Argh!!!!!!!!! My FEMAnsion for a fly swatter!!!

:banghead: I can't take it anymore, does someone have some secret formula I can use to rid my life of these pesky flies?????


Ever since that damned bitch Katrina decided to screw things up on the coast, we have had issues with flies. Now mind you, I am one of the fortunate folks that (a) doesn't have the pork bellies and/or chickens rotting in my yard :puke: ; (b) has my lot cleared so the remnants of what was once the contents of my frig have been disposed of; and, (c) has a trailer to live in.

But the pesky creatures are still here, driving me nutts :crazy: Open the door and in they come. :banghead: And now, one must have laid her eggs in my femansion and those eggs have hatched and I have these tiny, pesky flying nuisances buzzing around me, driving me over the edge!

Please, please someone, anyone, let me know what you do to get rid of flies! Pleeeaaasseeeeeeee.............



(I have to go do my laundry and will be out for a time. I will check this post later, hoping, oh so hoping that someone can help me rid my life of these damned flies! :banghead: --- Thanks in advance :hi: )

The liquid in them stinks to high heaven but it works.

I may have to go with the fly trap. Thanks! :hi:

solid gold-plated fanny-swatter I got from QVC. Given the size of a fly's fanny, I'd hazard a guess that you could actually discipline multitudes of those critters at a time. One good swat, and the words (harshly spoken) "NOW GO TELL YOUR FRIENDS", and your troubles may wane a bit.

Here's hoping! ;-) :D :silly: :hug: :toast:

Do they still sell gold-plated fanny swatters on QVC? I've considered just swinging a baseball bat for a few hours, the fanny swatter would probably leave me with more trailer. :rofl:

Thanks for the hoping for me :hug: :toast: :hug:

It doesn't get rid of them but it does cut down on the number swarming near the door. Tie a clear plastic bag of water on the house just outside the door. We use a one gallon food storage bag about 1/3 full.
The water creates a reflective surface that confuses their eyes and they steer clear of it.

As I said, it doesn't cure the problem, but it helped us quite a bit.

Inside, use a sticky fly trap (No-pest strip or if you can stand it, the old fashioned strip in a canister -- they're ugly but just what you need when you have a lot to clear out.)

Thought someone had a new religion.

So, I just need to hang it out by my front door and that will help keep them out? :shrug: It is worth a try, thanks for passing on this secret. :hi:

We have a bag outside of the patio door all summer and it seemed to keep them away from the door. We'd still occasionally get a fly inside the house but it wasn't common. We don't have a major league fly problem here anyway.

I found a link where it's described:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2003/07/12/HO256701.DTL

I will definitely try this trick.

Especially in the summer.

flies and at least it doesn't smell bad. Maybe if you put out a jar of water and yeast inside, they will all swarm to it and drown? Maybe poke a hole in the lid of the jar big enough for them to get in but hard to get out? :shrug:

by pointing them out to my dog. She's a chow-lab-shephard-mutt mix who weighs about 50 lbs and hates flies more than I do (and that is saying a LOT). She hunts them relentlessly!

As for practical advice...I have none. I'm sorry. I do offer my sympathy though.

that would be very convenient!

I have had to use the fly strips before - sorta gross, but did the trick.

who could not care less about flies. :eyes: That's probably just as well though--3 dogs frantically going after something in the living room would be a disaster!

Hey, btw, did you get to take that drive and see the leaves? They were gorgeous on our anniversary (27th).

crossed 37 on old s. walnut, to Ketcham road, winded our way across 37 again to the Lake Damn - and drove the long (and beautiful route) between the Damn and Hardin Ridge (through Hoosier National Forest) before heading back on 446. It was very pretty. Not breath taking as in previous years. So strange the different colors changing at such different times (Reds weeks before oranges a week before yellows.) More wierd weather patterns, I suppose - like Tornadoes... in the late fall !?!?

Hope all is well with you. :hi:

I like the yeast and water trick. I'll be sure to let you know if it works. thanks :hi:

I see your post and keep wondering why you would want to dress a fly in a sweater.

Maybe I have compassion for those chilly little flies! :rofl:

let live - they get most of them at night (when the damn things are asleep on the ceiling) I hate them too but too lazy to fix the screens AGAIN (teenagers)

I have never tried it, because I don't like the smell but have a friend who swears by wiping tables and counters etc with dilute vinigar - maybe the acid bothers their feet or something.


that would be wiping, not whipping

I will try anything if it makes them go away or fall on their faces or not come in here anymore.

thanks for the suggestion :hi:

if you have access to a feed store, they usually sell fly traps - they are plasic bags or lids that you put on your own jars that have a bait in them - usually you just add a bit of water or even your own meat for the bait and then place them just the right distance AWAY from your house (or they just attract MORE flies) and the trapped ones decomposing act as a constant "refresher" for the bait. Eventually you just throw the whole thing away - no toxins, no harmeful chemicals. I have used these around the barn before and they do trap a LOT of flies, but they do stink if you get too close. The sticky papers work too and they even make a huge 6 foot by 9 or 10 inch one you can hang like a big banner instead of the teirly small ones that always sem to get tangled. These don't work that well when the air temp. gets low and are kind of ugly, especially when loaded, but they do the job in fairly eco-friendly way.

I'm not sure what is available here, but I will keep an eye out for the traps like you describe.

I do appreciate it :hi:

little tiny fruit flies i usually control pretty well with seven dust, it is safe for use around small pets such as birds, but it's kind of a messy white powder to sprinkle around so if you don't have small pets you might prefer something else

larger flies i just swat, i feel flypaper is unsightly but our flies have not been too bad in this area, a few more than normal but not too terrible considering

don't know yet if you have regular garbage pick-up, the problem might not be fully resolved until you do

that has reopened?

I've been swatting the bad boys, but they keep coming.

We do have regular garbage pick up, but there are many houses in ruins on the street, they haven't been touched since the storm. I'm sure there is stuff in the rubble that makes those flies very happy.

I don't know when those lots will be cleared. :shrug:

I put out some meat scraps (cooked) for the outdoor kitties, and of course they ignored it, but it attracted most of the flies that usually line up waiting for a chance to come in when someone opens the door :)

maybe the carcasses in yards, are really just "fly abatement":evilgrin:

I do the same for ants in front.. they love to wander in the house, so I make sure there is something on the edge of the yard, that attracts them:).. a squished snail will distract them for a few days :)

I'd rather not feed the critters, I want them gone.

I do appreciate the suggestions though! :hi:

or maybe ND.

The YMCA ladies were middleclasswhitesoccermoms. Oh well. (did that make any sense?)

bored with the place! :hi: :rofl:

Yes, your post makes sense and I am sorry I didn't get the chance to respond to your email before you left. Did you have fun?

We danced which was fun. Some of the women were very nice, one's sister works (worked) at the (VA?) hospital in Biloxi, so we had a good talk. One spent time in Thailand and Romania so we had a good time. Several liked to dance so we had a good time. The other 50 women were soccer moms and talked too much. One was scared of the deer eating in the field, but she was ok otherwise. Sometimes I realize I am more narrowminded than I wish to be, don't accept the conservatives as much as I might. Oh well.I am tired and just drank a glass of orange brandy, with aspirin and ibuprofen for my headache and need to go to bed. I will see if anything comes out of the weekend beyond learning how to give conservative middle americans a speech that will move them. Or rather what to not do and next time do better.

Other than flies, and trailer and life and work, you doing ok? U.P. (putting flypaper onto the list)

buzzzz

And yes, please include fly paper on your list of supplies for situations like this. :eyes:

I hope you are feeling better today. :hi:

:hi:

Handheld Bug ZAPPER (*These are so much fun!*)

Simply swing at that pesky flying insect and hear the “zzaaapp” as the awful pest meets its doom! This has to be the most satisfying item you can have around your house, barn, or at your next horse show. Handheld bug zapper zaps bugs dead on contact. An environmentally- safe alternative to insect sprays. Current runs through zapper’s net when it comes in contact with an insect. Activate by two safety buttons. Runs on two AA batteries (included). Safe around children and pets. Measures 20" long. You will probably need more than one since everybody will want to be using this Bug Zapper.

Retail Value $12.95
http://www.countrysupply.com/products/gift-0__sku-GBA10.html


I use these fly traps at the farm whre I board my horse. You fill them with water and add water as needed. You can trap thousands and thousands of of flies with one of these. For oputdoor use.

DISPOSABLE FLY TRAP

Simple to use—just add water and hang. When the trap is full simply take it down, close the yellow top, and throw the entire trap in the garbage. Available in the Standard size that holds 20,000 flies or the Big Bag size that holds 40,000 flies.

http://www.countrysupply.com/products/gift-0__sku-BUL25.html

I can just order these - how cool, that saves me trying to find something around here. You are brillant and so thoughtful.

:bounce: I'm excited about this site, isn't that so goofy :silly:

thanks again :hug:

Hang the fly trap a little ways from your FEMA mansion on wheels. Hang it on afence or tree branch. We hang them over the stalls in the barn and on the top line of the electric fences across the front of the pasture. You just keep adding water as required. (You don't need that really big trap.) The traps can last for several months. At the farm we have a lot more flies than you have. There is some sort of attractant in the trap. The flies just fall right in and drown. After a while, the trap can become a little stinky but it is usually not a problem.

The tennis racket is fun! You can get exercise and zap bugs too!

I hope you're doing OK. My husband's family is in St. Tammany Parish. His sister had roof and septic system damage (The big oak tree's branches took out the roof and the roots took out the septic tank.) His cousin's house in Grand Isle was flooded and she's living in an RV in my sister-in-law's front yard. :( At least it's a home. They spent about six weeks as evacuees before they were able to go back home.

:hug: :hi: :) :hug: :hi: :) Good luck and take care! CB

Actually, I have a very dear friend that is very protective of his fly swatter, so much so that it is the family joke not to touch it unless they want to know his wrath. He would love this swatter.

I'll follow your advice about the size and hanging it away from my femansion, thanks. The smell of that trap probably can't be any worse that what we deal with now. The smell(s) that was left behind is just one of the many assaults on our senses.

Sorry to hear that your family had damage and have to deal with this mess. Help them laugh, that makes this craziness a little easier.

:hug: thank you again for the info and the concern! :hug: :loveya: