Earth Clinic Mobile: Home Remedies for People and Pets

Barn Flies

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Natural Anti-Fly Spray

Katzie (Calgary, Canada) on 06/06/2021
5 out of 5 stars

I had noticed I was spending more time lately swatting flies away and that their numbers were growing. I have to keep both front & back doors open for airflow as not to run the a/c all day, but could not figure out how to get rid of them. After reading up for an hour or two of research, I came up with a winning recipe:

1 large spray bottle
1 bottle of Remede de Marseilles (aka Thieves Oil)
Dish soap
Glycerine (if you have)
1 bottle of vinegar

I fill up my sprayer with 1/2 water, 1/2 vinegar, 8 drops of Thieves Oil, 8 drops glycerine, 8 drops dish soap. The glycerine helps the solution adhere and the dish soap coats their wings. This spray kills them quickly if you can douse one, but you will find dead ones later too! It also smells amazing and clean in your house!

I also laid down a large layer of diatomaceous earth (DE) with salt over top of it to keep the dust down, and noticed the flies would land on it, a lot, and later found those ones dead. Both dry them out.

2 days now and I went from 35+ flies down to 1 or 2 (and I'll get them too today). It's like my spray bottle is a video game controller and I do battle with flies by spraying alot! I'm pretty good at it too and hey, it's fun. Once I get them to land on a certain window screen, they are toast. I am fast on that sprayer button! This spray also works on other flying pests too. Also gotta recommend the DE & any-kind-of-cheap-salt on the floor! I will keep it down for another day and then clean up. My floor has been a valuable ally in my battle against "the swarm".

Best of health, everybody!

Thieves Oil contains: Clove, Lemon, Cinnamon, Eucalyptus & Rosemary Essential Oils. A very powerful blend.

Remedies Needed for Bot Fly on Pets

Nancie (Vernal, Ut) on 08/21/2020

I need help with what think are bot flies in my tiny dog. She’s a mouser and chases chipmonks. What can I use on the tiny bumps to suffocate the larvae?

Re: Tea Tree Oil to Repel Flies on Animals

Mama To Many (Tennessee) on 07/26/2014
5 out of 5 stars

Hi!

A farmer my son knew had a sick calf that he didn't have time to deal with and gave it to my son, hoping he could nurse it back to health and then keep it. So this calf had some kind of parasite/bugs on the face. I mixed up tea tree essential oil and water (1 T. oil to 1.5 cups water) in a spray bottle. My son sprayed this on the calf in the face a couple of times a day. It did seem to rid her of the parasite. We also noticed that flies were no longer on her face. If we sprayed her whole body she would be fly free for hours. I guess this would be an expensive long term solution (and not very convenient)but for a sick animal who needs to be spared the further irritation of flies, it works.

By the way, my son has had the calf for 6 weeks or so by now. She is doing well. I think she is going to make it! She is very sweet and friendly and hangs out with our big cows.

~Mama to Many~

Dog Fly Repellent

Wishapup (Southeastern Area, Ontario, Canada) on 05/13/2013

My dog is plagued by flies every year (especially her sensitive, floppy ears) and the only thing that's worked well so far is a strong chemical product that I apply to her ears and do not like using.

Last year, I compounded a homemade mixture, but I don't think it was quite strong enough. It deterred some of the flies but she suffered nonetheless.

This year, I want to try a mixture of:

2 cups water
2 cups Apple Cider Vinegar
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp Cayenne pepper
1 packet Avon Skin-So-Soft
10 drops spearmint oil
10 drops citronella oil

I plan to mix it in a spray bottle and mist it on her coat. Does this sound okay? Strong enough? Right proportions?

I'm determined to keep the flies off this time.

Apple Cider Vinegar, Garlic for Fly Bites

Ds Doyle (Aurora, Colorado) on 08/13/2009
5 out of 5 stars

Yea, ACV. We have a 15 yr old mare that was getting bitten by flies and bleeding from them. We used ACV and Garlic in her food daily and could really see the difference in her bites. When we had gone on vacation the care givers ran out of ACV and when we returned we saw more bite marks on her again. The ACV and garlic both really work. It also keeps the flies down in the corral and barn.

Fly Control Remedies

Dr Doc (dlcs) (U.S.A.) on 07/06/2009
5 out of 5 stars

Home Remedies Fly Control

i am crippled with parkinsons disease and have a small veg garden for a therapy. i use one cup of lemon scented dishwashing liquid and one cup of lemon scented amonia in a 20 gallon hose end sprayer. i fill the remainder of the sprayer bottle with water and it seems to work quit well for flies and other insects control. i apply about every third day or so. i also plan now to use your sites suggestions. Thanks, Dr Doc (dlcs)

Eucalyptus Oil and Water Spray for Flies

Boomer (Toledo, ohio) on 07/04/2009
5 out of 5 stars

i just finished reading most of these posts, and remembered that i have some eucalyptus oil and water in a spray bottle for warding off fleas....tried it for flies on Boomer JUST NOW... working so far....

C Alesi (Lake Mathews, California USA) on 11/21/2008
5 out of 5 stars

I have been putting a cup of ACV in my horses water barrel since last spring. I noticed my gelding was drinking alot more water with ACV. A few weeks of ACV, my gelding peed out a calcium deposits the size of a walnut. It also helped with the biting flies. One of our mares would get terrible fly bites, but this year she was scab free.

Biting Fly and Flea Remedies

Tangie (Jefferson City, MO) on 11/13/2008
5 out of 5 stars

I have a Chow German Shepard mix & a Lab both are outside dogs. In the summer months we had a problem with the biting flies, which causes bad sores on my dogs. I used (ACV/Water)1 cup of apple cidar vinear to 2 cups water sprayed my dogs every other day and it helped a lot. Don't spray on open wounds.

I also have 2 small dogs and a cat inside the home that have fleas I use 70-90% full strength rubbing alcohol put it in a spray bottle and spray the animals and their bedding (do not spray eyes, inside ears or genital areas) Spray the carpets and all cracks and crevices of floors (carpets and tile) not good on wood. Not good around birds, I saturate one room, close the door and then go to next room. Put birds in a room that isn't being treated. Do not stay in the sprayed rooms leave until carpet/floor dries. Once I had a flea my arm and ankle i spritz the area with the alcohol and the flea died instantly.

Apple Cider Vinegar for Barn Flies

Erica (Merced, CA) on 10/19/2008
5 out of 5 stars

acv pinesole worked really good for the flies my poor dogs were infested with them and when we sprayed it all over the back yard they were all gone.

Diana (Florissant) on 08/05/2006
5 out of 5 stars

I did not try any remedies from your website as I just ran into the website today. I do have a remedy, if you wish to post it, if it is already not on the website. When I took my German Shepherd to the vet for his shots. She noticed that the tips of his ears were oozing and told me that flies like to bite the tips of German Shepherd ears and it leaves them crusty from the dried oozing. She did not have a product in stock to prevent the flies from biting, but suggested that I put a bit of vaseline on the tips of his ears to soften the crusts. And I said I would and also would put some red pepper (cayenne) mixed in it so that the flies would leave them alone, which did the trick. I had never noticed this before on his ears; only this year. He is nine. So I hope I didn't miss it all these years. We just moved and this is the first summer in this new location.

Dawn (North Hollywood, CA) on 08/01/2006
5 out of 5 stars

You mix 15-20 drops of spearmint oil in a spray bottle with water, spray on fur and ears, careful not to get in eyes, you can spray dog houses, the outer perimeter of your home and the flies disappear almost instantly. my dogs are 7 and I have never found anything that worked until I tried this.

Dawn (North Hollywood, CA) on 07/10/2006
5 out of 5 stars

I would like to tell you about something I discovered I did not see on your site. Dogs and Flies... My dogs were being eaten up by flies, a friend recommended spearmint oil and it worked. I have been using it over a week now and there has not been one fly around them since. IT WORKS.

Sylvie (Langley, B.C) on 07/12/2006
5 out of 5 stars

I have a beautiful, 6yr old standard bred mare that i only bought about 6 weeks ago, who was very impressive looking when i first laid eyes on her, she was very healthy and strong, she stands 15.2 and now she has been under attack by flies and mosquitoes and you can just see her aggravation --she runs herself into a sweat and has even lost weight from it , she's not as pretty because she has tons of bumps all over her body. So i took it upon myself to look on the internet for a solution and found this site. I have now been using the acv and canola oil and have mixed it 60/40, more acv then oil. I think it's working so far because she is healing and seems happier. I'm now thinking of using it in her feed to see what results i get from there. thanks for this site, I'm confident this will be the best thing for her in the end.

Melissa (Gonzales, TX) on 12/10/2006
5 out of 5 stars

I have been using ACV on JR this past year and have seen a big difference in using this product then any of those commerical fly sprays. I give him around 1/2 cup per day with 2.5 lbs of grain. I also mix in corn oil around 1/2 cup and this has kept his coat looking shinny and flys to a minmum. Great Stuff!

Krissy (Plant Cirty, Fl.) on 05/10/2007
5 out of 5 stars

I was absoluetly amazed with the resuts after I started using ACV, pine sol and water as a spray on my horse,I also sprayed it in her stable and the flies are gone, You will still see a few but not near as many as there was,I mixed equal portions of ACV,skin so soft and waterand rubbed on her face careful not to get it in her eyes,she tilerated it ok not as good as sher normally is,but would you like the smell,the next day you can't hardly smell it at all.Her caot is so shinny and soft.I think I have discovered something, No more expensive fly spray.

Deb (Brooklyn, Wisconsin) on 07/20/2007
5 out of 5 stars

I mix ACV with Avon Skin So Soft, Citronella and water to make a fly spray for my horses and mini donkeys. Have also tried it on my dogs and it smells great.