Gardeners are being advised to keep their old plastic bottles for a simple DIY hack that can help keep flies away from their plants. Start by removing the top of the bottle with scissors, then push the sides down towards the base, creating a funnel. To create the mixture that will get rid of flies, mix together water, sugar, and a little drop of washing-up liquid.
Pour this into the water bottle to lure in flies, which will then be trapped in the solution once they fly in. This is not the only way to utilise plastic bottles in the garden; spray bottles can also be reworked as fly repellents. Mix a few drops of eucalyptus oil with water and a small drop of vinegar or witch hazel, and add to a spray bottle.
Spray the mixture around seating areas, windows, and doors to stop flies from being attracted to them. Lemongrass oil and water also work.
The sugar water concoction used to deter flies can also be used to attract bees, with one minor tweak. Leaving out the washing-up liquid and simply mixing sugar and water can help bees suffering from heat exhaustion.
Gardeners World explained: “It’s not uncommon to find bumblebees at an apparent standstill appearing tired, particularly in winter or in inclement weather.
“To get them back on their feet, you can mix a sugar solution by mixing equal parts warm water and sugar. Place near the bee’s head in a bottle cap or something similar, and it should stick out its proboscis to drink, energise and warm up.”
Gardeners should use the sugar water trick only where necessary by targeting it at specific bees rather than leave it out all the time, which can actually do more harm than good.
The RSPB added: “It’s common to find tired bees on pathways, walls and places you wouldn’t expect.
“In these cases, a simple mixture of around two tablespoons of white, granulated sugar with one tablespoon of water left on a spoon or in an eggcup is helpful for hardworking bees.
“It’s important to avoid leaving out honey, or large containers of sugar water as these are simply not viable long-term solutions for bees.”