partout Posted June 22, 2009 Share Posted June 22, 2009 Hello there,don't know where to post this, so if it is the wrong please accept my apologies.we are swatting mad!We have a home in 47, and the loft has been converted into a room with full bathroom, and velux windows. The house at the moment is only used occaisionaly, and the velux are only opened from time to time.The area is empty, I have swept, cleaned, washed, vacuumed and sprayed with all sorts of supermarket bought fly killers, and YET the flies always come back.Bags full of dead ones and some still buzzing about. Can anyone recommend a product that would control these pests, maybe some sort of fumigator? I know that flies can be a problem at certain times of the year, but these are a real health hazard, nasty useless critters, in my humble opinion... No offence meant Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dog Posted June 22, 2009 Share Posted June 22, 2009 When house hunting in France we saw quite a few houses that gave away a small clue - they had mounds of dead flies on the window cills.Are your flies coming in from outside through windows or finding their way in through the fabric of the house?If it is through windows install mesh. My dear nasty neighbour poisoned the doormice in his roof and the poor blighters decided my roof space was a more pleasant place to die - the smell was awful and so we lifted tiles to find and dispose of the carcasses but all we found were maggots.If you live near a farm or fileds of cattle you may never get rid of the flies. Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
partout Posted June 23, 2009 Author Share Posted June 23, 2009 Good morning dog,Thank you for the reply, the floor in the loft has been recently fitted and laid on top of the wooden floor that was there originally. the velux are closed nearly all the time, and only opened when we visit the house.I have checked as well as I can and there appears tobe no 'fly eggs' I believe they look like grains of rice. Do you think if I got one of those fumigators for fleas it may do the trick, I know flies and fleas are not connected, but have got to do something.I understand about the dead flies in empty properties, but this is a very clean loft room, and is swept, vacuumed and cleaned every time before we leave, and there appears tobe no flying insects when I close the door after emtying a whole spray of fly and wasp killer, can flies live off the dead ones? What a thought, nearly as bad as a Hitchcock movie going on upstairs.Has anyone any other ideas, even mad silly ones! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dog Posted June 23, 2009 Share Posted June 23, 2009 What sort of ceiling have you got upstairs? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phylisbide Posted June 23, 2009 Share Posted June 23, 2009 We have had the same problem. One thing that seems to help is making sure the room is dark - they seemed to be arriving because the light (warm) was attracting them. I have installed blackout blind which we close before returning to the UK and the last time we visited there were only a couple of flies on the floor. Previously it was hideous - literally a carpet of dead and some still moving. I assume ours were arriving through the stone walls - but not sure. I have also considered using smoe bomb thing in the roof space - but not sure if it would be any good. Are there any products we could try? Phyllis. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nectarine Posted June 23, 2009 Share Posted June 23, 2009 we had a dreadful problem last year and, touch wood, few flies so far but last year I was trying everything. A few points: you could have 'cluster fly' which live in lofts and could, possibly, be living in the small space between the original and new floor. You can buy some battery operated aerosol flykillers which squirt a burst of flykiller at tem or thirty-minute intervals and leave it up there (look on the internet for these).Some flies live in the window frames so if you have any windows give these a generous squirt all around. Hanging flypapers up is always useful - horrible to look at but they attract the critters and kill them.We live near a farm and some of them come from there but, so far this year, we've had very few. You may want to put a Red Top Flytrap in the garden (keep it at a distance away from the house as they STINK!) in case some of your visitors are actually coming from land further away. I read somewhere that if you have a pale coloured solitary house in the middle of the countryside (like us) then you will always have flies as you are the sole source of heat and cool for some distance around. RedTops are good and you would be surprised at what they collect, they hold about 50,000 flies which at least are not going to be coming into your house.Good luck, let us know how you get on and I welcome more tips on keeping the flies out! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
just john Posted June 23, 2009 Share Posted June 23, 2009 There is a whole range of plug in ZAPPERS_ on e-bay, so maybe Darty or whatever would have them?Don't waste them, you could make-shoofly-pie [8-|] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
partout Posted June 24, 2009 Author Share Posted June 24, 2009 Hello to you allWell you have given us some ideas and next time we are down we'll look them up. We do have a few black out blinds for the velux, but as yet have not got round to fitting them, that will be a must do, interesting about the red top thingy, will get one of those. The original loft floor, which is also the ceiling to the room underneath is a hard wood floor, covered with some sort of underlay and then fitted with chip board panels, which in turn we will be covering with a laminate. The walls are all placo as indeed is the ceiling, just the beams exposed.If we were living in the house permanently the electric zappers are fine we are not, YET, leaving zappers permanently plugged in is dangerous in my opinion, as acquaintances found out when they returned to their home after a holiday, and found much of it destroyed.I'll let you know how we get on, but that won't be till Augustish when we return.Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cat Posted June 24, 2009 Share Posted June 24, 2009 I'd not seen those red top traps before, so googled for more info. They seem quite expensive, but I did find a DIY alternative that might be worth a shot...http://www.equineonline.net/horseforum/tack-room/13907-red-top-fly-trap.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pierre ZFP Posted June 24, 2009 Share Posted June 24, 2009 I too have a fly problem. I am told that flies like chicken poo so if you or neighbours have chucks then you get flies. Ah well, so I have reduced the numbers of flies considerably last year and this by buying sticky squres of fly killer. These come in a pack of 6 for around €5 at your supermarket. They are transparent (with a flower patten) and stick in the top corner inside your windows. I put them in the kitchen, lounge and upstairs velux windows (not every window of course) The effective bit is slightly tacky and is loaded with pyrthium (sp?). The idea is that flies walk all over them an pick up enough to kill them. I have to say that since using these the fly problem is much reduced for me and it was quite bad at one stage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pierre ZFP Posted June 24, 2009 Share Posted June 24, 2009 [quote user="Cat"]I'd not seen those red top traps before, so googled for more info. They seem quite expensive, but I did find a DIY alternative that might be worth a shot...http://www.equineonline.net/horseforum/tack-room/13907-red-top-fly-trap.html[/quote]Hey that's the same as the wasp traps we used to make as a kid when camping!I suppose I'd only ever associated them with wasps so I'd never thought about them for flies - DOH!I would have to be cautious about using them I think as I have a LOT of bees in my garden and I would hate to kill those. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quillan Posted June 24, 2009 Share Posted June 24, 2009 After eight years we just accept it now. The first year we thought we had a dead animal of some kind and I spent a day taking the plinths of the kitchen units, moving the fridge and cooker, nothing. Went to the local restro that night, loads of flies there also, we were told its the season and apart from spraying and a zapper there is not much you can do. We find opening the windows helps. If you notice they are usually at the windows trying to get out. The problem is it lets the heat in. My Brother in Law and I have competitions when he comes to see (while watching TV) how many we can swot, one with the least buys the beers[;-)]. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quillan Posted June 24, 2009 Share Posted June 24, 2009 [quote user="just john "]There is a whole range of plug in ZAPPERS_ on e-bay, so maybe Darty or whatever would have them?Don't waste them, you could make-shoofly-pie [8-|][/quote]You can buy the Zappers as shown in the link for about the same price in France when you take postage in to account. I bought a really big one last year from Auchan when they were on special offer. Lets of a very satisfying loud CRACK!!!! when one zapped. Does moths and mosquitoes as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jo Posted June 25, 2009 Share Posted June 25, 2009 Ewwwwww[+o(] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nectarine Posted June 25, 2009 Share Posted June 25, 2009 [quote user="Pierre ZFP"] I suppose I'd only ever associated them with wasps so I'd never thought about them for flies - DOH!I would have to be cautious about using them I think as I have a LOT of bees in my garden and I would hate to kill those.[/quote] They don't attract wasps as they contain some pheromone that only attracts the female flies - after all, they're the ones going to be laying eggs, as so the females flock to them. Last year's RedTop didn't have any wasps or bees as far as I could see, and the opening is quite small, but it contained thousands of flies and, my goodness, it stunk to high heaven and that, of course, attracts more. Re. chicken poo, yes we are near a chicken farm and there are flies but I wonder why they would leave the farm and come to a house. After all, with plenty of chicken poo around you'd think they would be quite happy there, a bit like a permanent McDonalds, so coming a distance to a house doesn't give them anything they don't already have. I have those flower stickers on the window which do work, and flypapers on the ceiling. It's just a fact of life in farming areas, our neighbours have them too and you just learn to live with it although I would prefer that they weren't so abundant in certain months. However, at the moment (fingers, toes and eyes crossed!) we don't have many flies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quillan Posted June 25, 2009 Share Posted June 25, 2009 I ound a company that will send Red Top Fly Catchers to Europe FOC. The traps cost £9.99 each, they will send three free.http://www.greeneyedfrog.co.uk/public/productdetail.aspx?id=993I think I will order three and give then a try. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iceni Posted June 25, 2009 Share Posted June 25, 2009 A couple of years ago I made a similar trap from a cut down plastic water bottle. The appetiser was either some beer or water and fruit. Crude but effective and the only ucky part was emptying the protein rich contents. Inside the house we use sticky fly papers, not pretty but cruel and effective. In the doorway we have a dangly curtain which seems to stop so many coming in.John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cooperlola Posted June 25, 2009 Share Posted June 25, 2009 [quote user="Iceni"]. In the doorway we have a dangly curtain which seems to stop so many coming in.John[/quote]Have you managed to find an attractive looking fly curtain? - and if so, where please? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WendyG Posted June 25, 2009 Share Posted June 25, 2009 I don't know about attractive, but Lidl sell some black mesh anti fly curtains for the doors at a reasonable price. They certainly do help together with the sticky fly papers (find that these only attract the small flies, the big horrible ones seem to avoid them).I hate using insecticides and with these two measures do seem to manage to keep on top of them. Bought one of the blue lamp things but was no use at all. WendyG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nectarine Posted June 25, 2009 Share Posted June 25, 2009 Last year I bought from Lidl those black fly mesh curtains but didn't find them much good. They are fiddly to install, comprising several vertical panels that you cut to length and then you have to clip them into the upper horizontal frame and attach to the top of the door frame. They had light weights at the bottom and overlap. In principle they look good but, in practice, when you walked in and out they swivelled and got tangled together, fell out of the clip frame and required adjustment every couple of days.For a little used door I'd say fine, but for our front door which can be like Clapham Junction, they were just inpractical.We bought a cheap bamboo curtain from Gifi a few weeks ago and it had a pretty sunflower design and has, so far, lasted OK except that the bamboo is deteriorating and falling off the vertical threads, so I guess it won't last the summer.However, this year, encouragingly, I see that we have more swallows and swifts around than last year when I rarely saw them. Of course the swallows love a fly treat so perhaps they're keeping them away so far? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
powerdesal Posted June 25, 2009 Share Posted June 25, 2009 As a matter of interest...... We get quite a lot of flies in Winter, (its too hot for them in summer) and on a visit to the 'Hatta Fort' Hotel we noticed that the terrace dining room (fully open on all sides) was festooned with clear plastic bags of water hanging from the ceiling beams. Each table had an ordinary tea-light candle burning. We were told that, as the plastic bags gently turned in the slight breeze the light from the candles (it was daylight) was reflected and really upset the flies. It appeared to be working because we had no problem with any flies at all during our meals during the week end.I have not tried it but it seems to be a cheap idea to try. Anyone fancy it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nectarine Posted June 25, 2009 Share Posted June 25, 2009 Tried that last year, didn't work. I had heard that too, apparently in the Far East they suspend bags of water outside shops and the flies' vision is distorted and they are deterred from passing the bag. We hung plastic bags of water from our verandah roof but it didn't make any difference ... made an 'artistic' alternative to hanging baskets, though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
valB Posted June 28, 2009 Share Posted June 28, 2009 We have three goat farms around us and also horses across the lane so we really do not stand a chance. We have tried almost everything on the market and have now thrown in the towel and just swat like crazy. It is annoying, though, when we want to eat outside as we are really plagued with them and spend the time tying to keep them out of our food. After three years we are becoming quite experts at it now. [:D] [:D] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kitty Posted June 28, 2009 Share Posted June 28, 2009 Our house is now more-or-less fly-free by:* closing doors and windows after 4pm* at 4pm, putting on a number of Zappers around the house until the morning Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnOther Posted June 28, 2009 Share Posted June 28, 2009 [quote user="Quillan"][quote user="just john "]There is a whole range of plug in ZAPPERS_ on e-bay, so maybe Darty or whatever would have them?Don't waste them, you could make-shoofly-pie [8-|][/quote]You can buy the Zappers as shown in the link for about the same price in France when you take postage in to account. I bought a really big one last year from Auchan when they were on special offer. Lets of a very satisfying loud CRACK!!!! when one zapped. Does moths and mosquitoes as well.[/quote]Mr Bricolage have them on sale at a ridiculous €24.99 but 'er indoors bought a couple of identical ones in Lidl a couple of weeks ago for €9.99 IIRC.Thanks be we don't have much of a fly problem, no worse than in UK I'd say, but for those who do dare to foolishly venture into my domain, and my range, my weapon of choice is The ExecutionerQuite effective at keeping small noisy irritating rugrats in line too [6] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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