Help! I can't stand my conservatory!

[lulubelle1977]

Hi, can you help?

I live our house and very grateful to have the conservatory however it has been a nightmare to live with. Too hot in the summer, too bright to have lunch in etc, but my biggest problem.....THE FLIES!

everyday I have to hoover away cobwebs, dead flies, can't reach the top to clean them away, they seem to gather everyday.

Any suggestions?

I have bought one of those electric bug killer things but that only really works at nighttime as it's a UV light thingy. Maybe it's not just a conservatory thing, but they are everywhere. I thought of buying one hose sticky yellow things but it would be inside the house and quite a touchy thing to look at when we're eating in there.

Any advice?

Get a Red Top fly catcher set up outside and spray citronella around the doorway - hanging wooden decorations around the door sound crap, but you can soak them in citronella oil.
What's your budget with the conservatory? I bet you would be able to give it a bit of a do up to make it more fit for purpose. Pil have a dark film on their conservatory roof, which reduces sunlight and heat. Good blinds on the windows will help.

I live on a farm and the fly level is disgusting. They crawl in through the sash mechanism of the windows so even closing them doesn't help. I am shortly going to plasticine the sash holes closed (well, it's similar, a big white block of the stuff) which will be a ballache, but whatever, it's a rental, so I can't change them. In the meantime I bought these and they are absolutely brilliant.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07W8SG73S?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

I have them on the windows but I also rig them up off light fittings with garden twine, large nappy clips and a hole punch so they hang underneath the fittings, but I can control the height (which you can't with those nasty brown things).

Ps, don't be tempted to get the flower shaped ones (Rentokil iirc). They take weeks to work and then they only catch 1/10th the ones above do.

Also, these ones don't stink and leave horrid chemicals on your fingers.

This time I remembered to put the higher up so my cat doesn't brush up against them!

Ours is buggy too - window screens are my only suggestion for that.

An awning above the conservatory roof is better than blinds for controlling heat in the summer as the glass doesn't get the chance to magnify the heat.

@tensmumsnot

Awning ABOVE the conservatory is an absolutely brilliant idea - you are totally right I can see this stopping the heat before it gets trapped. I have never heard/seen this but honestly it's genius.

Now... all we need is to build this into a mechanism to integrate on top of the conservatory roof in a nice seamless way... is this FINALLY the millionaire idea I've been hoping for all my life??

I’ve only seen it on a lean to conservatory. I’ve been tempted to try it with a sail blind to test the theory and they’re cheap.

We got an insulated lightweight roof fitted to ours and then thermal blackout blinds on the windows. So much more useable. Fewer flies but we do live near farms so they see everywhere.

Yes, this is what we wanted a roof to go on top but we're told that it wouldn't take the weight.

Anyone with experience or advice on this?