Flies! Help!

[Dianes]

When we went to our house in Brittany a month ago I had a nasty shock when I opened the bedroom window to open the shutters. A swarm of flies flew out at me ( probably a comical sight - me swearing and swatting in panic!) Armed with spray we finished them off. But then we went into the attic ... There were literally hundreds of dead flies on the floor and a good few still flying around.

Well we got rid of them, and last week we went over again. Opened the window with trepidation this time, to find a smaller swarm again. And this time, not hundreds, but thousands of dead flies on the attic floor!!

Help! What can we do? So far as I can tell there is nothing dead and rotting anywhere. We won't be going back for a couple of months now, and I'm worried about what we'll find, or will the cold kill them off finally? Has anyone else had this problem?

Diane

[SaligoBay]

Sounds like the dreaded Cluster Flies.  Loads of websites about them if you search on Google, here's a UK one:

http://www.solihull.gov.uk/wwwes/Pests/clusterflies.htm

[Weedon]

Not an uncommon problem I think you will find and no need to worry too much about flies as there are much more worrying things than those..........but I think I have said enough already.

There are 2 ways to control them: the first is to buy those revolting hanging sticky papers(very,very effective) although they do not give a good impression to your snobby friends. The second way is to find the dominant male and to convert him to a eunuch.  I heartily reccomend the first method.

Another problem, if your house is shut up for long periods in the winter, is mice and a tip which I found worked is to scatter those smelly cloth things that make your clothes soft on your soft furniture and in places where you think they may scuttle.  This may sound strange but I read that somewhere and tried it in our place for a couple of winters and had no problem with them.

Weedon(53)

[Frenchy]

Hi Weedon, will definitely try what you recommend when we visit our house over Christmas. I assume you mean the small sheets that you purchase in a box for your tumble dryer that are coated with fabric softener. Unfortunately, we do have the terrible problem with flies and even though this will be our first winter we also suspect we will have mice, did hear a few noises just before leaving last month. We do know that we have a pole cat in our roof void any advise on that one?

[Weedon]

[quote]Hi Weedon, will definitely try what you recommend when we visit our house over Christmas. I assume you mean the small sheets that you purchase in a box for your tumble dryer that are coated with fabri...[/quote]

Yes that's the things. I think I read about them with regard to somebody putting them in a vehicle when he laid it up over the winter so we tried it in our house.

Sorry can't help with the polecat if they are anything like a pole dancer maybe somebody that hasn't led a sheltered life like me could help you with that one.

Seriously though it sounds as if you will not have problems with mice in your roof void as that is another problem we have encountered.

Weedon(53)

[Fontremy]

I was told that when it starts to cool down they lay their eggs between the shutters and the glass so when you open the windows you get a swarm. We has this problem at our new place after it had lain empty for a while and we opened up the shutters in October.

[Dave&Olive]

Why don`t you contact channel 4 they are always looking for new "fly on the wall documentaries about France"

[Petercurb]

We had this problem a few years ago.  The noise was so great that we initially thought it was a water leak.  When I opened the bedroom door there were millions of them and I resorted to hoovering them out of the air. 

A specialist said it starts in the attic.  They get in there and breed.  He put a smoke bomb up there and we stood outside and sure enough, thousands flew out of a gap in the barge boards.  A few moments with a mastic gun and the problem was 99% solved.  We get the odd cluster now but sprays or paper will clear those. 

Hope this helps

Peter

[Redcap]

Hi from Redcap!

We were faced with a swarm of houseflies when we arrived at our house in 22 last month. They were all at the north facing bedroom window, in the shutter voids and almost covered the window.  Vacum and spray saw them off, but when I went into the attic a week or so later there was nests of them in all corners!  We decided to get the local pest control in and they have been up there with a ghostbuster gun spraying a chemical that will also kill the eggs and larvae.  It was not cheap but they have guaranteed to come back and repeat the treatment for free should the problem re occur.  If the area is not treated with chemicals that destroy the eggs and larvae, then no matter that you think you have got rid of the flies, they will return in the spring.

Regards,

Bob(22)