Friday, July 10, 2015

Basil and Mint Fly Spray


Hot weather = pesky flies.

Flies show no favoritism...
City - Subdivision - Rural

Flies can be troublesome, and let's get real...
those little things can hurt when they bite!

Commercial fly sprays contain harmful ingredients that I don't want around my family or my animals.


Using herbs that I grow on my porch, lemons that I almost always have in the fridge and vinegar that I have in my pantry, I created this medley to deter those pesky flies.

What you will need:
Lemon
Fresh Mint Leaves
Fresh Basil Leaves
White Vinegar
Pint Mason Jar with insert and ring
Spray Bottle

How to make it:
Cut the lemon into quarters and place in the canning jar.

Add a handful of fresh mint leaves and a handful of fresh basil leaves, torn slightly to release their oils.

Fill the jar almost to the top with white vinegar, leaving about 1/2 inch head space.


Place the lid and ring on the jar.

Let sit for at least one week, shaking every day.


When ready to use, strain the liquid into a squirt bottle.
Discard the lemon and herbs.  (Great way to clean out the garbage disposal.)

This all natural spray can safely be used around humans and animals.

I spray it around us when we are outside and the flies are biting.

I spray it in the barn and the coops.  

Because it is made with natural ingredients you can safely use it on humans and animals (even cats and dogs).
Just be careful to not get the spray in their eyes.

This spray will not kill the flies, but it does help to keep them away.

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8 comments:

  1. Thank you LL, for posting this! Last year the flies were SO bad! I used lavander oil, seemed to help a little! So far this year, the flies haven't been bad at all! When they do come, I'll be ready! Have a beautiful day!
    hugs, CB

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  2. The flies are really thick on our patio this year. And I even have a basil plant sitting between the chairs hubby and I usually sit in. I'll have to get some mint and try this recipe out. Thanks for sharing it with us!

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  3. What a great idea. I'll bet this smells great too!

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  4. Pinning. Definitely going to have to try this. Thank you for the idea.

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  5. Nice idea! Usually any herbal or citrus vinegar infusion I make takes 4-6 weeks, so I like that this one only takes a week. Thanks for sharing, and I'm visiting from Simply Natural Saturday.

    Kristi@Stone Family Farmstead

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  6. I am so glad you posted this. The flies are worse this year here than I remember them ever being. I am going to have to try this!

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  7. I love home remedies like this one. Thanks, I'm printing this out.

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