Make an All-Purpose Insect Repellent Lemongrass or citronella oil, and 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar. 1 cup isopropyl alcohol, 1 cup water, ½ tsp. catnip oil. 1 cup alcohol or witch hazel and 10-20 drops of essential oils such as lemongrass, peppermint, or lemon eucalyptus.
Cinnamon – use cinnamon as an air freshner, as flies hate the smell! Lavender, eucalyptus, peppermint and lemongrass essential oils – Not only will spraying these oils around the house create a beautiful aroma, but they will also deter those pesky flies too.
One really popular sandfly repellent home-remedy was the old baby oil, Dettol and eucalyptus oil mix. The smell combined with the physical barrier created by the baby oil was supposed to help prevent the bites.
Things Flies Hate
Basil, bay leaf, cedar, cinnamon, citrus, citronella, cloves, cucumber slices or peels, lavender, marigolds, mint, peppermint, pine, rosemary, and vanilla oils and air fresheners are a few popular choices for fly repellents.
Eucalyptus oil is a good option, but you can also use lavender, citrus, pine, clove, peppermint, and thyme essential oils. Most flies hate these scents, so the oils will act as a fly repellent.
Does Vinegar, Dish Soap, Essential Oils Repel Flies? Vinegar attracts, not repels flies; however, a container with vinegar and dish soap will function as an attractant trap as the vinegar lures flies to enter the trap and the dish soap will cause the flies to sink and die.
VINEGAR IS AN EFFECTIVE INSECT REPELLENT FOR TICKS, MOZZIES AND SANDFLIES. Put a tablespoon of cider vinegar into your drinking bottle. Not only is this good for your health, but also makes you smell bad to mosquitoes.
Sandfly Repellents
If you are happy to use a chemical based repellent, go for one with DEET as the active ingredient. The higher the DEET percent, the more hours it will protect you. Get a 'tropical strength' mix if it's available.
Sandflies dislike wind and rain but will come back with a vengeance once conditions improve so keep your stops short. If all else fails start walking again and the sandflies wont be able to keep up with you. Cover Up – Tuck your pants into your socks, or wear leggings under your skirt/shorts.
As an Insect Repellent
If you happen to run out of your regular bug spray, consider rubbing some Vicks VapoRub into your skin as a substitute; it may not have the power of a dedicated bug repellent but it can certainly keep the bugs from biting while also clearing out your sinuses at the same time.
Many dermatologists now recommend that the skin can be made much less attractive to biting insects by taking Vitamin B supplements whilst at risk. So, we recommend that Vitamin B complex, 2 tablets twice a day, or Vitamin B-1, 100 mg daily, is a good way of helping to reduce the risk of being bitten.
Give icing or other home remedies a try.
Other home remedies include: aloe vera gel, blue gel toothpaste; mentholated topical ointments (such as Vicks VapoRub); tea tree oil diluted in a carrier oil; baking soda and water mixed into a paste; soaking in a warm bath with a cupful of powdered oatmeal mixed in.
Deep Woods® Insect Repellent V provides long-lasting protection against biting insects such as ticks, mosquitoes, black flies, sand flies, chiggers, and gnats. It also repels fleas and no-see-ums, so you can enjoy the outdoors uninterrupted.
Flies can be easily repelled with white vinegar, so much so that even the smell of boiling vinegar can be an easy-to-make DIY fly repellent on its own. Pour some cider vinegar into a pot or jar to start making your fly repellent.
EUCALYPTUS. Everyone knows Eucalyptus Oil is great for relieving cold and flu symptoms, but it is also a very effective insect repellent. Research shows that this pungent oil is more effective against sand flies than any other natural product.
Vinegar spray
One of the easiest homemade bug sprays, simply mix one cup of white vinegar, at Walmart, with three cups of water. You can also add half a teaspoon of dishwashing soap to help the solution adhere.
Do lemons repel flies and mosquitoes? YES! Citrus is a natural pest repellent and citrus essential oils are used in most homemade pest sprays.
Vinegar is one of the best ingredients to make a pest control spray. It is effective in repelling ants, mosquitoes, fruit flies, and many others. Creating a mix is quite simple and is considered safe for humans and pets. Acidity of the vinegar is potent enough to kill many pests.
Various smells keep flies away, but a safe generalization — those with powerful and pungent fragrances from aromatic herbs keeps them off. For instance, the aroma of lavender, mint, rosemary, sage, lemongrass, and citronella grass are typical fly-shooing smells.
Lavender is a good natural choice for keeping bugs at bay. Not only does the herb smell amazing but it also repels flies, beetles and even fleas – this is due to the lavender oil.
One way to do this is to place 99p cinnamon sticks around the house in mason jars. Available in any good supermarkets, the cinnamon sticks are a natural way to deter flies as their smell is overpowering, and even toxic to the creatures. Cinnamon sticks need only to be changed every month, once they're dry.
Main thing is ... you are more likely to be bitten during dusk or dawn when the pests become active (they don't like being in brilliant sunshine!) Alledgely it can also come down to hair colour and colour of clothes ie blonde's beware!(