by Jonte Rhodes

Created on: March 18, 2009   Last Updated: May 25, 2012

House flies can be a major pain when they get into the house, and even more so when you are trying to eat. They carry many different strains of bacteria and viruses that can be transferred to people, and because of this they spoil food that they have landed on, Not to mention the fact that they lay their eggs every few weeks, and so can soon multiply to massive levels from a single food source. Fortunately there are many effective ways of removing them from the home, as well as disposing of them permanently as well.

Electric and sticky fly traps are widely used for getting rid of individuals who stray too close to houses, and both have a very high kill rate. Sticky fly strips resemble strips of tape that are hung from the underside of porches or in rooms. They attract flies because of the smell that they give off (which is usually odorless to people) which draws the flies to the strips, which are sticky enough to trap them there.

There are many sprays on the market designed for killing flies and other insects, although they tend to be rather limited in their use for large numbers. They are effective at killing the flies, although of course require you to get up and chase them around every time you see one. Similarly they are also limited because of the fact that these sprays are often dangerous if inhaled, particularly for children or pets, so can't be used on a large scale.

Organic traps for flies are becoming increasingly popular, and come in a variety of designs and shapes. Most of them work by having some kind of shape that allows a fly entrance to a pool of sticky water, but them either traps them inside the container, or in the sticky water itself. Most have a kind of funnel entrance, making them difficult to fly out of, although they are not 100% effective for the reason that they are merely difficult and not impossible to escape from. They do have the advantage of being passive no work is involved for them to work) and also harmless to other animals and people however.

Although sticky traps are effective, they are often unsightly, as the dead bodies of the flies simply hang there like some grim trophy after they have been trapped. Similarly they are of course not very nice to walk into by accident, as the combination of their sticky texture and the dead flies adorning them means that they are pretty disgusting. Electric traps are a lot better in this respect, although have problems of their own.

Traps powered by mains electric tend to be of a potentially

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