Flies!

[jayoldschool]

We moved to the country three years ago. All is great, loving the big garage. However, I can't take the flies. As soon as the temp gets above freezing, flies appear in the house. Three or four at a time. In the garage, they collect on the windows. Maybe 10-15 on each window. Climate is cold, snowy winters, with hot, humid summers.

So, where are the flies coming from? How do I get rid of them?

House is eight years old, tight construction. there is an HRV system. There are floor drains in the garage.

I am thinking of getting a couple of the UV fly traps like you see in restaurants. One for the kitchen, one for the garage. I would much prefer to not have any flies at all, however.

Since it seems like many of us live out in the country, I hope that others have some advice for me. A happy marriage depends on it...

 

[Rosco]

Flies and other flying bugs are normal here in South Ga., but all I can say is that if they are inside there is a gap somewhere. I cannot stand them inside the house (even one) but they will get in fast when you open a door. During the heat of the summer or when I am grilling (flies are terrible when the grill is hot) I use the little OFF blowers that are sold at WALMART. Does the trick if close to the back door.

The only thing worse is biting flies. My FIL lives in the sticks in Michigan and those things will eat you alive.

 

[DZLFREK]

Are there any cattle in the area? How about an old barn? Where there is livestock there are flies. Wishing you the best since flies drive me nuts!

 

[jklingel]

I suspect you are sort of stuck w/ them. Flies just are. A good bug expert would be the one to call. FWIW, when we had an enormous "invasion" of yellow jackets one year, people were doing anything they could to kill them. I took one of the units that normally has a light inside and an electrofied screen around it (bugs go for light, land on screen, zap; dead) and put some fish in where the light was. When the yellow jackets went for the fish, zap. It worked pretty well. Maybe something like that will help?

 

[russlaferrera]

Bug zapper will work. You need some smelly food to draw them to the rear of your property.

 

[PassnThru]

This is your friend -

 

[mad57]

Here in nj we have green heads biting big flys, that swarm you in packs and bite the hell out of you all summer drawn blood. we build black box traps seem s to catch a hell of alot of flys,, google green head trap. good luck.

 

[sc3013]

A few years ago we had a fly ever now and then in the house in winter. Could not find where they were comming from. Then got to looking at the wifes house plants she had brought in from outside for winter. I guess they were hatching from the soil. Gave them a good spray of bug killer, all was good and some of the plants even lived.

 

[mad57]

http://www.aclink.org/PublicWorks/mosquito/mainpages/greenhead.asp

heres a link with instructions.

 

[Busted_Knuckles]

We've got 10 horses, on 3 sides of my shop, believe me when I tell you I'm familiar with your dilemma. I do know of a local farmer that keeps Baquacil in a "kiddie pool", and supposedly the results are spectacular (kills thousands a day). I went to a bankrupt "pool company" auction last year to buy all the Baquacil they had, but the scum bag auctioneer pissed me off prior to the sale starting so I took my wad of cash and went back home. So I personally don't know how well it works. I did see another area pool retailer folded up this winter and I'm hoping they have a sale soon, this store is only about 15 miles away(I traveled 100 miles for the last sale). If I remember what I was told, its the hydrogen peroxide in it that the flies are attracted do, and it either kills them or they drown. I need to track down the details to that whole process again.

I have been turning off the lights in the shop, let them all congregate at the window, and then I take a can of ether and hose the door/window down with a fire ball. Probably dangerous, but pretty effective.

The flies drive me out of my mind as well, and the problem isn't really the horses, but the 1000+ pounds of poo they make every day..

 

[PassnThru]

We've got 10 horses, on 3 sides of my shop, believe me when I tell you I'm familiar with your dilemma. I do know of a local farmer that keeps Baquacil in a "kiddie pool", and supposedly the results are spectacular (kills thousands a day). I went to a bankrupt "pool company" auction last year to buy all the Baquacil they had, but the scum bag auctioneer pissed me off prior to the sale starting so I took my wad of cash and went back home. So I personally don't know how well it works. I did see another area pool retailer folded up this winter and I'm hoping they have a sale soon, this store is only about 15 miles away(I traveled 100 miles for the last sale). If I remember what I was told, its the hydrogen peroxide in it that the flies are attracted do, and it either kills them or they drown. I need to track down the details to that whole process again.

I have been turning off the lights in the shop, let them all congregate at the window, and then I take a can of ether and hose the door/window down with a fire ball. Probably dangerous, but pretty effective.

The flies drive me out of my mind as well, and the problem isn't really the horses, but the 1000+ pounds of poo they make every day..

My neighbors had one horse in the lot behind my yard. About 3 years ago the horse went away and so did the majority of our fly problems. And I thought the flies from one horse were bad. You, sir, have my sympathy. At least in this case you are doing it to yourself.

 

[Busted_Knuckles]

My neighbors had one horse in the lot behind my yard. About 3 years ago the horse went away and so did the majority of our fly problems. And I thought the flies from one horse were bad. You, sir, have my sympathy. At least in this case you are doing it to yourself.

Yes, you are right, we do it ourselves, I cant get pissed about it, but it really annoys me, if I had a neighbor creating that for me, wow, I would be pissed. Fortunately, we don't have neighbors, just hundreds of acres of corn....

 

[jayoldschool]

Wow! I have come to the right place.

They are house flies, BTW. No horses or cows here, but there are a few horses down the street, and cows about 1/2 mile away.

I'm thinking that I need to go around the eaves in the spring to make sure there are no gaps, and then check all the light fixtures in the ceiling to make sure there is no gap to the attic.

A big UV catcher in the garage (anyone have a link?), and fly paper above the kitchen cabinets...

Keep the ideas coming!

Jason.

 

[Busted_Knuckles]

Wow! I have come to the right place.

They are house flies, BTW. No horses or cows here, but there are a few horses down the street, and cows about 1/2 mile away.

I'm thinking that I need to go around the eaves in the spring to make sure there are no gaps, and then check all the light fixtures in the ceiling to make sure there is no gap to the attic.

A big UV catcher in the garage (anyone have a link?), and fly paper above the kitchen cabinets...

Keep the ideas coming!

Jason.

The flys associated with our horses and their poop are regular house flys. Not sure where horse flys come from or what they are attracted to, but around here, it aint horses....

 

[PassnThru]

Yes, you are right, we do it ourselves, I cant get pissed about it, but it really annoys me, if I had a neighbor creating that for me, wow, I would be pissed. Fortunately, we don't have neighbors, just hundreds of acres of corn....

Yeah but... They were good neighbors and they were elderly. I felt sorry for the horse - it was basically stuck in a field that was less than a third of an acre. And they didn't pay any real attention to it - they just 'had it' if you know what I mean. We just dealt with it - I think having the horse meant more to them than the flies were bothering us. Well - not really - but you know what I mean.

 

[Busted_Knuckles]

Yeah but... They were good neighbors and they were elderly. I felt sorry for the horse - it was basically stuck in a field that was less than a third of an acre. And they didn't pay any real attention to it - they just 'had it' if you know what I mean. We just dealt with it - I think having the horse meant more to them than the flies were bothering us. Well - not really - but you know what I mean.

Ditto, Im no fan of "Peta" (people eating tasty animals), but I too hate to see any animal that is "stuck" anywhere, two of our horses came from that enviroment (resuces), the balance are gaited or thoroughbreds, that get weekly action (and get better care than I do!).

 

[Torque1st]

If you use any kind of bait or attractant do not put it any where near your garage/shop or house.

 

[Todd.Brock]

The Victor fly paper used to work in the hardware store I worked at yyears ago. This past summer, I had three of those damn things hanging above the trash cans in the garage. Drove me nuts b/c I watched flys land and then fly off the paper??? Some sort of QC that is!!! I lost mind with them.

 

[D.J.]

Try product called Improved Golden Malrin available at your local farmers co-op or other such place. Put in bottle caps in window sills and look for dead flies. Or make little matchbox sized contaqiners out of aluminum foil.
________
Wellbutrin Lawsuit Settlements

 

[TheGrooveking]

We once had flies in one of our houses and couldn't figure out where they were coming from, then one morning the wife comes into the bedroom while I am dressing for work and says we have a problem in the kitchen. I go down there and sure enough there are maggots falling out of the vents of the ceiling fan motor. It turned out that a small bird had gotten into one of the roof vents above the kitchen and died, then the flies did there thing. I ended up taking down that ceiling fan and replacing it, and going into the attic above the kitchen and tear out all of the insullation, cleaned everything up and replaced the insulation. But to start with it looked like something out of a horror film.

Another place to check is floor drains in laundry areas or other drains that are not used to often.

TheGrooveking

 

[hook982]

Sounds like the Amityville Horror movie.

 

[RbrtAWhyt]

If flies didn't have wings, would they be called "walks"?

 

[tcianci]

No, dummy, a walk is something you use to stir-fry Chinese food.

 

[jayoldschool]

Quick update. Went to the local hardware store and picked up some supplies. Went out to the garage, used the Shop Vac to **** up most of the flies on the windows (they cluster together for warmth), then hung up fly paper strips on each window frame. Caught a couple in the time it took me to do an oil change and a tire swap.

I also picked up some adhesive traps that stick on the interior windows, and a little fly trap house (which I am sure will be useless).

I'm hoping that controlling the garage flies will lead to less in the house.

 

[regguy1]

My wifes cooking is so bad....the flies chipped in and had the kitchen screens repaired...

 

[reyna14]

A fun way to get rid of flies, temporarily, is brake cleaner and a lighter.

 

[MrPooPoo]

A good cheap bait that will draw in and kill the nasty flys is to soak a tub of raw chicken liver with RAID and set the bait out . when it starts to rot it will draw them in by the hundreds in short time and you will find a large pile of them dead around the bait.I discovered this by accident when I forgot and left some chicken livers in my boat. When I first saw some flys I sprayed it down with Raid and was surprised just how many more it killed.

 

[Coach James]

I use those sticky mouse traps. I put one in the corner of each window in my garage. ANYTHING lands on them, they're stuck. I've even had to pull two birds off of them. In 2 or 3 weeks, they are covered with flies, and other flying bugs. Throw them away and put up new ones. Cheap and effective.

Coach

 

[bjochman]

I don't mind the flies so much, but on my white doors/trim they leave "poop stains" that don't want to come off. Any ideas on how to remove this?? Yes i live out in the country also, farms on both sides of me, so I have no dreams of just getting rid of the flies, i just want to remove the evidence of them staying there.

 

[T>D>C]

Tcianci - Nice ! ;-)

Hang a clear bag with water in it near the opening of the garage where light can hit it. I am not sure if it works, but I know a guy who took that concept, received a patent and now manufactures a clear container with a clear liquid in it (supposed to be top secret formula but I think it is H2O) sales that nation wide. It is supposed to disorient flies and fly like insects because of their eye structure. And let us know if it works. We don't have a fly problem so I have not been able to test it.

 

[onewaydave]

x2 on local livestock of some kind.

Fly strips and paper. If the shop is kept closed in the fly "season" get those automatic puffers that put out an insecticide de jour periodically or timed to opening and closing the door (like resturants). If the doors are open, a positive pressure ventilation. I use a squirrel cage fan directed at the door that remains open all the time.

If it is a slow day, get a few rubber bands and go hunting, like in grade school. Great fun.

I worked at Univ. Tennessee Hospital, across the road from the Vet large animal clinic. Flies came with the band aids.

Here in KS we have Japanese beatles, look like lady bugs. Just as bad except they bite and stink when you kill them.

The worst are horn flies. They attack from behind and are long gone by the time you swat them. One old farmer coated his ball cap in the same stuff thay put on fly strips so once they struck, they were stuck.