Why is My Lawn Full of Flies? Here Are 5 Reasons

Flies are one of the most common pests in the landscaping industry. If you have a lawn or garden and you love summertime barbecues, then you’re no stranger to a lawn full of flies. Fortunately, it’s not too difficult to get rid of them if you can stop them at the source.

Your lawn is full of flies because your grass is too tall, there’s food in or around the lawn, feces from pets is present, or nearby garbage cans aren’t sealed properly. Other causes include stagnant pools of water, piles of compost, and an abundance of food.

Throughout this article, you’ll also learn the following info about why your lawn is full of flies:

• Five of the most common causes of flies that won’t leave your grass
• How to prevent flies from landing in your garden and lawn
• Different methods to remove them from your yard

Insider Tip: Organic insecticides are known to drastically cut back on flies and other insects without damaging your lawn. Review the best garden insecticides on Amazon.com to keep your lawn, trees, and garden safe from insect infestations.

What Causes Lawns to Gather Flies?

The simplest explanation as to why you have flies buzzing around your lawn is because there’s something that’s attracting them. The following causes are what may be attracting flies to your lawn:

Tall grass and debris piles are a problem

Flies are likely to be present in your lawn if you keep tall grass as it provides good breeding spots. Ensure that you mow your lawn regularly and avoid leaving cut grass, leaves, and piles of debris lying around unattended.

Cookouts bring the flies

Flies will be attracted to your lawn during or after a cookout due to the smell of the food that’s been made or spilled. It’s essential to keep it covered to ensure flies don’t land on the food as they could contaminate it.

Unsecured garbage can be a breeding ground

Garbage attracts flies, especially if it stays out for too long without getting dumped. It’s recommended that you cover your garbage with tight-fitting lids to avoid this problem. A quick search on WikiHow shows us that garbage is one of the top causes of flies gathering in and around grass.

Manure is a very common attractor of flies

Manure of any kind is likely to attract flies. This could come from pet feces or a compost bin nearby. Always make sure that waste from pets is cleaned up. 

Stagnant water brings all sorts of bugs

Stagnant water could be present in containers or tires that have trapped rainwater or water in birdbaths. Flies love moist places or puddles of still water as they form good breeding grounds. These conditions are also ideal for mosquitoes to thrive.

How to Remove Flies from Grass

Finding out the type of flies on your lawn could help you identify the best way to eliminate them. Flies range from Crane flies, fruit flies, mosquitoes, gnats, and midges.

Crane flies resemble mosquitoes that don’t bite, although their larvae feed on grassroots and individual stems, causing poor growth and dry patches.

Midges and gnats that hide in the lawn form large swarms when disturbed. The following are ways you can apply to remove flies from grass:

Use bacteria to fight the flies

There’s a naturally occurring soil bacterium that you can buy in powder, tablet and liquid form at your garden store called Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis (Bti).

This bacterium kills larval forms of flies such as mosquitoes and gnats. It’s available in disk form for water to kill mosquito larvae that breed in ponds or rain barrels.

Ponds that are up to a depth of 100 feet, one disk is recommended while one-fourth is recommended for use in rain barrels.

It’s not advisable to use the disks in drinking water or have it in close contact with your clothing or eyes.

To drench the lawn well, ensure you mix 1 to 2 teaspoons of Bti concentrate for each gallon of water. This helps control the influx of gnats.

If you’re looking for a recommendation, consider the Monterey LG6332 Bacillus Thuringiensis.

Use nematodes to remove insects

A microscopic nematode impedes the multiplication of fly and gnat larvae by releasing lethal bacteria.

To use these nematodes, mix one teaspoon of nematode water into a gallon of water and use a sprayer to apply the solution to your lawn. You can purchase this at your garden centers.

Shake the solution during use since the nematodes tend to settle at the bottom of the sprayer. The nematodes are sensitive to light, and so they should be applied at dusk or during cloudy days. To keep the nematodes alive, you need to keep your lawn moist for at least seven days.

Pesticides are often an effective method

Watch where the flies seem to land and rest and clean it by applying a residual pesticide. This will work to repel the flies. If the flies are not as present lately, then it’s likely that they are breeding elsewhere; Simple pesticide dusting and prevention methods will work just fine.

Use insecticides against the flies

The presence of flies on your lawn could imply that there’s a breeding ground somewhere. Look for where the breeding area is and use insecticides to eliminate the swam of maggots to prevent further larval development.

Pyrethrin is a type of chemical that affects the central nervous system of insects. Examine the area with the most concentration of flies; you will likely find the breeding ground where the flies lay eggs and maggots may be present.

Spray the insecticide on this area, clean it up and reapply the insecticide. Use these sprays only when all other methods fail as they may also destroy even the good insects.

Preventive Methods to Keep Them Out

Clean and get rid of trash or food

Flies have a short lifespan of about two to four weeks, in most cases. By getting rid of the trash, pet feces, keeping garbage can lids ever closed, and eliminating any odors, the flies will die out or leave within that period.

Trim your lawn regularly

Don’t allow mounds of cut grass to lie around, and trim your lawn more often as flies love overgrown grass and bushes.

Drain stagnant water

Stagnant water provides a good breeding ground for mosquitoes and also attracts flies. Make sure you dispose of debris and pits of water and ensure birdbath water is always fresh.

Mind your compost bin

Compost bins are a significant attraction for flies because of the odor of decaying matter. Ensure that your compost bin is far from your house. Do regular checks to make sure it’s too warm to support larvae development, and don’t keep it too moist.

Landscape your lawn with carnivorous plants and fly-repelling plants

Planting carnivorous plants around your lawn like Venus flytrap and pitcher plants can get rid of many types of insects. In contrast, others have scents that help keep off flies like Basil, Elderberry, Lavender, Mint, and False Indigo.

Attract fly predators

Hunker points out that many birds are prone to eating different insects around your yard.

Attracting natural fly predators such as birds and bats by putting up small bird or bat houses is a preventive method for fly infestations.

Starlings and robins are examples of birds that feed on adult larval crane flies while hummingbirds eat midges and gnats. Bats eat mosquitoes in the night, among other predatory insects. 

Final Thoughts

Flies are a serious nuisance to deal with when they won’t leave your lawn. They’re gross and they make your yard look tacky. If you want to keep them away for good, you have all of the tools at your disposal.

Here’s a rundown of everything this post shows:

• You can use different types of bacteria, birds, bats, and other living organisms to save your lawn from flies.
• Keep your yard free of garbage, food, and stagnant pools of water.
• Consider using organic pesticides and insecticides to get flies out of your lawn.
• Put out bird baths and bird houses to keep the flies at bay.