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Hi Everyone,
Hoping you can help me on this one, you are all always so great.
We arrived at our cabin this weekend and as always when we arrive there are always dead house flies on the floor, they tend to be in front of the window in the living room and then in the loft. Hundreds of them...
I vacuum them up and then as the camp heats up they start coming out.
I sprayed and vacuumed all weekend long. Yesterday as the camp cooled down I noticed they started to disappear. I had my husband spray before we left but I have a feeling when we arrive next time we will arrive to lots of dead flies.
I have noticed in the past that there are many flies outside in our grass and even just on the side of the camp (log cabin).
I hate to over-use chemicals but I am thinking that next time we should get one of those "bombs" and do it before we leave. I do not know where these flies are hiding...
The cabin is very clean, we do not leave garbage are anything that would attract them hanging around.
Does anyone have any ideas? Would "bombing" the place be our best bet to get any that are hiding in cracks and crevices?
These are not ordinary house flies. They are called "cluster flies" and they follow a heat path into buildings at this time of year. They bunch up near the peaks or inside upper corners of rooms. They are disagreeable, but not an indication that anybody is a poor housekeeper. They are beneficial from one point of view. They indicate that you have quite a bit of heat leaking out of your cabin.
My house squeaks and creaks, sags and dips, expands and contracts with the seasons...but it never flies. Maybe if you tie it down with a rope, or put something really heavy up on the roof? That should hold it down.
Thanks NMLM. I have never heard of cluster flies but will google them. I will also have dearest hubby checking for heat loss. We had a metal roof put on this summer with an extra layer of insulation, however I am sure there is probably some heat escaping somewhere and we will look for that.
Yes, cluster flies are the curse of the world. They are dumb flies...easy to swat them but there are so many. I have a buddy who gets them in his house in Sherman and he was told they are something that comes from farm soil...not all soils, but if you have them, that's the source. If you are unfortunate enough to live in an area where they exist, they will find a way into your house. Something about the soil. Only good thing I can tell you is some folks have a major infestation!...and a few years later they are not a problem...but seal up any way that they have to get into your attic...then the dwelling space...that's the only way to combat it....and hope they live out their cycle, but Sherman is a hot spot for them.
Thanks NMLM. I have never heard of cluster flies but will google them. I will also have dearest hubby checking for heat loss. We had a metal roof put on this summer with an extra layer of insulation, however I am sure there is probably some heat escaping somewhere and we will look for that.
Teachertype...thanks for the laugh!!
I've experienced them.
Wait for it to get really, really cold out.
Then when they group by a window, open the window and let them out.
Then watch them fly out the window and make it only a few feet before they fall out of the air when the cold hits them.
Location: 3.5 sq mile island ant nest next to Canada
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Sorry. The thread reminded me of this and I had to post it. Farmer could'a been my uncle. He was dry like that too.
A farmer got pulled over by a state trooper for speeding, and
the trooper started to lecture the farmer about his speed, and
in general began to throw his weight around to try to make the
farmer uncomfortable.
Finally, the trooper got around to writing out the ticket, and
as he was doing that he kept swatting at some flies that were
buzzing around his head. The farmer said, "Having some problems
with cluster flies there, are ya?"
The trooper stopped writing the ticket and said--"Well yeah, if
that's what they are--I never heard of cluster flies."
So the farmer says, "Well, cluster flies are common on farms.
They're almost always found around the back end of a horse."
The trooper says, "Oh," and goes back to writing the ticket.
Then after a minute he stops and says, "Hey...wait a minute,
are you trying to call me a horse's ass?"
The farmer says, "Oh no, officer. I have too much respect for
law enforcement and police officers to even think about calling
you a horse's ass."
After a long pause, the farmer says, "Hard to fool them flies,
though."
We also have had problems with flies in the house. A neighbor told us that they lay their eggs on leaves, and that if you step on/bring in leaves in the fall, the eggs could drop onto the flooring and hatch. Not sure if this is true, but we always wipe our feet well when we come in, and get rid of any leaves that we might track inside. We do get fewer flies since we started this.
I'm having an issue with fruit flies right now... not fun! This afternoon I'm going to bait them with an orange and suck them up with the vacuum cleaner wand. Yup.... excitement going on here today!
Good luck JLynn!
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