The Chase’s Darragh Ennis, also known as The Menace on the ITV quiz show, has a genius hack for keeping flies out of your home – and it’s all natural and costs just £12
You could ward off flies this summer with a “brilliant” tip shared by The Chase star Darragh Ennis. As an entomologist, Darragh has a clever method to eliminate the insects from your home, especially if you have houseplants that draw them in.
In a recent TikTok video, the 44-year-old TV personality, also known as The Menace on the ITV quiz show, shared a straightforward and natural approach to tackle the small black flies that can prove troublesome during the summer months. These pests, called fungus gnats, can be “really hard” to eradicate and frequently inhabit houseplants, creating annoyance and prompting many people to abandon their plants entirely.
Darragh said in his video: “If you’ve got little insects flying around your house, it can be really annoying.
“Now, I’m an entomologist, so I love insects, but I still don’t want those tiny little black flies all over my house, and they’re really hard to get rid of – especially when they live in your houseplants.
“They’re called fungus gnats because they live in compost and stuff, and they’re a big pest in mushroom growhouses and things. Getting rid of them with chemicals is really hard.”
Darragh recommends a strategy to maintain your houseplants whilst banishing the flies at the same time – utilising nematodes. He explained: “You’ve probably never heard of them, but they’re little microscopic worms that live in the soil.
“They’re probably the most common animal on the planet, but we can’t see them. There’s billions upon billions upon billions of them.”
He continued: “One type of them crawls inside insects and kills them. Now, it’s a bit gruesome, but it’s a natural way of killing them.
“You can just order these online. You just put these into a watering can and then pour them on your house plants. The best bit about this is that they crawl through the soil and hunts through the larvae and everything so they’re gone.
“So if you want to get rid of those little flies and you don’t want loads of chemicals, buy some nematodes. I studied them for my PhD, and now they’re useful in my house.”
Darragh also showed off the packet of nematodes he had bought online, branded as Sciarid Fly Nematodes, available on Amazon for roughly £12.
How to ward off flies
You can prevent flies from entering your home using several natural solutions, including utilising herbs and plants the pests despise the scent of. These include basil, lavender, mint, bay leaves, and marigold.
Then you can also whip up an essential oil spray by mixing one cup of water, 10-15 drops of an essential oil such as peppermint, lemongrass, citronella, or lavender, and one tablespoon of vodka (optional, but aids in blending the oils) into a spray bottle and spritzing it around windows, doors, and other entry points in your home.
Another popular method to keep flies at bay, especially tiny ones like fruit flies, is to create a homemade trap. This can be done by combining apple cider vinegar and washing up liquid in a bowl, covering it with cling film, and then piercing a few small holes in the top.
