Flies!

[Jasmine]

Is anyone else absolutely over run with the things? I have tried fly spray, but although all the other flying bugs keel over quickly flies seem to be bomb proof and I have a room block thing in the kitchen. It is disgusting trying to cook and eat at the moment.
I guess it's the humid damp weather but I need something that works on the things - the house looks like a stacking system for Gatwick airport - except with flies not planes i221.photobucket.com/albums/dd161/GWDAdmin1/Smilies/Default/sad.gif

[Missredhead]

I have a couple of Zappers...the tennis racquet sort....they are great..I also have those sunflower sticker things on the window..they seem to get all the little ones.

[Tig]

We are not too bad indoors at the moment, although there do seem to be a lot of flies in the garden at times. Jas you could try some of the natural solutions, a couple of pots of basil either side of the door and one on the kitchen windowsill, or tansy if you can find any, both are supposed to be natural fly repellents.

x Tig

[Jasmine]

Thanks for the tips Missy and Tig.
I saw the tennis raquets in Wyevales but bought the room block thing - that was a waste of money. LT liked the sound of the tennis raquets so I might get a couple next time I pass!
I knew there was a herb that was meant to be good Tig - I'll get some Basil next time I'm at the supermarket.

[Missredhead]

I got mine from the pound shop Jas...much cheaper than the GC

actually I think it was the 99p shop

[Jasmine]

We don't have any £1 shops But quite frankly I'd pay anything at the moment (well, almost) to sort out this problem. It's impossible to serve up a meal, you can't leave anything on the counter, I spray then realise I've got my cup of tea I was looking forward to....

[Missredhead]

I have only had a few big ones flying around but I zap those...GD has one without the batteries that she uses too.... ;D
Somewhere in the loft I have one of those 'blue light' lanterns but couldnt stand the smell of burning insects.....

Just a thought..what about those yellow candles that you can use in the garden..cant think of the name....would they work I wonder

[Jasmine]

The candles might just move them into other rooms they seem to be too stupid to leave the house completely.
I nearly bought sticky traps but I don't want to watch them in their death throes however yucky they are.

I think the raquets might be the way forward!

[Missredhead]

I had those sticky trap things..are they the ones that you pull down? They didnt work which is why I have the window sticker ones now

[Jasmine]

They looked they were sort of pull down spiral things
Haven't seen the window stickers.

[Missredhead]

Thats the ones.....used to have them at my Nans..

The window ones are sunflower pics that are sticky..I got mine in Tesco but am sure that Sainsburys do them too.

[Barbara]

Are they in all the rooms jas ? we haven't got any more than the usual odd one, is there perhaps a smell attracting them anywhere, we ahd a dead magpie in a boaded up chimny once.

[Rosefriend]

Barbara may have an idea - something has to be attracting them....I remember my dear old M um saying what dirty buggas flies were...they crawl all over a pile of poo and then land on your sandwich!!

Do they still have those fly pens in the UK - at least you could do the top half of the windows where the dogs can't reach...

We have it a little easier here as we had a fly screen door made years ago and it is the best thing that we ever did. Plus when it is warm on this side of the water everything is closed up, no windows are left open...

Hope you get rid of them soon...

RF

[Jasmine]

I think there must be something decaying somewhere Barbara as the shed is thick with them. They are in most of the downstairs rooms but the house is mostly open plan downstairs so sprays don't work well as they can't be shut in if you know what I mean.

[Barbara]

I think there is probably a dead creature under your shed, a bunny maybe, I hope it soon rots down for you Jas whatever it is, it must be awful for you.

[Auricula]

How dreadful for you Jas

[carolann]

Get some chickens they love running and catching fly's ;D we have a fly screen door in the kitchen it keeps the little bugger out well and good and you can have the door open at night and the midges cant get in either we have only had the odd one or two in the kitchen this year but lots of them outside.

[Missredhead]

I have a couple of hanging screen curtains for the back door and the patio door, it stops ant flying insects coming in..well it does if you remember to pull it across after you..

[Jasmine]

I noticed fine chain screens at the door of the school kitchen and thought they might work...
Thanks for all the ideas

[carolann]

Jas they have fly screens on e-bay but if you type in flyscreen door in the task bar there are lots on there to chose from as well, ours is a door with magnetic and you take it off when its not needed it goes on the outside of the door www.safetyscreens.co.uk/fly-insect-screen-doors.aspx
the first one on here is just like ours, hope it helps you some they are a god send.

[Ladygardener]

Jasmine it sounds horrible, I hope you get something to sort it out soon. I've noticed a lot outside but not so many inside this year.

[Jasmine]

Thanks Carol and LG.
I'm looking into door screens now.

[carolann]

OH put a spring on ours so its shuts behind you if you forget to do it ;D, we do get lots of fly's on the farm with the sheep it was worse when we had the cows, clouds of the darn things would follow the cows up the yard to the milking parlour.

[Jasmine]

I guess you would with having livestock Carol - what a pain. Not sure why we've got so many unless something has died somewhere

[MamIDdau]

I can concur with the dead body thing... while we were away one year Mum was looking after the cats and when she came down to check, she noticed the drawer to the TV cabinet was open and the papers inside were all messed up. So she tidied up and put the drawer back, didn't think to tell us.

Few weeks later there were flies everywhere, and I found the remains of a mouse in the TV cabinet drawer! Cats must've brought it in, chased it and it got into there.

Another time they brought in a blackbird which died down the back of my wardrobe. Luckily I found that before it started to get too bad...