Zapping flies - any different suggestions?

[aernethril]

Hi folks

Since the introduction of the fortnightly wheelie bin collection, for years now the nuisance with flies has been a right pain, even using bin powder.

I use fly spray, but I'm not overly happy with squirting chemicals into my atmosphere and landing goodness knows where and then the ruddy things go bonkers crashing into everything before they finally expire very slowy somewhere, usually under a heavy piece of furniture - to find loads of bodies when a spring clean is called for.

I've tried fly papers but the only being that every stuck to them was me and the flies seemed to just fly around them with remarkable scorn at my attempts to ensnare them.

Does anyone else have any suggestions which work to either deter the blighters or zap 'em without nasty chemicals wafting around the home?

[fishpieface]

I know, they're a pain aren't they?  I don't like killing things either, or squirting aerosols stuff about.

Also, if I must kill them I'd rather do so humanely 'cos, much as I hate them, I guess they have

feelings too!

I do try just wafting them in the general direction of the outdoors but they haven't got much

sense and it's a bit hit & miss!

[ed_blackadder_1]

Sorry can't help, but I would love to know too,  dont like sprays worry about the effect it has on us and dogs, fly papers are ok but look awful hanging from the window with dead flies all over it, when it works.

[chickengrandma-2008]

We get a lot of flies because of the chickens and the duck pond.  I don't like using sprays so we just have fly swats all over the house, well, in the kitchen, dining room and bedroom.  If a fly lands, a swat is within reach and the fly hardly ever takes off again! 

[merc1_clocks]

You must be a good shot CG

[cat-knitter]

I'm paranoid about flys coming in the house, mainly because next door has 5 dogs & they don't clear the mess up often enough
I have 3 different fly screen/curtains up at my back door for when its left open (which is never atm because of my new puddy cat)  hardly any flies ever get in but when they do I have one (or maybe  2 or 3 )  of those bug zappers that look a bit like a tennis racket & chase them around with that
As for the wheelie bins ........ thankfully we don't seem to have too much bother with flies around those but then again I always well wrap any rubbish before binning it 

[aernethril]

Seems to be something of a problem then.

I've thought of getting a fly swat but I'm more likely to end up wrecking all the breakables around the house.

It's the neighbours in the main who are the problems - they don't wrap their old food or clear their tin containers, bottle etc, so sometimes the stench is gagging and one time, things were so bad, one neighbour's bin was heaving inside and all over the outside with huge bluebottles hatching from maggot chrysalises.

I used to live next door to neighbours with just one large dog in a tiny garden and they never cleared up the mess at all. It's really gross.

[ed_blackadder_1]

That makes me so cross, its bad enough with the normal flies that are around this time of the year without dirty who don't pick up after their dogs.  Blue bottles are gross, I just found one sniffing around my bin and hit it with my trowell, one less. My hubby uses

one of my magazines to swat them he keeps it by his side. I use a powder from Jeyes in my bin, stinks but seems to keep them at bay probably because it stinks, for those of you who know what jeyes fluid smells like.

[ed_blackadder_1]

Apologies for my use of a rude b word I am sorry if it offended and the offending word has been deleted for me.

[ed_blackadder_1]

even though I didn't actually type the full word and it wasn't actually a very rude word I am sorry

[aernethril]

Didn't even see the word but 'blighters' is fine - it's not rude at all.

[ed_blackadder_1]

Thanks I will remember that one in future, it was very similar with lots of stars so didn't actually say the word, hey ho slap wrists.

[2017clearout]

I got some fly papers on here, and although they've caught me three times since I put them up, they are blooming wonderful!  I spent all summer refusing to get them, and being sickened by the big buzzing bluebottles just looking for a corpse (mind you, round the back of ours, they'd probably find one!) but since I put them up, it's transformed the house.  Admittedly, I have a tiny back yard that backs onto a ginnel which looks like something from the third world in the 70s (we don't have bins here as there's no room) so they flies are a *huge* issue in the summer - but honestly, I don't even see the fly papers any more, and it's so worth it not to be lying I bed and hearing buzzing, finding flies walking on all the kitchen surfaces and not daring to put a plate or cup down for fear of attack-  and though the flies may laugh in the beginning, the magic paper gets them all in the end!  (Note - if this sounds slightly sinister, please read it on the back of a bin strike and a back door that hasn't been closed for two months because of the heat!  I'm usually very kind to God's creatures, even the ones that want to drive me insane by crawling on everything...)

[bankhaunter]

With neighbours like that it sounds like a word with the local evironmental health dept. might be an idea.

[peteryola]

We don't get flies in our bin - there is nothing organic going into the bin in the first place.  No organics = no smells and no flies.

We're on a fortnightly collection, landfill bin one week and recycling bin the other week but while most fortnights the recycling bin is being emptied we only put the landfill bin out when it fills up ( typically every 6 weeks or so ).

Any flies that do invade the house find themselves being stunned with a cushion, picked up by one wing, carried out of the house and then dropped into the nearest suitably large cobweb...

[ilove2patch]

I use the Jeys bin powder too. No food waste in my fortnightly bin but the doggy bags go in there & can niff a bit in hot weather. All food waste of which there is very little goes weekly.

[*elphaba*]

You could try the 'sandwich bag of water' trick.   Many people swear it works and as I've never tried it I can't comment either way but its harmless to try:

Fill a sandwich or other clear bag with water and possibly a penny or a couple of small crumbled bits of foil, and hang above the main fly hi way into your house.

I've hardly seen a fly since we haven't had cats and have had a weekly food waste collection, but the trick above is well worth a try for those who are suffering due to the inaction of others

[ed_blackadder_1]

That sounds like it might be worth a try,  the only thing that smells in our bin is dog poo as well.  All our food waste goes once a fortnight so I usually leave haveing fish or whole chicken until the night before so it goes straight away

[ilove2patch]

I think once every two weeks is too long for food waste collection. Especially in this weather. Ours is taken weekly which is good as I often have fresh fish from my neighbour & I have to clean them myself.

[ed_blackadder_1]

I agree about the food waste but ours goes in the garden waste and we don't really need that to go everyweek, I think it is different in different parts of the country, After a while you get used to it and plan meals accordingly, I dont tend to waste any food as I have 2 human waste disposal units living in the house,   It is only bones and fish guts as my husband catches fish, but he knows he can't go until the weekend before bin day. We have also found that if the bin isn't going for a few weeks we can freeze the bones and then take them out the night before the bin goes.  In the winter we get pheasant from the local shoot, but it doesn't matter quite so much then as it is colder. I know it sounds a bit over the top but I wash the plastic cartons that have had meat in that way it gets rid of anything for the flies to feast on,  dog waste is a problem though can't do much with that except the Jeyes powder.