devastation with flies

Dealing with flies in the summer months

Well, in the UK, we don’t have window shutters to keep flies out, nor chain curtains, nor mesh over our windows. We open our windows and doors in hot weather to allow a cooling draught through our houses. Of course this allows those awful green/blue bottle flies to come in and lay their eggs in our pets’ food and in other exposed food. It is not pleasant, nor is that insistent buzz in our bedrooms as these flies circle around our lamps, windows and us when we get into bed.

I have found that bunches of lavender [ this season’s] tied up in each room, especially where the flies might come in, has been particularly effective. Even if the flies do come in, it seems they will seek a rapid way out. All good stuff.

However, it seems that those irritating little pests – the fruit flies/ vinegar flies/ compost flies are a major problem and don’t respond to the lavender trick.

Having just come back from a trip to London, I find that there are hundreds [if not thousands] of the little beggers in my kitchen and utility rooms.

I am reluctant to spray anything in my food preparation area or in my cat’s food area.

I have explored different solutions:

·         They are fairly easily caught, there are so many of them – any slap of the hands close to where they are flying is sure to catch one or two  but, what effect will this have on this huge population?

·         I can smack on their landing places and kill one or two with each swipe but, again, what effect will this have on the population?

·         I have tried a commercial product, Zensect, recommended to me by my local hardware shop – at £4.99 for a pack of two this was a complete waste of time and impossible to stick onto surfaces where it may have been effective – possibly!

·         I have introduced old-fashioned fly papers – they are ugly but are already catching the unwary fly or three. Not a brilliant result but, better than millions of flies buzzing around my head

·         I have placed a few glasses of different alcoholic concoctions around my kitchen and utility rooms. So far the glass containing a fairly high alcolohic content of a Danish spirit is the most effective. Possibly indicating that other drinks with a high alcoholic content might be the winners

·         Sherry is okay but not brilliant.

·         Sweet wine with added vinegar has been okay but, not brilliant.

·         My cooked beetroots, ready for further processing have been quite popular.

I would be really grateful for any advice which might help me with these pests and which I could pass on to other sufferers