Asked on May 20, 2017

How do I get rid of those hovering flies on my patio?

Kathi Davis
by Kathi Davis

When we open the slider to go out on the patio, there's this bunch of flies that like To hang out there. We have the water bags with the foil hanging there, they do absolutely nothing. We've tried sprays etc. The patio is clean, and we don't have any animals, except those stupid flies. Does anyone else have this problem, and if so, what's the solution to get rid of them????


  26 answers
  • Judy Ferrell Judy Ferrell on May 20, 2017

    try spearmint plants or maybe spraying fly spray on the door itself

  • Janet Pizaro Janet Pizaro on May 20, 2017

    www.wikihow.com/Make-Natural-Outdoor-Fly-Repellant-with-Essential-oils

  • Harold Cantley Harold Cantley on May 20, 2017

    Spray the area with permethrin, the residual should control for a fairly long time.

  • Michele Pappagallo Michele Pappagallo on May 20, 2017

    For a DIY fly spray that smells great too....Mix 2 cups raw apple cider vinegar with 10 drops of rosemary essential oil and 10 drops of peppermint essential oil. Mix well and keep in a spray bottle. Store the fly spray in the refrigerator when you are not using it.

  • Kathi Davis Kathi Davis on May 21, 2017

    Thanks everyone,I'll try these ideas.

  • Susan Savarese Susan Savarese on May 21, 2017

    Kathi, I don't have any advice to offer, but I sure learned a lot from your question! We have been inundated with dang flies on our screened in porch for three years. Same thing as you, no pets, no reason at all to have them. I'm going to try spraying all the screens and door with the permethrin that Harold suggested! Thank you for asking the question. Please let us know which works for you, I'll be curious!

  • Meme Hess Meme Hess on Jun 10, 2017

    Farmers remedy, 1 or 2 quate size clear plastic bag, fill bag 1/3 full of water, put 5 very shinny new pennies in bottom of bag. Hang or tape near where the flies are! Can use more then 1 bag.

    This really works!

  • Sharon Sharon on Jun 10, 2017

    Ceiling fan with a strip of fly paper hanging from it or a bug zapper.

  • Mae Garrels Mae Garrels on Jun 10, 2017

    Plant pots of basil and set them around your patio. Flies do not like the sent of that plant! You get a bonus of having a wonderful herb to use in the kitchen. When I have company and we want to set out on the patio on a hot summer evening, I cut basil and set it out in vases. We do not eat outside much like we once did but that is when I found out the flies do not stay around when you have cut basil on the tables. There are many varieties of basil, some grow larger than others, some have different flavors/scents but all are good to use for cooking and keeping away flies.

  • Kathi Davis Kathi Davis on Jun 12, 2017

    Mae,thank you so much for that tip,I'll certainly give it a try.

  • Kathi Davis Kathi Davis on Jun 12, 2017

    Meme,I already tried the bags of water with pennies and foil,it hasn't done anything at all,except make guests ask questions.

  • Kathi Davis Kathi Davis on Jun 12, 2017

    Sharon,I have bug zappers on my home depot list of things to buy.Thanks.

    • Stacey Ellen Reiswig Stacey Ellen Reiswig on Jun 02, 2020

      Hi Kathi,

      We just moved to Capitola a month ago and we've had a group of hovering flies right outside our sliding door since we got here! We have had our bug zapper on since we moved here and it has done nothing to get rid of them.😒

  • Amh♡ Amh♡ on Jun 16, 2018

    So the reason they are there is because it means you have a healthy garden and outdoor space :) but yes we have the same problem every year and they hate wind so we keep a fan out. Otherwise yeah we gotta try those other ideas

  • Mimi in the Mountains Mimi in the Mountains on Aug 11, 2019

    Karly Bradbury: I LOVE YOU!!! I've been going crazy trying to figure out what is the species of fly that hovers near our doors, and you NAILED IT!!! I'm so relieved to better understand this annoying, little male Fania flies. THANK YOU!

  • Martin Martin on Apr 21, 2020

    Don't spray them. They are harmless to humans but they feed on aphids and are great pest controllers. When the hover face high they are just saying hello.

  • Jim Sorensen Jim Sorensen on May 11, 2020

    Hover flies that are very good for your garden. They eat aphids.

  • Cricket Trott Cricket Trott on May 15, 2020

    We have had them for all the years I have been in CA and I call them Shade Flies. I think they bothered me for a couple years and now they’re just there. They never actually bother anything and once I realized they just wanted shade I was fine with them. We are cool now.

    I recently put in a room AC and they moved inside during the heat of the day and not I am sure how I feel about that but they’re gone at dusk.


    I am now out on the patio sewing masks and they’re just hovering around just as they have for the 20 years I have lived here. They move out of my way and respect my cup of coffee and now I think I like them. I took a break and decided to look them up to find out more about them.

  • Kernel Kernel on Oct 21, 2020

    The easiest way to eliminate hoverflies indoors is by treating them like regular flies. Use pest control methods like flypaper, flytraps, and natural methods to catch the pests and stop them from zooming around your head.

  • Collin Collin on Jan 10, 2021

    Hoverflies are beneficial and totally harmless. However, their striking resemblance with their harmful cousins, wasps, puts them at a disadvantage as most people can hardly differentiate between them. As such people need to know how to get rid of hoverflies to position themselves on the safe side.

    Read More: https://hometoolsavvy.com/how-to-get-rid-of-hoverflies/

  • G curlee G curlee on Aug 10, 2022

    Once all your gimmicks fail like they did with me, I found the real solution. You need to apply sealant on all stone, brick, and concrete. Flys love to suck the moisture from them in cool places. Especially when it is hot. This will eliminate 75% of the flies. I got rid of the rest by installing a ceiling fan. The air turbulence confuses the fly's defense system and makes them uncomfortable to be in the area. I also noticed that wasps, and yellow jackets qiut building nests also.

  • Cherry Cherry on Aug 12, 2022

    Water bags with pennies not foil!!!!! 🍒

  • Mogie Mogie on Jun 02, 2023

    Rescue makes a hanging fly trap that is zero mess (almost). You can get these are Home Depot and many other places. Since they hang easy to put them in the area where you see the most flies.

  • Redcatcec Redcatcec on Sep 16, 2023

    Here's a link to hanging fly traps, with the pros and cons of each:


    https://www.popularmechanics.com/home/g40837700/best-fly-traps/

  • Johnavallance82 Johnavallance82 on Sep 17, 2023

    Use a fly spray or maybe fill a vase with Lavender and Rosemary and other strong smelling herbs etc.

  • Deb K Deb K on Sep 17, 2023

    Hi kathi, hope this helps you out

    Basil – Flies hate the smell of basil. Place a few basil plants on your patio and watch them disappear. Plus, the basil doubles as a great on hand garnish,

    Cloves – Flies detest the smell of cloves. Hang a mesh bag full of dried cloves outside your patio doors and watch them vanish!

    Mint, lavender and marigold – plant these in your garden and have pots on your patio to deter them from entering your property before they even make it to the front door!

    Cinnamon – use cinnamon as an air freshener, as flies hate the smell! Boil pot of cinnamon stick and retain the water, put in a spray bottle and spray around the patio doors

    Lavender, eucalyptus, peppermint and lemongrass essential oils – Not only will spraying these oils around the house & patio create a beautiful aroma, but they will also deter those pesky flies too.

    Apple cider vinegar – Flies love the smell of apples and vinegar. Create a homemade trap by mixing some apple cider vinegar with a natural liquid soap in a bowl. The flies will be attracted to the aroma, but will become trapped by the surface tension created by the soap in the liquid solution.