5 gadgets to keep your home fly free

The moment there’s a suggestion of sunshine and a whisper of warmth, as a nation we tend to fling windows and doors wide in order to make the most of our fleeting moments of summer. 

True, this blows away the cobwebs, but it also lets in the buzzing, stinging and biting beasties that cobwebs traditionally catch. 

So if you can’t rely on the spiders to keep the flies out of your home, what can you do, other than flap at them ineffectually with a tea towel? Well, flap no longer; we’ve rounded up five of the best gadgets to ensure your home remains fly-free.

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1. Zap 'em

The somewhat intimidatingly named Executioner is an electric fly zapper shaped like a badminton racquet, and quite literally makes a sport of killing any insect that has the misfortune to cross your flightpath. 

The zap packs quite a punch too, and keeps its charge for a while after you press the button, so make sure you actually have something to zap, otherwise you might end up with one very unlucky finger.

2. Shoot 'em up

If you like your man vs fly gladiatorial combat to be slightly fairer, perhaps brush up on your sharp-shooter skills and invest in a fly gun; reminiscent of the toy guns you or your children might have played with, these mini shooters have what looks like a sucker dart on the end, but is actually cleverly designed to hit a fly without squashing it. 

It needs a bit of practice to get the hang of, but once you’ve shot your first fly clean out the air you’ll be swaggering around the house challenging the little buzzers to pistols at dawn.

(NB - if you have a few minutes to kill, perhaps take a few moments to browse the comments on Amazon for this product and the one above - some of them are really worth a read!)

Video games to help handeye coordination

3. Suck 'em up

If the thought of injuring one of God's creatures doesn’t sit quite right with you, you’ll be pleased to note there are humane ways to deal with any winged or eight-legged home invader without simply opening a window and hoping for the best.  

With a battery operated fly vacuum, you simply suck the offending creepy crawly up into a tube, and before they even know what’s going on they’ve been released outside in the neighbour’s garden.

4. Light 'em up

Of course, speaking of gardens, it isn’t just inside that flies can become a nuisance – outside in the garden is even more fraught with tiny, air-based perils (potentially the ones next door has just removed from their house). 

5 gadgets for a last minute picnic

Given that you’re most likely to be bothered when eating al fresco, you’re unlikely to want to spray chemicals if you’re dive-bombed by an overconfident wasp or plagued by flies eyeing up the fruit salad, but don’t suffer in silence – simply shoo them away.

ShooAway is a humane contraption that comprises of two spinning plastic blades covered in a holographic material. As it spins, the fractured light reflections disorientate any insect with compound eyes, to the point where they simply give up bothering you and buzz off.

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5. Fright 'em off

Alternatively, you could address the problem of wasps before they become an issue with a decoy wasp nest; these need to go up in early spring before any nearby wasps set up shop, as if they think it’s an established enemy nest, they won’t come near for fear of being attacked. 

However, if it suddenly appears after wasps have discovered your picnic space, they’ll think an interloper has arrived, and attempt to attack them – so use with caution.

Next article: Or just keep the flies away with these tips >>>

Saga Home Insurance provides cover that goes beyond what you might expect. For more information and to get a quote click here.