Flies in the house are driving me insane, how can I stop them coming in?

[ClockwatchingClara]

Over the last few weeks, for some reason our area has had a large influx of flies. Many people commenting on local FB pages but no one knows where there are suddenly coming from or how to get rid of them.

We have a dog and I clean and wash down floors and counter tops every day. We do leave the back door open during the summer months (and use one of those door meshes) but our dog is a rescue (he was not trained as a puppy) and if we don't leave the door open he pees in the house (we have tried literally everything to try to prevent this but he still does this 3 years on, luckily only in the utility room).

The back of our house is south facing and leaving the windows closed makes the place feel like a furnace so we have to have them open during the summer and tbh I like fresh air coming into the house just not these awful flies.

We use fly spray and dh spends his time whacking them with a damp tea-towel.

They are driving me to distraction, I hate the fuckers.

Any other tips that I could try?

I used to get this a lot where I used to live.

There may be better tips out there, but I used to make sure there was no food left out, and put pet dishes away or wash even if empty. There may be traces of food attracting them?

I also tried putting lots of mint, rosemary sprigs around the kitchen entrance. I was lucky to have large bushes of it in my garden.

I don’t like using spray, because of the chemical. I once tried good old fashioned fly paper. Other than that I bought a supply of cheap fly swatters and kept them very handy. It improves your hand eye co-ordination and reaction times no end!

I read once that putting shiny pennies in a clear plastic bag of water near an entrance deters them . No idea if it works . What about spraying around doorframe and burning citronella tealights .

The best thing you can do is open more windows. I find it I open my back door they come in and buzz around the kitchen. But if I open my back door AND the kitchen window they come in and buzz off again.

I absolutely detest flies and have a magnetic insect screen for my back door, so even when my cat goes out, it closes behind her. For the windows, have velcro attached insect screens, but if you have some money, you can get properly fitted ones.

We have had a recent influx of flies recently.

Someone told me Raid flyspray last about a week so I sprayed outside on window frames and patio doors - any flies coming through were distinctly dozy and died on the windowsill.

Have you got decking ? Our issue was flies redding under the decking so I sprayed in the gaps there (couldn't take up boards) and oit really reduced the flies.

Hate fly influences... blurgh...

I feel your pain! I live between two farms, so it's flies galore around here.

I have fly screens up. Don't go for the ones with tiny magnets in the corners, as while it does cut down on some flies, you still get persistent moths and spiders coming in! I'm in the process of changing those ones with these: Magnetic Window Screen,UtauHom Fly Screen for Windows Max Size 120 x 130cm，Fiberglass Mesh Easy Installation Prevents Insects/Flies/Mosquitoes from Entering The Room（White Frame with White Net） : Amazon.co.uk: DIY & Tools

One year we had an invasion of flies. I noticed some emerging from soil from houseplants.

I don’t know if it was plant feed already in the soil when we bought plants or if flies were encouraged by the smell (no smell to us), but we got rid of every single houseplant and the flies immediately disappeared.

Not had a plant indoors since and very rarely see a fly indoors.

We must live in the same area OP. Last week, I tried 4 supermarkets locally and all had sold out fly spray!
I have these traps outside. They absolutely stink when up close, so keep them away from any open doors/windows. The do work very well though.

Would your dog use a doggy door?
My grandparents used to have a beaded screening in front of some doors which helped.

I saw someone* online yesterday recommending half a lemon in an eggcup, with cloves stuck into the open end? Apparently flies hate the smell of cloves.

*can't think of her name. Older lady, late 60's who writes books about ecological cleaning tips.

Are you in the UK? Because I read that Raid has had most of its active ingredient removed, and is only an air freshener now!

We have been burning the citronella candles but will try the pennies in water, willing to try anything.

I think we may need to invest in these as they are driving me insane.

We have the Raid spray but I didn't think to spray outside the door frames and windows, I will try that.

Thanks, we definitely need something like that.

I'm not sure where they are emerging from, have checked the house plants but can't see anything. It seems to be an issue in my area, the local FB groups are all moaning about it and dd works at a local store where they keep selling out of fly spray atm.

I've got the window mesh, like the ones you have on the back door but specifically for windows. They're brilliant

I have these at my back door, hung on a tension rod. The cat and dog don't mind going in and out with it there and I've seen a marked decrease in the number of flies coming in.

DD says the store which she works at the weekends keeps selling out of fly spray.

I have just ordered some of the fly traps, hope they help.

We do have a beaded screen but they annoyingly still keep getting through.

I'll try that, thanks.

I have the same ones but they are still getting through, the little buggers.

https://www.stardrops.co.uk/products/the-miracle-toilet-cleaner

I have been told that using this on the door surrounds and windows works to keep them away, have to re do it each week. I tried it last year at the end of summer and it worked, haven’t tried it again yet.

Grey mesh, so it's invisible inside and outside. If one gets in, it gets swatted. Won't use spray. I'm surprised how much chemical is used by people on here. Candles, plug ins, insect spray.

I don’t know if it makes a difference but where they’d probably expect you to hang one of these across a standard door I actually have three so that they can be bunched up more.

That's a good idea, I'll get a few more.

We have a couple of Nepenthes plants in the main areas where we have fly trouble. The flies disappear very quickly we just don't notice them even if they do get in.