We are really being bothered by flies more than usual just now because of the heat. We live on a farm and as soon as we open doors or windows, they come in.

Have tried lots of diffferent thigs to keep them out - the Easytraps with a mixutre of orange juice and sugar help to a certain extent.
Have tried the little tennis raquets that give them an electric shock if you follow them found the windows and zap them.

Does anyone have any suggestions of what to clean windows and wipe over window sills to repel them - one person has suggested using disinfectant (Dettol) in water and I am going to try that.
Am open to any ideas and suggestions.
Thanks

Although I don't have a fly issue, I believe that oil of lavender repels flies. I recall Mum used to have oil of lavender in a little dish on the windowsill in the kitchen at home, but I have heard that you can dilute it with water and spray a fine mist around window frames and window sills.

Regards,

Barbara Anne



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/23/2018 10:49AM by Barbara Anne.

I don't have any solutions but I sympathise....they are taking over the world right now!!

Our house is full of flies!
I usually resist chemicals but did get the house sprayed last week. I don't think it made any difference.
I have heard that lavender repels flies but haven't tried it.
I also use the electric shock tennis racquet and have those sticky fly strips hanging from the ceiling. They are unsightly but they do work.

Starting about two days ago we are being pestered by clouds of little very active flies. I've put a bowl of lavender oil on the kitchen bench and will report if it makes a difference. Same thing happened this time last year and we blamed it on having livestock next door, but he neighbouring paddocks are empty at present and the flies are just as bad.

My husband swats them with a fly swat and the random slapping noise drives me mad.

Flies also a problem here. I've given up on getting rid of them, and resorted to sitting in front of a fan at all times (33 degrees here today so best place to be), the moving air disrupts their flight so they don't come into my own personal zone.

Griz I find a fan is great for avoiding mosquitos in our bedroom at night. The mosquitos don't like the moving air.

I believe that It's not the moving air per se that mossies don't like, it's the fact that it makes them lose the scent of the blood that they are seeking.

Agree that a fan in the bedroom serves two purposes providing it is quiet and doesn't disturb your sleep.

Regards,

Barbara Anne

Ah that is interesting re mozzies and the scent that is lost with moving air.
I would like to sleep with a fan all year round as find the noise soothing, Unfortunately it drives Ed mad but currently it is a choice of fan or mosquitos and so far I think I am on the winning end.

The fan in our room makes a sound that somehow sounds like the start of my alarm, my sleeping brain completes it and I wake up, happened about 4 times last night. I'm moving a different fan in there tonight.

I enjoy the sound of my fan at night. White noise. I've also got a radio-alarm clock that has 5 different white noise sounds on it, mostly watery sounds like rain falling, waves crashing, etc. I like the waves crashing sound except that some misguided soul has also put the occasional sound of a seagull screeching, which wakes me up as soon as I've dropped off!

I can report that the lavender oil did nothing. I left a saucer of it on the kitchen bench and they were not deterred. The only casualty was one fly that fell in and drowned. I also dabbed some lavender oil on various parts of my body and it made no difference whatever.

Simmering vinegar in a saucepan on the stove deters flies I think (if you can stand the smell!). We have had surprisingly few flies considering we are on a farm.
Regards,
Dawn.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/26/2018 09:35PM by Dawn.

No flies. No mosquitos. I have fly screens. Wonderful things.

Have found easyTRAP products (easily found on the net and available in lots of stores around NZ) and bought some window strips which are meant to attract flies plus a hanging feature that is meant to attract them.
The outdoor product that you put orange juice and sugar into, has worked well on a deck. They have lots of different products to get rid of various pests.

These strips are poison free. Used to have a sticky thing that went on the windows which was a floral picture and was bought from the supermarket and worked brilliantly. Flies were attracted to them and they died and dropped below on the window will. But it was discontinued - contacted the distributors and they said something about being discontinued - maybe because they were toxic.Have talked to other people who found those sticky window decals good too.
So am now trying the easyTRAP strip - about 4 inch long strip - say it has a natural food attractant that will attract them and they stick to it. Now the hot weather has changed down south here and so doors are shut today - now waiting for the hot weather to return so I can try these out.

I always wonder about these fly-attractant fly traps. Don't they attract more flies than they catch? Now, if they had fly-repellant on them, I could understand it.

I will let you know if they are any good. We live in Southland and with the extremely hot weather we have been having, the flies were coming as soon as I opened doors or windows. Then yesterday it started raining (very welcome) so I have to wait for the next heat wave or fine days to see if these products work.
Will keep you posted.

Yes I have finally caught some flies - they are slow in learning to go to the sticky
window strips - they walk around the window strip for a while before they venture on to them to get trapped.
Also have caught the first fly on the hanging fly trap - but we are only starting to have warm sunny days again to be fair.
Rang the people at easyTRAP to find out about stockists and the lady I spoke to assures me that she has the window strips and they work well.

painting a thin line of ripcord around the edge of the windows works a treat - I have considered painting a design on the centre of a window as it works so well, but is limited to a very tiny area around the edge. I wondered about how to clean off a design, which was what stopped me doing it. Haha. Janet

EasyTRAP window strips are working well and catching flies on sunny days.
So I can recommend them. Did put one of the strips back to front on one window - didn't work at all and was getting frustrated until I realised what I had done. Flies just walked across and weren't sticking - as soon as I turned it round the correct way, they started getting caught.