if not dealt with, this could lead to a larger infestation which isn’t great news considering they can spread bacteria such as Salmonella, typhoid and E-Coli.
Getting rid of flies can feel impossible at times – but there are a few simple hacks for doing so.
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Most common house flies will enter your home to feed on rubbish or moisture / Credit: Pixabay
Remove incentives and clean thoroughly
This one probably goes without saying and may seem a little self-explanatory rather than a hack, but removing each of the aforementioned incentives for each type of fly from your home should always be the first step to tackling the problem.
Enhanced, frequent, thorough cleaning can also eradicate fly breeding spots too.
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Red wine
Red wine isn’t necessarily everyone’s choice of summer drink and it may actually sound like a bit of a waste too if you’re a wine enthusiast, but as bizarre as it seems, this rich tipple actually does a great job at getting rid of flies from your home.
Simply leave a container with a bit of red wine in the bottom – and watch the flies drop in.
Apple cider vinegar
Apple cider vinegar – which is a vinegar made from fermented apple juice – has numerous benefits, is extremely versatile, and can be used for multiple different things, including the eradication of flies from your home.
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All you’ll need to do is take the cap off a bottle of ACV and leave it around the house, wherever your fly problem is most severe.
The flies will then be able to get into the cap, but will become trapped and can’t get back out.
Milk, sugar & pepper mixture
As mentioned, a lot of common house flies love the taste of sweet mixtures, so if you combine a pint of milk, raw sugar and two ounces of ground pepper into a saucepan and then simmer for 10 minutes, that should do the trick.
Then pop this mixture into a bottle to attract the flies, so you can once again trap them and stop them from getting back out.
Getting rid of flies can feel impossible at times – but there are a few simple hacks for doing so / Credit: Flickr
If any of these natural remedies just don’t seem to be working for you, and your fly infestation looks to be getting more substantial and potentially out of hand, then you may need to call in experts to help.
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There are a number of pest control companies in Greater Manchester available to contact.
Once you have successfully managed to eradicate the flies from your home, it’s essential to keep the area clean.
You’ll want to make sure your wheelie bin is clean and all rubbish is bagged correctly, as well keeping the lid of the kitchen bin down and tight at all times, especially during the warmer summer months.
Although not ideal from a waste perspective, when temperatures really start to soar, it’s advised that you aim to change your bin more regularly – sometimes up to twice a day – and if you think that flies are especially attracted to your bin, you can even sprinkle baking soda on top of it as this will kill any larvae and remove odours.
And last but not least, if you’re a pet owner, you may want to remember to dispose of any food left in your animal’s bowl, as this is also a popular contributor to fly infestations.
Featured Image – Wikimedia Commons
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The cheapest Christmas Markets in the world for mulled wine have been revealed
Daisy Jackson
The most affordable Christmas Markets for drinking mulled wine have been revealed – and Manchester is nowhere in sight.
With Christmas markets across Europe preparing to welcome millions of visitors, festive fans looking to enjoy a warming cup of glühwein without breaking the bank might want to take note of the latest findings.
Festive experts at Christmas Tree World have analysed mulled wine prices at Christmas markets around the world to discover where visitors can enjoy the seasonal favourite for less.
Topping the rankings is Brussels’ Winter Wonders, where mulled wine is available for as little as £2.14 – about a third of the price of a mulled wine at the Manchester Christmas Markets.
Cologne Cathedral Christmas Markets and Strasbourg’s Christkindelsmärik share second place, with starting prices of just £2.56.
Other European favourites also feature prominently in the rankings. Budapest’s Christmas Market at the Basilica takes fourth place, with mulled wine costing £3.19, while Prague’s Old Town Square Christmas Market comes in sixth at £3.55.
Germany makes another strong appearance, with Dresden’s Striezelmarkt and Nuremberg’s Christkindlesmarkt (which handily just launched new direct flights from Manchester) both offering mulled wine for £3.85.
Meanwhile, Vienna’s Christmas World rounds off the European entries in ninth place, with prices starting at £4.28.
For those planning a festive adventure further afield, Tokyo’s Christmas Market also makes the top five, with mulled wine costing £3.22.
However, not every destination offers such a bargain. Across the Atlantic, New York City’s Winter Village takes the title of the most expensive market in the study, with mulled wine costing a rather less festive £11.74. Chicago’s Christkindlmarket isn’t far behind, charging £8.80.
Manchester Christmas Markets start on Friday 6 November – we’ll see how our prices stack up then.
Sir Ian McKellen pays emotional tribute to long-time friend and fellow northern actor Sir Patrick Stewart
Emily Sergeant
Sir Ian McKellen has paid an emotional tribute to his long-time friend and fellow northern actor, Sir Patrick Stewart, following his death.
Sir Patrick Stewart – who was born and bred in Mirfield, West Yorkshire, and is best-known for his theatre work alongside an illustrious 60-year screen career, taking on prominent roles in franchises such as Star Trek and X-Men – sadly passed away at the age of 86, with his death being announced publicly yesterday evening (29 October).
And now, his long-time friend and fellow northern actor, Sir Ian McKellen, has paid tribute.
Sir Patrick and Sir Ian shared the stage together countless times over their decades-long careers, but also famously starred alongside each other in the X-Men franchise, and subsequent Marvel movies, as Charles Xavier/Professor X and Magneto.
The tribute, shared across Sir Ian’s social media platforms, reads: “Before everything else, Patrick was defined by being born and bred in Yorkshire, the proud county in the north of England which he loved to the end. You could hear it in his accented voice and in the stern honesty with which he told you what he thought and felt. Yorkshiremen have no truck with half-truths or avoidance of big issues. He wore his heart on his sleeve, which made him a man to rely on, to admire and in my case, love.
“We first met as ambitious young actors with the Royal Shakespeare Company half a century ago but we weren’t in the same productions.
“My first strong memory was a few years later, meeting him in the street in central London when he told me about an offer to take over a leading part in ‘Star Trek’. “But Patrick think of your stage career in the UK. Do you really want to risk getting lost in Hollywood for years and years?”
“Well, he took the risk and thank goodness for us all that he did, for not just his devoted Trekkies, but film and theatre audiences who marvelled at his using international celebrity to star in a string of cinema successes (‘X-Men’ of course) and in great classical plays by Shakespeare, Ibsen, Arthur Miller, Peter Shaffer, Pinter and Beckett at Stratford-upon-Avon, in London’s West End and on Broadway.
“America was his adopted home, where he met his adored Sunny who has cared for him through sickness and health, through thick and thin.
“But he never forsook his origins: and the proudest achievement of the most respected and beloved actor of his generation on either side of the Atlantic, was his appointment as Chancellor of Huddersfield University in Yorkshire.”
Emily Sergeant -
14th June 2021 
