vab Posted July 13, 2006 Share Posted July 13, 2006 Well, we are now in our new home and busy unpacking and gardening. Unfortunately, we seem to be over run by flies, I mean so bad it is sometimes impossible to sit outside and we tried to have a BBQ but had to take it all into the house to eat as they were in the food. Anyone know of a good remedy, tried the usual fly sprays, sticky strips but to no avail. We spend hours swatting them in the house as they come in when doors are opened momentarily. They are all over the house front and rear so any suggestions !!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zeb Posted July 13, 2006 Share Posted July 13, 2006 We have an electronic zapper outside on the patio but unfortunately it only works after dark (and then it's quite entertaining - sorry). We also burn citronella candles if we can get them (there seems to be a run on them at the moment).For indoors, buy mosquito/fly netting from the bricos. Cut to fit and either staple it to your window frames or make a frame to fit the window opening and staple the netting on so that you can remove it for the winter.Seems to be the only way, as I can't stand sprays or sticky brown strips - ugh! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vab Posted July 13, 2006 Author Share Posted July 13, 2006 Thanks for the tips Zeb. We intend putting in fly screens which will stop them getting in. Outside is the major problem and as we have visitors arriving soon I am open to all ideas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cassis Posted July 13, 2006 Share Posted July 13, 2006 Vab, are these house flies or similar we are talking about? They must be breeding somewhere. There's not some dead animal lying around somewhere, is there? The numbers you are talking about seem a bit more than normal if the front and back of the house are covered in them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterG Posted July 13, 2006 Share Posted July 13, 2006 Vab, Do you live near a farm with animals? If so then they are probabley going to be a problem.I use a home made fly/wasp trap to keep them off my pear tree. Take a water bottle and cut it in half about a third of the way down. Insert the top part into the base and fasten the two part together with duck tape, similar to an eel trap. Add beer and water and hang it in the garden. You will see the flies go in for the beer but they cannot get out and therfore drown. Worth a try !!!!!!!!Peter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vab Posted July 15, 2006 Author Share Posted July 15, 2006 I havejust found out that quite close by is a goat farm. We are also surrounded by fields and they are being harvested at present so all this does not help. Thanks for the tip PeterG and we will certainly try it. Thank you to all who responded to my question. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris pp Posted July 15, 2006 Share Posted July 15, 2006 By the way that you have described your location, you can forget trying to do something about the outside, it's normal for this time of year and of course there are a great number of different flies, they are crawling all around me as I type this.I guess you've got the ones that bite by now as well.Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vab Posted July 15, 2006 Author Share Posted July 15, 2006 Yes Chris pp we do have the ones that bite and they can give quite a nip when they have a mind to. Not too many around today as it is quite breezy and someone suggested using an elecrical fan when eating outside as flies cannot fly against the air from a fan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dick Smith Posted July 15, 2006 Share Posted July 15, 2006 But if they can fly with it they will get to you even more quickly... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meg Posted July 15, 2006 Share Posted July 15, 2006 If there are that many i think it will be very difficult to get away from them outside. Maybe you could buy a gazebo with sides on it for sitting outside/ eating in??Failing that buy several of those electric bats amd hand them to your guests on arrival............at least it should make a laugh out of it! ( be warned though, it soon becomes worryingly addictive!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quillan Posted July 15, 2006 Share Posted July 15, 2006 I wondered where they had gone as we don't seem to have so many this year.In another life we lived on a canal boat in the UK with our cats. We had a lot of flies and my wife said it must be something the cats bought in and then it crawled off somewhere and died. Well this went on for a couple of weeks and in the end I had to basically take the galley apart and sure enough there was the remains of a dead mouse.Our first year in France and the flies arrived. The wife said it must be something the cats bought home. Well I took the kitchen apart, moved all the furniture in the lounge and dinning area, no dead bodies. We were so worn out we went to the auberge over the road for dinner and guess what, they had more flies than us. I asked the guy if he had a problem and he repied that it was normal for the time of year. We then started to notice that our firends had the same problem and that it happens every year. We have blinds on the bedroom windows and have installed these vertical blinds on the patio doors but they still get in. I am afraid it's just something you have to get use to. We have a wasp problem as well but then thats another story. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dick Smith Posted July 15, 2006 Share Posted July 15, 2006 We've tried lots of things, and you can keep them down indoors, but there's not really much you can do outside, as Chris says, you have to get used to it.BTW Chris, a propos of an old thread, I saw a sans-permis on the Kingston Bypass this week. Almost drove off the road in amazement and fear... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris pp Posted July 15, 2006 Share Posted July 15, 2006 You mean someone had actually driven one to the UK, and would they be allowed on motorways?French or UK plates?Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quillan Posted July 15, 2006 Share Posted July 15, 2006 I know from the Aixam junk mail we still get that they do sell in the UK and they have RHD models. The engine can be limited to either 30 or 50mph. Shortly (source http://www.aixam-cars.co.uk ) you will be able to drive them on your own with a provisional licence in the UK although at present you require a full car licence. At present there is no technical reason why they can't be driven on a motorway. They also sell diesel and electric vans (source http://www.thorpe-morieux.org.uk/vans.htm ) and I believe both cars and vans are excempt from congestion charges in London but don't quote me on that.One could argue that it may be safer for kids to drive round in these (even at £8k a go) than on a motor bike.Thinking of the Kingston Bypass Dick if it was in the bit that goes from 3 to 2 lanes and during the rush hour I guess he/she would be hard pushed to do 30MPH anyway unless its all changed now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dick Smith Posted July 15, 2006 Share Posted July 15, 2006 RHD, UK registered, doing about 30 in a 50 limit, therefore just about collecting every commuter going south. On the KLG section. It just looked so scary! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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