Many insects infest our houses which are difficult to handle by normal means. Insects such as ants, cockroaches or other bugs can be dealt with the use of insecticides.
However, the same cannot be done for flies and an alternative method needs to be used to keep them away – which you can learn from the abstract below.
Do tiki torches keep flies away?
Tiki torches can be used to keep flies away but that depends on the type of fuel being used. Some torch fuel contains citronella oil and other ingredients that repels flies. Besides that, the smoke from the flame also keeps away flies. Fuels without these ingredients might attract insects.
Table of Contents
Most tiki torches are effective at keeping flies away because of the ingredients in the fuel of many tiki torches.
Various tiki torch fuels contain different ingredients in them – which causes some of them to be effective at repelling flies and bugs whereas others fail to do so.
Of the different ingredients the fuel of tiki torches contains, the ingredient responsible for keeping away flies is citronella oil. There are other natural bug repellents as well but citronella oil is the most effective.
Citronella oil is a natural oil made by distilling a commonly found plant called Lemongrass. Scent of this oil is popularly known for repelling mosquitoes but it is also effective on flies and other pests.
It’s overwhelming smell is enough to deter pests, meanwhile they do not affect or irritate people’s sense of smell.
Citronella has a non-violent way of getting rid of flies – it’s scent is so overwhelming for the flies that it causes the flies to stay away. Citronella containing tiki torches are effective at keeping flies at bay as long as the torch is burning.
Although citronella oil is found in several forms such as essential oils, sprays or candles, it works best in repelling flies when burnt in tiki torches.
This is because, in this form the tiki torches not only burn and emit scent of citronella but also the smoke helps in steering away flies and other bugs.
One of the reasons these tiki torches are suitable at huge gatherings is due to the non-toxic nature of citronella. Besides tiki torches, there are citronella essence candles, sprays or oil lamps found that can be used as insect repellent.
These are great alternatives to insect repellents containing DEET since they might cause irritation to some people. The abundance of citronella oil makes them cheap and available everywhere which makes it an excellent method of pest control.
Do tiki torches work for flies? Will tiki torches keep horse flies away?
Tiki torches are often used as a natural insect repellent for large gatherings. They are effective at keeping away mosquitoes, flies, horseflies and many other types of bugs but only if specific type of tiki torch fuel is used.
Not all tiki torch fuels contain insect repelling ingredients which is why some tiki torches work great at repelling flies and horseflies while others don’t.
The core ingredient that is responsible for repelling flies and horseflies when tiki torches are lit up is citronella oil.
Many tiki torch fuel contains citronella essential oil in their ingredients – and when the fuel is burnt, the citronella oil vapor gets diffused into the air along with the smoke which overwhelms the flies, horseflies and other insects.
Therefore, it can be concluded that tiki torches can be used to keep all sorts of insects including flies and horseflies away. The scent of citronella and the smoke helps to deter flies and horseflies from the area.
Does Tiki oil repel flies? How many tiki torches do I need to repel flies?
There are several essential oils that are excellent at repelling bugs and insects such as flies, mosquitoes and others. These oils include Eucalyptus oil, Peppermint oil as well as Citronella oil – they are used in many items such as oil lamps and candles.
One such commonly used oil is the Tiki oil which contains a combination of citronella oil and other insect repellent ingredients. For this reason, tiki oil can be used to dispel many sorts of insects including flies.
The tiki oil can be filled into tiki torches in order to repel flies while burning them while using them as decorative items. For a small yard, 6 or 7 tiki torches will work just fine, but for larger yards – you would want to place a tiki torch every 7 feet.
How do tiki torches keep bugs away?
Tiki torches are great for keeping away bugs and insects at a large social gathering or similar events because they not only enhance the decorative beauty but also they are non-toxic to humans, making them a great addition to event decorations.
They way these tiki torches keep bugs away are explained below:
Some tiki torch fuels contain citronella oil:
One of the core reasons why many tiki torches are so effective at keeping bugs away is because of the ingredients in the tiki torch fuel. Some tiki torch fuel contains an essential oil called citronella oil – which is found by distilling lemongrass.
This oil is highly effective at repelling bugs and insects due to its strong and potent smell that overwhelms all incoming bugs. When the fuel containing citronella oil burns, the scent gets spread out and discourages all bugs from approaching.
Some tiki torch fuels contain mixture of insect repellents:
Just the presence of citronella oil is not the contributing factor for making tiki torch fuels effective at keeping away bugs – there are other ingredients present in the tiki torch fuel that the bugs dislike.
The tiki torch fuel contains a trace amount of other insect repellent components in them which diffuses into the air when the fuel is burnt. This in combination with citronella oil effectively keeps away bugs.
Smoke from tiki torches keep bugs away:
Besides those insect repellent ingredients, the hot smoke itself irritates most of the flying bugs. The hot smoke irritates the flying bugs and makes it difficult for the insects to fly around.
The smoky air also disorients them from going near the source of the smoke, which is why they get discouraged to approach it.
How to use tiki torch to keep flies away?
Setting up a tiki torch to keep flies away is quite simple if you follow the steps below:
Take out and open the canister:
First off, you will find a canister inside the tiki torch holder which is used to store the fuel. Take out the canister and unscrew the wick cap to reveal the container. Next, you will need to take out your tiki torch fuel container in order to fill up the canister.
Pour the tiki torch fuel and tighten the wick:
There are a variety of tiki torch fuel available in the market, you would essentially want the fuel with citronella and other bug repellents.
Pour the fuel into the canister to fill ¾th of the canister. Once that is done, place the wick back on top of the canister and tighten it. Wait for a couple of minutes to let the wick absorb the torch fuel.
Place the canister in the tiki torch:
Finally place the canister into the tiki torch but make sure the tiki torch is at least 6 feet away from your house. Once you have placed the canister, take a lighter to ignite the flame onto the wick.
Extinguish when done:
After you are done using the tiki torch, do not let the fire sit idly till the fuel finishes or extinguish it by other means.
There is a cap attached to the tiki torch that is used to extinguish the flame. Make sure the thread connecting the tiki torch to the cap does not end up burning – then approach the flame from the side and shut the flame to extinguish it.
What do Tiki torches repel?
Tiki torches are well known for uses in family dinners and gatherings due to its insect repellent abilities as well as decorative looks. Below listed are the insects that tiki torches effectively repel:
- Mosquitoes
- Horseflies
- Houseflies
- Wasps
- Moths
Final Thoughts
Flies can be kept under control by tiki torches, depending on the type of fuel burned. Some torch fuel contains citronella oil and other chemicals that repel flies. Aside from that, the flame’s smoke keeps flying away. Insects may be attracted to fuels that lack these ingredients.