Often changing seasons or climate changes can bring on an outbreak of flies. Also depending on where you live, flies can be associated with livestock feces or domestic animal droppings. Some of the flies are of the biting variety and others just buzz around our heads, driving us crazy.

First of all, if you have dogs or other domestic animals be sure to keep their feces picked up and disposed of properly. Filth flies lay their eggs in the feces, later hatching and repeating the process and the problem just gets much worse.

Flies are repelled by the following herbs:

• Mint Leaves
  
• Basil Leaves
• Bay Leaves
• Eucalyptus

Try growing these plants upwind from the prevailing breeze to protect your yard as easily as possible. Also, for indoor use place a small amount of bay leaves, cloves and eucalyptus in a small piece of cheesecloth to form a bag and hang around the house. This will deter flies.

Also for indoor use, soak small squares of absorbent cloth in eucalyptus oil and place them throughout your home.

If you wish to trap the flies, try safe, organically based indoor and outdoor fly traps. 

If you really have a severe fly problem and want the control them outdoors, I would suggest the "Flies Be Gone" fly trap. It is an organically based trap where you place a powder in a plastic container and add water to activate it. One trap will catch 10's of thousands of flies within a 50 to 100 yard radius. Each trap will last up to 6 weeks as long as the water is replenished. They are pet and human safe and can easily be disposed of.