The garage is a place to get your hands dirty and relax, not for flies to live in! If you don’t take care of the root of the problem, flies will continue to use your garage as a breeding ground.
You can get rid of flies in your garage by cleaning your garage, filling any holes or cracks along the walls, and laying out traps and pesticides.
Below you’ll find 7 effective methods laying out exactly how to free your garage of flies.
If you’re ready to swat some flies, let’s get to it.
Why There’s Flies in Your Garage
House flies breed in and eat filth. Keeping that in mind, any garbage you leave in your garage will attract flies. If your garage isn’t sealed from the inside, they will find their way through cracks in the walls and windows. If you have a cat, the fecal matter in the litter box will also attract flies.
Cluster flies may be especially prominent in the garage as they prefer warm areas. You’ll find them around your garage (especially around areas with light, like windows) on warm sunny days and later in the fall when they’re looking for heat. They can also fly in through electrical outlets so make sure that when you get a chance you seal them up with caulk.
7 Ways To Get Rid of Flies in Your Garage
1. Set fly traps
Flytraps are an inexpensive option to get rid of flies. You can purchase a 6 pack and hang them around your garage. They don’t utilize any chemicals other than glue which works better in hotter climates.
Hang them around the areas where you notice flies congregating. Normally this will be around light sources like windows and doors. They will trap flies over time and they’re a great way to start eliminating flies from your garage.
2. Check for leaks
Have a garage fridge or freezer? It’s a good idea to check for leaks. Flies require standing water to feed, so any puddles that leak out of your fridge/freezer need to be fixed.
You can also check around your windows and baseboard to see if any water comes when it rains. If it does, you’re going to need to caulk up those areas to reduce the amount of water coming into your garage.
If you don’t need to open your garage door, keep it closed to reduce any flies from making their way into your home.
3. Clean your garage
You MUST clean your garage to solve the root of the problem. If you have any leftover food, crumbs, or anything that decays lying around, flies will feed and breed off of it.
A great way to clean your garage is to start by cleaning your garage floor. This will force you to remove everything out of your garage. Throw away anything you don’t need and make sure your garage is spotless before moving everything back inside.
Make sure to clean your trash cans as well from the inside. During the hotter months, flies will feed and breed like crazy in that environment.
If you have a litter box, you may want to relocate it elsewhere. The fact is, flies love filth and will be attracted to it no matter what you do.
4. Use a fly swatter
When using the fly swatter, make sure the fly is sitting on a window or wall. Flick your wrist when you notice the fly taking a break. Try not to swing at the air, the fly will likely outfly your swat attempt!
Make sure you avoid using the fly swatter around any food that you may have stored and wash them after every use.
5. Make your own DIY fly trap
Flies are attracted to anything sweet which makes a DIY trap easy to create. All you need to do is cut a 2-liter bottle in half and fill the bottom with water.
Then take the top half of the bottle and place it upside down in the bottom half of the bottle. Put honey or simple syrup around the neck of the bottle and your trap is done.
You can make a few and hang them around your garage. After a few days, you should see many flies make their way and get stuck in the bottom of the bottle.
It’s a great way to save on some cash!
6. Use a Light Zapper
This bug zapper utilizes a 20-watt bulb and zaps any flies that find their way into the trap. It’s not only for house flies, it’ll take care of moths, gnats, and mosquitos.
This is a great option if you don’t want to hire a professional or spread around pesticides in your garage. You can hang it up near a window and sit back and relax as it electrocutes all the flies in your garage.
Due to the open nature of the garage, flies maybe always be a problem. With this zapper in your arsenal, you won’t need to constantly lay new traps all the time. It’s a simple solution to a constant problem. It’s an investment that will pay itself back in years.
7. Use Pesticides
If you can avoid using pesticides, please do. It should be utilized as a last-ditch effort when nothing is working. If you use a spray but your garage is still dirty, you’ll only end up temporarily solving the issue.
The best way to go about getting rid of flies in your garage is to start with cleaning. If after that, nothing is working, you can use pesticides.
And if nothing works after that, you’re going to need to call an exterminator. You might be missing a key area where the flies are making their way into your garage and they’ll be able to help you solve the solution. The average cost of a fly exterminator is $100-$300 so do try all the above steps before calling a pro.
Final Thoughts
Flies, rats, and spiders are all pesky vermin that make their way into the garage. We recommend fully cleaning your garage before moving on to more drastic steps like calling an exterminator. You should be able to keep flies at bay as long as you follow the steps above.
Make sure you’re taking care of the root of the problem before you buy expensive items like a fly zapper or pesticides. Your wallet will thank you and you’ll prevent further fly infestations from occurring.
