Sick of houseflies! How do you keep them out/get rid of them?!

[morelippy]

Our kitchen always has bloody flies. I don't have a kitchen bin.. I throw rubbish straight in to the wheelie bin after each meal prep, which is nowhere near the kitchen door.

My worktops are clear, and cleaned every time I cook.

No pets

I hate them! I want a fly killer but I can't stand fly papers (vile). Should I try something over the kitchen door? I need it open else we'll bake

I’ll come back in a week or two with results but I have an interest in carnivorous plants and I’ve just managed to finally get some. So far the Saracena (big trumpety things) are looking promising, and the drossera (fuzzy little things) for small flies. Don’t bother with Venus fly traps for effective control as I’ve read they only eat around 4 a year. But they’re cool and I like them.

early signs, there’s definitely fewer bugs around but I haven’t witnessed any being eaten except one that I caught and fed it to and some small flies stuck to the drossera’s. I do keep thinking of that monster in little shop of horrors ‘feed me’

care they need to stand in rainwater permanently during the summer and slightly less in the winter with the saracena being outside as they need a cold dormant spell then bring them back in spring.

I just fly spray them with Raid as and when I see them. It knocks them down very fast.

@Billybagpuss they're cool! Are they a deterrent too?

Jml door screen works, attach with velcro

Im not sure there definitely seems to be fewer around, I need to read more.

I would love a fly screen, but we have big bi-folds. I had wondered about getting a screen just for the main pane that Is open a lot, but can't figure out how that would work when the whole door was opened?

I sprayed the top window one day with flyspray when I found 8 bluebottles in the bathroom. The window was slightly open (sash window) and the flies died quickly and any flies fell out the window - I presume they did as there were no bodies. But has kept flies away since.

We get loads as we live near a farm. I use those hanging yellow things too. I bought one on Monday and it’s pretty much nearly full. It looks vile, so I’d move it if people came round. But OP if you don’t want dead flies hanging around or dodgy smells, just use fly spray. I give the kitchen a squirt before I go out and before bed. Sometimes there are dead flies in the window in the morning and I just dispose of them.

We have a problem in our street with little flies. We all have different homes but are all affected so I assume it's down to the local enviroment.
Last summer I bought one of those electronic tennis racket fly swatters and it did the trick. I might try a carnivorous plant too though.

We resorted to buying wooden beaded curtains last year (barf) it truly is an eyesore, and I've seen nicer ones I may invest in, but it does the job perfectly. We put it up again this year as soon as it warmed up and we noticed the odd one coming in, and literally, not a single one since. We have to have our patio doors open when it's warm, for the dogs, kids, cats, and to keep the house cool and not stuffy, so this was really our only option. Double heights ceilings mean once the flies come in, they just fly aimlessly around above the height of the door, and never ever leave. We had years of trying everything else until we resorted to the dreaded beaded curtain, but it does serve a purpose 🦜, and does it's job bloody well, so I'm learning to love it 😄

Get a Citronella candle!

Door curtain that the cats can shove through stops most. Blue light of death for those that make it in and won't be shooed out. I don't leave it on when we're not here as sometimes you get a smoker.

We have an electric zapper!

Insect-O-Cuter ZE121 Plus zap... https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00JAIC5GA?ref=ppxpoppmobappshare

We've just bought one of these. Not had a single fly in. Our back door open all the time we're in.

Same problem here, there's a very loud one and I swear it follows me round the house!
I got some citronella candles but that hasn't deterred them.
I put sticky fly papers up, I swear the buggers watch me doing it, and then take great care to avoid them. I now stink of WD40 which I used to remove the sticky patch I managed to get on my arm from unwinding the bastard things.
I try to avoid aerosols because they trigger my reflux but think that's on the list today.

Can confirm this does not work.

This is genius!

Get yourself one of these: www.amazon.co.uk/Sourcing4U-Executioner-Mosquito-Swatter-Zapper/dp/B003TT3GDC

Immensely satisfying

Pots of herbs in your kitchen: sage, lemon balm and basil.

We made metal framed screens in our last house, attached to window with tiny hinges, closed with a catch so easy to open and close window. They were fab. Bought a kit and cut to size.

I tried that. It didn't work.

We get loads of flies (bi fold doors that we open or it gets too hot!).
I've never wanted door screens as it defeats the pint of having the open flow from in to out.
We have a fly zapper like they have in takeaways! Had it a few years and very effective.
It's due a clean out today!

I've just got the magnetic fly screens for £5 in B&M. So dar so good.

Also use these in the garden:

Red Top Fly Traps, Fly Trap, Red, 2 Pack : Amazon.co.uk: Garden

You don't want them anywhere near the house / where you sit etc. They stink. Be warned that they can lay eggs in there before they die and then you have maggots in there too. VOM. Very very effective though.

Citronella tealights help enormously. Bough mine at LIDL last year and this year- from SAVERS. No need to waste money on expensive stuff. Just light a tealight and open the door/window, and all the flies will leave in couple of minutes.

The bag thing defintely works for us...maybe it depends on where you hang it? Ours is right outside the back door where most of the flies come in.