Hi, for 2 summers in a row we have been plagued with flies. This is a highly unusual situation as far as I'm concerned: we have a dog we let in and out 4-6 times a day. During the times we have this fly problem we can have at least 40 in the house from opening the door once! Our only solution-crazy as it sounds is vacuum them off the windows. Even if the door has remained closed and we have gotten them all we can still have straglers come in AFTER we've cleared them out. The internet search showed most closely BOTTLE FLIES. Orkin sold us sticky PHEROMONE cartons to hang and the flies werent interested. A walk around the house (slab home) didnt show anything significant enough. We did have plumbers come out a few summers ago to fix a cracked cleanout coming out of the house. This was supposed to be the cause of a sewage smell occasionally coming from between the kitchen wall opposite the tub on the other side of the wall. We're stumped. The plumbers are reliable company. Anyone make a connection?, have experience with a problem like this?, what to make of this influx of flies? TY
We got them for a few years in a row in our upstairs bathroom. Then they stopped, and I'm not sure why. They're harmless to us and aren't interested in human food or anything, but it's nasty having all these flies buzzing around.
My neice had the same problem last Summer, and she too used the vacuum. The flies hung out in the large double sliding door in the family room, which was located in the lower level of the tri-level house. They didn't seem interested in the other floors. This door was never opened while I visited her for about 3 hours, and after vacuuming them up, they would reappear in about a half an hour, and she'd have to repeat the process. Crazy! brheam
Do the flies have red stripes on the wings? If so in SD we call them attic flies. They get into the attic or crawl spaces. Bunch together in the winter and survive that way. Warm house or summer wakes them up from hibernation. I'd check the attic very carefully. And yes they are a pain.
Don't forget, just because you vacuum the flies up doesn't mean they are dead. Given a little time and you'd think they can come back from the vacuum the thru the same route they entered. Do you do anything to kill them after they've been vacuumed up? jwd
In upstate New York, we have a problem similar to this every year but we have the house sprayed (roof, windows, eaves, everything) and have no flies. They are called chamber or cluster flies. They seem very lethargic but come to life with heat.
Do you all live in log homes? I've lived in two and both had fly issues. I found the area of infiltration and used the expandable caulk to fill the cracks. Believe me, a tiny crack is all flies need to enter. Good luck.
Have to checked your crawl space and heat vents? I had an under house sewer leak and also found out that some wildlife had also made homes under my house. During the summer months, between the old sewer leakage and moldering expired pests, I found that the flies were coming up from some loose ducts and up those vents. Just a thought...
As I live in Norway I don't know if the flies are the same, but we have the same problem every year when the sun gets back after New Year. Last couple of years what I have done is to clean outside and inside the sliding doors to the veranda,all windowframes outside and inside with a mix of 7% brown vinegar. I mix half and half water and vinegar in a spray bottle and spray and wipe all around frames and ledges. This I try to do before the flies become a problem and I do it like once a week during spring. It has helped in our home and I hope it can be of help to you.
We have horses so we have had PLENTY of flies for years, it drove us crazy. 2 years ago, I decided to start putting out birdseed in trays around the house...NO MORE FLIES! We also used to have a black widow under every rock outside. I have NOT seen that spider in 2 years.
Wed too had a re-occuring bottle fly problem. I found that they particulary liked the north windows. We discovered they "nested" in the channels of our vinal windows. Apparently they relais eggs in their own previously departed brothers. After we cleaned the vertical tracks and disinfected with an over the counter solution, the problem has not re-occured. Strange behaviour.
Posts: 1 | Location: Kansas City Metro Area | Registered: 14 February 2007
Hello! Sounds like you've already received some good advice on the problem, NanCee. I would add that you might consider having a professional come take a look. Many pest services will give you a free estimate on the problem. We had a very similar problem, had a local pest service come out, and found that we had cluster flies. They told us that the flies would only be successfully reduced/eradicated if we timed the spraying to the fly's life cycle. In our case, we had to spray in the month of August. To our delight, we had no problems that year. The pro advised us to spray once a year but said every other year would probably give us good coverage. We had our house, attached garage, barn and shed sprayed every other year for approx. $150. It was well worth it to us. Check out your local yellow pages and make a call or two. You may be pleasantly surprised. Oh, by the way, the spray used was in no way harmful to our pets, children, or wildlife. The company was adamant about doing the least amount of harm to the environment.Good luck.
Hi Nancy, Sounds like cluster flies. Usually something will die in the soil around the house, and the flies will gather near it. They will enter through the eaves of the house, from the outside, and when you see them, they are near windows, and/or doors, actually trying to get out. You can contact a professional pest control operator, and have him or her inspect the house and surroundings. You can also email me at john@ripbugs.com or go to my web site and link through there. www.restinpeacebugs.com
nanCee, This might be the right answer. Years ago I had the same problem. It stopped after I plugged an area under the eaves (the soffit, I believe) where I thought birds were entering, unable to exit for some reason, and dying and falling between the walls and creating or becoming maggots. Which in turn became flies in the late spring. Good luck.
We had one room, off the master bedroom, that had an influx of flies. I sprayed the window sills and around the floor boards, closed the door and they disappeared. To this day I don't know where or how they entered. Creepy feeling tho'.
I think you will find that the flies are coming from an enmpy plumbing trap. Look in your utillity room, there should be a floor trap. Put a quart of water in the trap and the oder and the flies will stop. I dont know the name of these flies but I've seen them in many places. Please write me if it works thanks.earlgreybreakfast@yahoo.com
Hey Mike Stef, The flies that are from plumbing problems are called Phorrid Flies, they breed in the sewer drains, and usually the sign of a break in the sewer line. This can be temporarily corrected by dumping chlorine bleach down all the drains of the house starting at the top floor, and working your way down. Run hot water after the bleach. If you are experiencing these flies, you have bigger problems than the insects. The phorrid flie resembles a fruit fly. Any questions email me at www.ripbugs.com
Hi John, I'm upstate NY also in the Hunter area in a log house. We are very clean and never leave food around the house. However we also have a huge fly problem. We've tried bombing with residential strength spray cannisters from hardware stores but they come back in a day or two. If the spraying of the outside of your house was successful, can you please give me the name of the exterminator and contact information. thanks a million Gary1scuba@aol.com
quote:
Originally posted by JohnStJohn: In upstate New York, we have a problem similar to this every year but we have the house sprayed (roof, windows, eaves, everything) and have no flies. They are called chamber or cluster flies. They seem very lethargic but come to life with heat.
