Clever hack gets rid of flies and costs just a few pence

Steven Smith

20 May 2024 at 10:13 am·2-min read

With warm weather here many of us will be looking forward to spending more time in our gardens - especially alfresco dining after work or on weekend evenings. However, with the increase in outdoor life comes a small problem - flies.

The pesky critters can be enough to drive us back indoors. However, there is a simple trick to enjoy an outdoor meal in peace - be it in your garden or your local beer garden.

Rather than wing it, the outdoor lighting experts at CGC Interiors have shared this foolproof method that will cost you just pennies - literally. Rob Chadwick, owner of CGC Interiors and Outdoor Lighting, explains how to use a pint glass of tap water and a handful of copper coins to keep flies away from your outdoor gathering this summer season.

How to do it

Take an ordinary pint glass and drop three or four 2p coins in

Fill up to the pint mark with water

Place it on the table on a sturdy surface

Do you have a larger garden? Follow the same trick, but use bags of water that can be tied around the perimeter - to things like fence posts or outdoor lights.

Why it works

Robert said: “The hack works for two main reasons. Flies naturally hate water and the colour of copper, which is why 1p and 2p coins will work far better than more valuable silver or gold coins.

"The coins and water together look far larger to flies thanks to their thousands of small, stationary eyes packed together - it’s estimated each fly has between 3,000 and 6,000. The water and reflection combined with their eyes, create a large water mosaic, which they’d fly away from in nature.”

So whether it’s a trip to the beach, a local pub garden, or sitting in your own garden spaces, you can look forward to a fly-free summer.

What can attract more flies?

Leaving unattended food - it is easy in the summer to leave your plates on the table whilst enjoying the alfresco life, but taking a few minutes to cover up food or take empty plates indoors can reduce the last of the flies
Unemptied bins - ensuring your bins are put out each week will stop your fly population from congregating. Any strong odours will attract flies. During summer, the warm weather accelerates rotting (bacteria growth), and bins start to smell in term attracting flies.

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