Hello again everyone! I was asked to talk to you today about flies and whether or not a person should be worried if a fly lands on their food. Well……it is not a very pleasant subject because as much as we would like to dismiss them as just pesty little buggers that like to ruin our outdoor food fun, they really are capable of carrying various pathogens (the bacteria that can cause disease). It is for this reason we do not want flies landing on our food.

But, rather than focusing on how disgusting flies truly are, let’s talk about some tricks we can try to keep flies away from our picnics.

Pick a more secluded area…..Plan picnics in an area away from public areas and parks where there is a tendency to be a lot of food and garbage cans around. Flies are naturally attracted to areas where there is a lot of food and decaying food.

Make it difficult for the fly to get to you….Find a spot that has a soft gentle breeze. This will at least add a bit of resistance to their flight and hopefully make it difficult for them to land on your food!

Take it indoors……this does not need to mean literally indoors, but possibly use a screened tent when in the park or while camping to keep these pests out.

Use a homemade repellent…….Has anyone heard of the trick with an apple and cloves? This is news to me and I would love to hear if anyone has tried this before or any other trick like this. As I was researching fly repellents today, I came across this on wikiHow, again, I’ve never tried it, but I actually think I might! It stated to take an apple and poke whole cloves into it all the way around. Evidently, flies do not like the smell of cloves. It makes me wonder if a clove scented candle would work as well….

Hopefully one or a combination of these tricks will work to keep the pesty flies away from your picnicking enjoyment! Enjoy the summer!

Kim
Coborn’s, Inc, Food Safety & Nutrition Manager, Registered Dietitian

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