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Does Citronella Keep Flies Away? (Explained)

If you have a garden full of flies and want to get rid of them, you may plant some anti-flies’ trees. Flies don’t like some smell and avoid inhaling the odor. Citronella is one of those plants.

Citronella oil and plants are also famous for their anti-mosquito ingredients. If you rub the oil on your skin, mosquitoes won’t sit there and avoid that area. The same goes for the aphids and flies. Citronella oil is a natural repellent that is useful in different ways.

Does citronella keep flies away?

Citronella keeps flies away from the garden, yard, and surroundings. It has a smell that spreads through the air, a pungent odor. When the flies get the scent, they leave that place. You can try with the mosquito. If you are near the citronella, you won’t find any mosquitoes.

It’s because of the smell. You will find citronella oil, candle, and other ingredients made with citronella leaves and stems. And a citrus smell comes from these parts, which ultimately repels the flies.

Citronella plant:

Citronella plants also keep the flies away. It spreads and smells through the air and repels flies, including mosquitoes. If you have too many flies in your garden or house, you can plant some citronella plants in different areas.

It would be better to plant it at the center and the corners. So, the plants will spread the smell everywhere, and the flies will leave the garden.

Burning citronella:

Burning citronella also keeps the flies and mosquitoes away from us. If you have citronella leaves and burn them, it will create a cloud of smoke and spread the smell, which will ultimately repel the flies.

Since flies don’t like the smoke and the citronella smell, you can burn some leaves and get an instant result. The combination of smoke and smell will keep flies away.

Citronella candles:

Citronella candles also keep away the flies from their surroundings. You can buy the candle from the local shop and fire it to repel the bugs and flies. It will also spread the smell through the air, playing a vital role.

You should fire the citronella candles and deter the flies quickly. Keep one thing in your mind that is the date. You should use the newly made or within the expiry date.

Citronella oil:

Citronella oil can keep the flies away from your body and will leave the place as well.

You may use the oil to make a mixture of water and citronella oil. Then, you can spray it in your garden to get rid of the flies and mosquitoes.

It will also help get rid of the bugs in your garden and house. It is an excellent home remedy to remove the flies from your house and the surroundings.

Does citronella repel flies?

Citronella repels flies through its smell. It spreads the smell and other ingredients in the air, which repels the flies from the bottom. You can make a mixture of citronella oils and spray it on the affected area or where the flies make their living place.

Citronella also helps to deter bugs and other insects from the surroundings. It will save the flowers and fruits of the plant from the flies’ attack. Therefore, you can plant some citronella plants in the garden and help the air repel the flies.

“3” reason why does citronella keeps flies away

There are different reasons why citronella repels the flies away. Let’s get to know them.

Lemony Smell:

Citronella plants have a lemony smell, and the flies don’t like it. The citronella plants will spread that lemons’ smell through the sir and make the environment unfavorable to the flies. You can also use citronella oil to get rid of the flies.

In that case, the reason will be the same. The lemons’ smell will also be in the oil, which will deter the flies away from the garden. Therefore, you should either plant the citronella plants or use the oil to get rid of the flies.

Pungent Odor:

If you have citronella plants for a long time, it will make a strong smell and spread the odor in the air.

We all know that the flies and the bugs don’t love the pungent smell. Wherever they smell the odor, they will not come near the odor.

Moreover, the pungent odor also contains some solid chemical ingredients, making it a toxic ingredient to the flies. As a result, if you use citronella oil on your skin, it will repel the flies and mosquitoes.

Inedible leaves:

The last reason the flies keep away the citronella is the inedible leaves. The bugs and flies can’t eat and digest the smelly leaves. Therefore, they also leave the plant and go somewhere else.

The flies only sit on the plants to eat and feel comfortable. Here, citronella is a repellent plant that is unsuitable for flies and other garden bugs.

Will citronella keep these files away?

Since citronella keeps away the flies, you might want to know if it can repel the fruit, horse, and house flies from the surroundings.

Fruit flies:

Citronella will keep away the fruit flies from the garden and the surroundings. You can spray the citronella oil or the mixture on the fruit flies and keep them away from the fruits. But be careful not to ruin the fruits.

You can use the citronella and keep away the fruit flies by planting the citronella trees in the garden. It will be helpful to spray the citronella oil as well. Both will keep the fruits flies away.

Horse flies:

If you do any outdoor activities and leave the odor ingredients, it will attract the horse flies, which are difficult to repel.

Especially if you barbeque the chicken or enjoy the picnic outside the home, the horse flies will be there to welcome the food.

In that case, you may use the citronella leaves and burn them to create the smoke. It will also spread an odor to the air, which will keep the flies away from the food and garbage. This is how the citronella also keeps the horse flies away.

House flies:

Citronella also keeps the house flies away from your room. You can use the smoke or the citronella spray around the different corners of the house. It will help you repel the house flies, and they will eventually leave your home.

How to use citronella oil to repel flies?

You can use citronella oil in different ways to repel flies. They are:

Rub on your Sin:

Citronella oil has different uses, but the best way to utilize this material is to use it on your skin to repel mosquitoes and other flies. You can also use the oil on the plant to deter the flies from the surroundings.

You can rub the oil on the plant skin and deter the flies from the surroundings. Moreover, the rubbing will help you repel the other bugs and insects from the flowers and the fruits.

Burn the leaves:

Burning the citronella leaves also repels the flies from the surroundings.

You can also use the other dry leaves and mix the citronella leaves. When you use the fire and burn the leaves, it will create a cloud of smoke and spread the smell in the air.

That will repel the flies, bugs, and other insects from the surroundings. The smoke will also deter the mosquitoes and give you great relief from everything. Additionally, you have to be careful while inhaling the smoke.

Plant Citronella:

The easiest way to repel the flies from the surrounding is to plant the citronella trees in the garden. It would be better to grow the citronella in the middle of the garden and the corner.

You will find other related plants to repel the flies and other insects. But you have to take care of the beneficiary insects since the citronella can also repel them.

Make a Spray:

Another best way to use the citronella is to make a mixture of citronella oil and water and then spray it on other plants where the flies live and spend their time.

What is the best fly repellent?

There are some fly repellents in the market available for you. But some home remedies are also there to do the task naturally.

You can use the home remedy including cinnamon, cloves, apple cider vinegar, and more. We have made a list of the fly repellents.

You can use any one or all of them to repel the flies from your house, garden, and property as well.

  • Cinnamon
  • Citronella
  • Pest Controller
  • Cloves
  • Apple Cider Vinegar

Final Thoughts

Since citronella has a pungent smell and chemical ingredients, citronella can repel or keep away the flies. You can burn some citronella leaves and repel the mosquitoes and other bugs from the garden and house. It will also be better to plant the citronella trees in the garden.