Another thing that's BUGGING me ;) (Washington: house, landlord, best)

[Alltheusernamesaretaken]

Thanks for all the great tips/info on the gnats!
Now here is my other question: How can I deter flies in my house?

OH all the bloomin' flies.
Our windows suck (thank you, cheap landlord) so I'm thinking they are getting in that way but I'm having a hard time pinpointing exactly where.
They are congregating on the south-facing windows, just as the stinkbugs did. I assume they like the warmth?

In the meanwhile, what have you have success with as far as deterring the flies that invariably
(no matter how carefully you go outside and come inside!)
end up inside your house?

[jmking]

A Fly Swatter.
Good for stink bugs too. gnats not so much so, liable to hit yourself in the face and knock your eye out.

Yahoo! Image Search Results for fly swatter

[Alltheusernamesaretaken]

A fly swatter is fine for when they're already there.
I want to deter them.

[Teebyrd86]

Originally Posted by Alltheusernamesaretaken

Thanks for all the great tips/info on the gnats!
Now here is my other question: How can I deter flies in my house?

OH all the bloomin' flies.
Our windows suck (thank you, cheap landlord) so I'm thinking they are getting in that way but I'm having a hard time pinpointing exactly where.
They are congregating on the south-facing windows, just as the stinkbugs did. I assume they like the warmth?

In the meanwhile, what have you have success with as far as deterring the flies that invariably
(no matter how carefully you go outside and come inside!)
end up inside your house?

Get a cat

[Pandoras]

In my household, I am the official "Fly Catcher" extraordinaire/Bug Ninja. Even with best efforts, the little suckers get into my house. First I just outright kill as many as possible with a regular fly swatter. I am embarrassed to say but I also kill them midflight using old Washingtonian magazines. I have also been know to snap towels and take them out like that as well.

Next round, I shut off all the lights except one and kill any that congregate. If it is really bad like last spring, I resort to fly tape. I throw it out after I catch them.

I've sealed out any little gaps near my front and back door and such so it is much better this year. I've also sealed little gaps by my patio door.

[Alltheusernamesaretaken]

Originally Posted by Pandoras

I am embarrassed to say but I also kill them midflight using old Washingtonian magazines. I have also been know to snap towels and take them out like that as well.

Don't be embarassed; I stun them in mid-air also.
I have been snapping towels lately too; that's how I'm able to get most of them.

[vermonter16]

Get a cat! It is like a herd in my house when there is a fly in the house....running back and forth and then bam - up in the window, up in the blinds....nope, flys don't last long in my house....neither do crickets...or any other bug for that matter.

[saganista]

Originally Posted by vermonter16

Get a cat! It is like a herd in my house when there is a fly in the house....running back and forth and then bam - up in the window, up in the blinds....nope, flys don't last long in my house....neither do crickets...or any other bug for that matter.

Or any breakables that happen to be near a window, door, or route that cats might decide to take in their single-minded mission of devouring all flies as quickly as possible. Nail or glue all that stuff down during fly-season.

[vermonter16]

Oh, breakables near the windows? Can't even remember when the last time I had something breakable near the window, lol!

[scottfs]

Originally Posted by vermonter16

Get a cat! It is like a herd in my house when there is a fly in the house....running back and forth and then bam - up in the window, up in the blinds....nope, flys don't last long in my house....neither do crickets...or any other bug for that matter.

I second this, it's like your own personal bug alert system. A few weeks ago I'm relaxing reading a magazine on the couch when suddenly I have the sensation that something is flying through the air towards me. Before I even have a chance to think the cat has landed on the armrest behind my head and captured the evil stink-bug that I didn't know was lurking behind me!

Our kitty has learned that a few bugs manage to slip in around the cracks in the front door, particularly at night when the porch light is on. So when it gets dark she heads over there and just stares at the door, waiting for some sucker of a bug to come crawling along.