Wish all the bastard flies would F off 😩

[rosesarebluer]

I’m being driven insane by them. Every time I start to prepare any food they swarm in like a plague of locusts. I’m really careful to clean up as I go along, don’t leave food/crumbs out. Can’t keep windows closed because it’s so bloody hot. Roll on winter. If anyone has found anything that works apart from poisoning us all with fly spray, let me know! We don’t put bird food out, or have any pets 🤷🏼‍♀️

Same problem here. Apparently there are fewer wasps which means more flies. I have even left a cobweb up in the kitchen which has caught a few!

We have a lot. The cat poo from feline invaders isn't helping and then there's the bloody council food bin thing.

All the wasps are at my house. In a nest 🙄

I started burning pots of coffee beans and it’s really helped.

We also have 'the exectioner', an electric tennis racket shaped thing that DP likes to hit them with if they do get in. I think he thinks he's Jannick Sinner, but they do make a satisfying crack and blue spark when he gets them.

I was doing ok fly-wise until yesterday when they did some muck-spreading at a local farm. Now I'm plagued by the little buggers. I usually manage to thwack the bigger ones with a rolled up newspaper or something, but these ones are smaller and more evasive.

Can you share them round a bit please to get rid of the flies! 🤣

I've always wondered if they actually work!

Out of interest, we didn't get day of the flying ants this year, it just occurred to me. Did anyone else? It was normally the last week of july, regular as clockwork.

I think I would love one of those

Ughh they're everywhere. I was searing some meat in a pan at the weekend. Left it to sit for a moment when there was a knock at the door. Came back just a minute later to a whirling cloud of flies above the pan in the kitchen. Not just one or two .. a bloody great swarm! I've never known anything like it.

Obviously the smell of the meat drew them in. And my blood-curdling scream did what it could to drive them away!

It’s the fruit flies here. Little bastards.

If I pour myself a wine, they are straight in there within minutes. So I left wine out in a little container to try and trap them but they are not interested in that.

HOW DO THEY KNOW??

Amazon is your friend! Other names are available....

I heard it’s the lack of wasps. Due to the heat.

It’s been horrendous this year! Citronella candles seem to help, I’m also looking at fly screens

They do! With wasps you have to batter them to death, but one swipe at a fly, and it's a satisfying crack and blue light if you hit it.

He got 3 in one swipe last week, you'd have thought he'd won wimbledon.

No flying ants here.

Interesting, it must be a heat wave thing. It was only this thread that reminded me it hadn't happened

We should have all mentioned the region we live in.

Sorry, Ive made it sound like the flies were knocking at the door. Well, they were bloody massive and there were lots of them ...

True. South London, where it's been pretty regular within a two week window for years.

I’ve just googled my area about flying ants and it said it happened in smaller pockets back in July but might not have noticeable and was indeed due to the weather

I bought some of the yellow fly paper sheets and stuck that to the outside bin. Had about 400 bluebottles stuck on it after a day. They absolutely stink! I'm going to jet wash the bin as well hose pipe ban or not. It's unbelievable bad this year. I haven't seen a bed or a single wasp. Only hornets

We’ve had a wasps nests, fruit flies obsesssing over the kitchen sink, big flies if you leave the pet food unattended for a moment or back door open and celebrated flying ant day. Very biodiverse round here.

OP - bluebottles usually mean a body. We had a horrid problem one year as students when some mice died behind a broken wall.
Is there anyone you can contact about your neighbour or environmental health maybe?

When I'm at home I keep a scented candle burning in the kitchen constantly until I go to bed. The back door and windows are open and I rarely see any flies so this seems to work.