Help! I'm Being Inundated With....

@pyewacket (43903)
United States
September 8, 2008 1:51am CST
FLIES! Okay laugh all you want but I'm going nuts here with these pesky flies. At first it was only one or two....but now I must have at least ten maybe more buzzing around. I have fly paper around and of course they're ignoring it. I keep my trash closed tight and routinely throw the garbage out and clean the garbage bin I have so they can't get in it...My cats are worthless as pest controllers...LOL..They just look at them flying around with amusement. Any tips on how to get rid of these flies before I'm swarmed with more? Remember I have cats so bug juice, foggers anything like that is definitely OUT...want to kill the flies, not my cats in the process of getting rid of them. Any other way of getting rid of them more naturally without harmful chemicals?
12 people like this
51 responses
@ElicBxn (63194)
• United States
8 Sep 08
My mother was a KILLER with a newspaper - can you swat them? I'm sure you have screens on your windows - figure out where they are coming from and block it off. Roomie wants me to post my fly story - I guess I'll have to do it soon!
4 people like this
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
8 Sep 08
I guess I'll have to practice my swatting skills...LOL. Yup, do have screens in all my windows and they're okay. What's you're fly story?
4 people like this
@ElicBxn (63194)
• United States
8 Sep 08
I'll tell it when its not the middle of the night - its funny!
4 people like this
• Canada
8 Sep 08
I'm looking forward to hearing the story too.
4 people like this
@kareng (53375)
• United States
8 Sep 08
I hate flies too! I think they are disgusting... I hope you get rid of them soon. They should eventually find the fly paper I would hope! Good luck!
@kareng (53375)
• United States
9 Sep 08
Do you have any honey you could dab on there to guide them to it?? Just a thought!!
1 person likes this
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
8 Sep 08
Those pesky flies are ignoring the fly paper completely....sheesh
2 people like this
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
10 Sep 08
I'll give that a shot...yup..always have honey on hand
• United States
8 Sep 08
Uh - are those flies just flying rings around near the top of your head? just going around in circles like moons orbiting a planet? When did you last sleep? 40 hours ago? Maybe 60? Or (instincts tell me) you don't remember? Uh - the same instincts I just mentioned is nagging me to ask/request some of whatever that stuff you've been smoking is. In all seriousness, I have a fly swatter at my house I use for such an occasion. When my father is here, he just catches them one by one with his hand. As for me, sometimes it works, & other times, I completely miss. At my workplace, I had people laughing when chasing flies around the place, because they said that I acted like a samaurai with his sword.
3 people like this
• United States
9 Sep 08
Not sure why, but I didn't see the response above mine until AFTER I posted mine, & I just had to say something.
1 person likes this
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
8 Sep 08
Interesting you should mention about you acting like a samurai with a sword...just commented about you mentioning about the bandanas....like something out of the movie The Karate Kid. Nope I've been sleeping fine, and don't smoke anything funny
1 person likes this
@Lakota12 (42600)
• United States
8 Sep 08
Can only say get a fly swatter I have several inside and out side the house they come in good for flys and roaches!
3 people like this
@Lakota12 (42600)
• United States
9 Sep 08
s that would help alot lol
1 person likes this
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
8 Sep 08
I'll see about getting a swatter tomorrow...sure wish my two kitties would catch them though...LOL
1 person likes this
• United States
8 Sep 08
I know how annoying it can be to have several flies inside, especially when you do your best to keep things clean, and those annoying little buggers still swarm in your house. Living close to several horse and cow farmers, the summer months would almost be unbearable here for me, cause it seemed no matter what I did, would still have a horrible fly problem. Until I started placing bits of lavender oil soaked sponge around the house. I was told about this method by a friend, who uses this method to keep pests away from her guests during outdoor parties she sometimes throws. I have used this for only a month and have noticed that the fly population is now down considerably from 20 to 30 to maybe 1 here and there. I keep the sponge pieces on a plastic lid in a place that is not noticeable and up so the cats and kids can't get into them. Once a week a go around with my lavender oil and an eye dropper to refresh. Keeps the house smelling nice too.
3 people like this
• United States
9 Sep 08
I had gotten mine off from Ebay a few months ago, was gonna make some lavender scented candles, just never got around to it. I have to get most my scented oils off the internet, since the nearest craft store to me is 40 miles away. Do you have a Michaels in your area? They usually have scented oils that are pretty cheap.
1 person likes this
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
9 Sep 08
Nope...no Michaels nearby...actually right at the moment my funds are kind of low anyway and still haven't even paid all my bills yet..
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
8 Sep 08
I'll have to see if I can find any lavender oil around here in my area...yes, if anything it would make the place smell nice...LOL
@ellie333 (21016)
8 Sep 08
Hi Pyewacket, I had this problem and someone told me to put a bowl of black pepper into my kitchen which is where they were buzzing around and it really stopped them. Hopefully you have some in the cupboard that you can put out immediately to relieve you. They really annoy me as well. This is also a very natural way and won't harm the cats. I used pepercorns but I am sure black pepper will have the same effect. Ellie :D
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
8 Sep 08
Does the pepper just repel them or are they attracted to it and it kills them? I think I might have some peppercorns, but definitely have pepper (ground)
1 person likes this
@polachicago (18716)
• United States
8 Sep 08
It takes just 30 second for my cat to kill ant flies if enter the house. What is Pyewacket doing? Sleeping? This is very helpful link: http://www.getridofthings.com/get-rid-of-flies.htm
3 people like this
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
8 Sep 08
Pyewacket and Kissy are rather lazy kitties..they look at them fly around but that's about it....LOL Thanks for that link...I'll read up more on it later..but any kind of foggers are definitely out...they would even affect my breathing
1 person likes this
• Canada
9 Sep 08
I am not sure if this will help or not as I have never tried it but have heard it works , get an apple and place cloves in the apple by inserting the cloves into the apple , anywhere you can fit the cloves in . Supposedly flies don't care for cloves and will try to get away from them so if you can open a window they should try to get outside . They are pesky things that are constantly annoying and seem to take forever to get rid of . Be careful with your sticky fly paper , a friend of mine had one up the other day and it fell and her kitten decided to play with it and ended up stuck with it all thought its fur . She had to cut patches of it's fur off to get the sticky stuff off the fur and the poor kitten bawled the whole time . Hope this helps and it is the only thing I can think that you could try without hurting your pets . Best of luck
2 people like this
• United States
15 Sep 08
OMG annie.. yea,i think i'd be disgusted too.i can't imagine trying to get flypaper out of hair easily.
1 person likes this
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
10 Sep 08
I have my flypaper stripes up high so the cats can't get to them..not doing any good since the flies must just know it's a trap for them.. Why would you need the apple, wouldn't just placing cloves around help? The apple might attract other types of bug..like ants or roaches..ewwwww
1 person likes this
@someonesmom (5761)
• Canada
8 Sep 08
Hi pye, How horrible for you! Ten or more, would drive me absolutely bonkers. My daughter and I were out for the day on Sunday, and when we arrived home, upon entering my bedroom, I heard 'that telltale buzzing sound,' that 'we' love so much. Sure enough, there was a huge one behind my blinds. I'm a pretty hopeless fly slayer, as I can never seem to catch them. My daughter on the other hand, is excellent. I appealed to her for her assistance, and she was able to quickly take care of the matter, using the fly swatter. She's also wonderful at swatting mosquitoes out of mid air. I wish I could be more helpful here, but short of swatting them with whatever ...
• Canada
8 Sep 08
Mine are 'out of whack' too, but I keep trying.
1 person likes this
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
8 Sep 08
I don't have a fly swatter but I was trying to use a rolled up newspaper.....no good, I definitely need to practice my swatting skills...LOL
1 person likes this
• Philippines
8 Sep 08
use mosquito coils if you have some. maybe you need to take a bath? then afterwards, apply some insect repellent lotion if you have it.
• Philippines
8 Sep 08
lol... sorry. I thought flies loves to drop by on something smelly. =D anyway do not take this to heart ok? if you got a swatter tool, u may use it to swat flies but it's a very tiring thing to do. so i suggest you need to use mosquito coil or mosquito killer machine. protect yourself with some insect repellent lotion if you have it too ;)
2 people like this
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
8 Sep 08
What's the difference between fly paper coils and mosquito...would think they'd be similar...those dang flies are ignoring them.
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
8 Sep 08
I have those fly paper coil traps all over the place...uh as for a bath, I take one EVERY night...LOL..So I'm definitely not the problem...
2 people like this
@BarBaraPrz (45217)
• St. Catharines, Ontario
8 Sep 08
I've always derived great satisfaction from smashing them into next Tuesday with a red flyswatter... red works best. Apparently, they don't see that color. (How the pundits figured that one out, is anyone's guess, but it does seem to hold true.)
• United States
8 Sep 08
I imagine that in addition to that red fly swatter, wearing that white bandana with the big red dot, or a blue one with the white twelve-pointed sun, on your forehead helps you get those flies.
3 people like this
@BarBaraPrz (45217)
• St. Catharines, Ontario
8 Sep 08
Well now, you're telling tales out of school...
2 people like this
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
8 Sep 08
I'll see about getting a fly swatter maybe tomorrow and will remember to get a red one. mmmm..a white bandana with a red dot or blue with a white twelve-pointed star? Sounds like something from The Karate Kid....LOL
1 person likes this
• United States
9 Sep 08
easy.vacuum cleaner with hose attachment. suck 'em right up. i did that in arizona when a killer bee got in the house. threaten me,will ya you flying pest LOL (plus i was terrified it'd sting my blue,who was too nosey)
2 people like this
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
10 Sep 08
Problem is I don't have a vacuum anymore....since I ripped up the wall to wall and just have bare wood floors now, no need to vacuum I just sure wish my two lazy kitties would become fierce predators and kill the flies...LOL
2 people like this
• United States
15 Sep 08
hmm..so much for that idea the only thing else i can think of is the bottle fly trap. a friend of mine made one by cutting a two liter in half,inverting the top part into the lower to make a bowl,veg oiling the inner sides,and filling the bottom with some water with a few tsps of veg oil.she said it worked more often than you'd think,and no chemicals for the kitties.
@jerzgirl (9208)
• United States
8 Sep 08
Hey, Pye. How about good, old-fashioned flypaper? The kind we used to get at the hardware store years ago? You can still find it out there. I don't like it myself, but it can't hurt the kitties (if it's not where they can reach it - and even then, it will just stick to them like white on rice) and those flies will NOT escape its grasp once they are enticed to land. Plus, it's not horrendously expensive (probably the cheapest of the remedies besides a swatter).
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
8 Sep 08
I have those flypaper coils all over the place and the darn buggers are ignoring them--I'll see about getting a fly swatter maybe tomorrow
1 person likes this
8 Sep 08
Hi pye, I feel so sorry for you with all them nasty flies and you have many, we don't get many flies around here and when we do I normally swat them with a newpaper or magazines, but I haven't clue what there is to kill them without those harmful chemical because I don't use them. Bright Blessings Tamara
3 people like this
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
8 Sep 08
I've been trying to hit them with a rolled up newspaper but I'm lousy at it...always miss them
1 person likes this
• United States
14 Sep 08
We found a fly zapper at Wal-mart. It is a bug zapper that shape of a tennis racket but is electrified. So when you swat at the fly it zaps them with electricity and kills them. You do hear the hissing sound which can be kind of gross but quite effective. It is battery operated so you do not have an electrical cord to trip over. Other than that an old fashioned fly swatter works if your aim is good enough.
1 person likes this
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
14 Sep 08
I've actually gotten quite handy with the art of fly swatting with nothing but a rolled up newspaper...I still have maybe one or two pesky flies about....but no doubt they will soon be history too. LOL
1 person likes this
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
20 Sep 08
That sounds like my Kissy. She's a little timid thing anyway, and she seems to get scared when I go around swatting flies....I don't know why...never hit any of my kitties a day in my life so I don't know why she runs and hides as well. As for Pyewacket, he just looks at me like I've lost it.
1 person likes this
• United States
20 Sep 08
When I have to go after the flies Sammy and Abagail get scared and run and hide under the bed. Mind you I have never hit them with the fly swatter nor have I hit them with anything. They are pretty spoiled kitties. What does Pye and kissy do when you are in the killing mode? heehee
1 person likes this
@Hatley (163781)
• Garden Grove, California
8 Sep 08
hi pye the critters can be really pesky so I just use the cheapee bug zapper, a thick stiff rolled up newspaper, and get my 30 minutes of exercise we aretold to get by flying around briskly swatting the damnable flies, takes a bit of doing but is environmentally safe and no harm on the cats who will watch you flitting around swatting flies and sweating with kittenly amusement. also try a bowl of black peppercorns, they just do not like black pepper.but the rolled up stiff newspaper is really a freebie for sure.
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
8 Sep 08
I've been trying to swat them with a newspaper but I really need to practice my swatting skills...LOL...You're the third person to mention the idea of pepper....I'll have to give it a go
1 person likes this
• United States
9 Sep 08
I've heard of this thing called a fly swater. Rev that thing up and start swinging, they'll be dropping like flies, get it? Ha!
2 people like this
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
10 Sep 08
Well I'm getting good at being a fly swatter
1 person likes this
• United States
9 Sep 08
GOOD NEWS!!! This sounds crazy but I live in the south and this is a trick many people use aroung these here parts!(I don't speak that way!Just a little southern humor!) Okay take a zip lock bag and fill it half way with tap water..get as much air out as possible but leave a little at water level...next hang the bag from the top of each doorway to your home. THAT'S IT!! I didn't believe it the first time I saw it...heck I was hesitant to ask what in the world it could possibly be hanging there for but curiosity killed the cat and I had to ask! I was totally blown away! You can also hang it on the door to your porch. Oh yeah...use the quart sized bags to avoid head knocking! You are on your way to freedom from NASTY flies!! Smile!
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
10 Sep 08
I only have one door, the one entrance to my apartment....actually I've been practicing my swatting skills and am getting them that way...hey I'm getting good exercise with it to boot. How do I hang the bag of water anyway???
1 person likes this
@super_jj (1416)
• Philippines
8 Sep 08
Hmmm...we have screened doors and windows at my house, so flies and mosquitoes arent really much of a problem here. Maybe you could try it. screened dooors and windows.
2 people like this
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
8 Sep 08
I live in an apartment but I have screens on all my windows
1 person likes this
@hallyz (11)
• United States
9 Sep 08
I had the same problem a few days ago! I had all these fruit flies because I left fruit out on my counter (and I often let outdoor flies in when I leave my doors open). I bought this eco-friendly fly spray that was made with wintergreen oil and stuff, got rid of all my trash, hid all my food in the fridge, and now the problem seems to have resolved itself. It may also help that my basement is full of spiders! Good luck!
2 people like this
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
10 Sep 08
Well I'm always emptying out the trash to make sure no bugs "breed" in there, keep food in the fridge, everything...but hey I'm now getting exercise as I'm getting good at fly swatting...LOL
1 person likes this