Kari C in SC Posted June 5, 2008 Share Posted June 5, 2008 We just moved to SC. Apparently, it is the FLY capital of the world or something. I don't know. I need help with controlling them in my house. It seems as if every time we open a door a ton will fly in. :ack2: I really don't want to use fly tape. Please tell me there is some miracle of how to live in SC with flies! Thanks! :crying: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danestress Posted June 5, 2008 Share Posted June 5, 2008 Hmmm, I haven't really had that problem in the Carolinas. We get an occasional fly, but nothing tremendous. I would try to figure out what is bringing flies into the area in the first place. DO you have a nextdoor neighbor with a dog who doesn't clean up the poop from they yard? That's a great way to get flies. Do you keep the garbage can in the garage? And not seal garbage properly? In the summer, we have to be careful to tie up garbage really well, or it will attract flies. Our pick up is just once a week, so this is important. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Virginia Dawn Posted June 5, 2008 Share Posted June 5, 2008 We just moved to SC. Apparently, it is the FLY capital of the world or something. I don't know. I need help with controlling them in my house. It seems as if every time we open a door a ton will fly in. :ack2: I really don't want to use fly tape. Please tell me there is some miracle of how to live in SC with flies! Thanks! :crying: Here is what I do when we have an abundance of flies in the house: hand a child a flyswatter and offer them a penny a fly. I haven't done this lately so maybe the price has gone up. :D Seriously, my kids loved to hunt the flies down for me, and they got paid. How much is it worth to you to get rid of them? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paula j Posted June 5, 2008 Share Posted June 5, 2008 Kill em!!! Love the penny a fly idea.:001_smile: Some people here use a fly trap which you can buy through catalogs or maybe a garden store that involves putting sugar water in the trap which is like a bottle the flys fly in, get wet, can't get out, and drown. Downside, it looks gross and you have to empty it.:001_huh: Another idea is to get a pair of scotty dogs. Seriously my pair are like a pair of frogs, they jump up in the air and catch them in their mouth. One time my male was sitting on dd's bed and saw one on the window, he didn't know it was on the outside and jumped up and tried to catch it but instead he ended up hitting the window and just sorta slid down it, it was very funny.:lol::lol::lol::lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommaduck Posted June 5, 2008 Share Posted June 5, 2008 Disgusting, but doable - sticky fly traps. We live in horse and buggy country and most of the rental houses don't have air conditioning, so we must leave things open. Fly traps and swatters are necessary. Looks like nothing will change when we move to SC...LOL! (PA is the fly capitol, SC is the palmetto bug capitol ;) ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teamturner Posted June 5, 2008 Share Posted June 5, 2008 We have bad flies in the hot months here in North Texas too! Besides teaching the kids to shut the door quickly and screaming "Shut The Door!" everytime someone leaves it open..... Seriously, you'd think Jack the Ripper were hot on our heels at the door. Last summer my dh mounted a small fan to the wall above the door to the kitchen from the garage (on the garage side). We were trying to create a downdraft that the flies could not fly through. We have a thing to plug it into mounted on the wall right by the door that is connected to the one plug in the garage with an extension cord. So to turn it on and off, we just have to plug/unplug it. For the door to the backyard by our patio, we installed a ceiling fan (it's a small area) and it creates a breeze there as well. It worked pretty well last year (really cut down on the amount of flies). It seems this year the flies have figured out how to come in from the side of the breeze or something. We're considering putting up a second fan in the garage so there will be more wind current there. Maybe we should just buy the kind that restaurants use around the doors to the kitchen. :001_unsure: I tried making my own sugar water trap but didn't have the right container. I think I'll look for one of those. Plus, my kids love to kill them. Anyways, I can commiserate with you as I really can't stand them either! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kelli in TN Posted June 5, 2008 Share Posted June 5, 2008 I hate doing this, but I spray. I will close rooms off and spray them with fly spray and not let anyone in for several hours. It's toxic and if you stay in the room too long after you spray the spray will land on you and your lips will be numbed by the poison!! But I can't deal with flies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sharon in SC Posted June 5, 2008 Share Posted June 5, 2008 Hmmm, I haven't really had that problem in the Carolinas. We get an occasional fly, but nothing tremendous. I would try to figure out what is bringing flies into the area in the first place. DO you have a nextdoor neighbor with a dog who doesn't clean up the poop from they yard? That's a great way to get flies. Do you keep the garbage can in the garage? And not seal garbage properly? In the summer, we have to be careful to tie up garbage really well, or it will attract flies. Our pick up is just once a week, so this is important. :iagree: As you well know, we're currently the un proud owner of *two* homes in your neck of the woods and we do not have the problem you describe in either of them. Rather than chalk it up to being a "SC" problem, I suspect it may be a result of something more immediate to your or surrounding yards. Danestress makes some good suggestions. In any case, I trust you'll find a solution SOON! We had plumbing flies at the new place before we could get all the replumbing dealt with and they were no fun! :-{ I feel your pain. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riverfront Headmistress Posted June 5, 2008 Share Posted June 5, 2008 Get a chihuahua. He's the best fly catcher I've ever had. Follow the link in signature to see what a fly catching chihuahua looks like. He's the one in between the blankets. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DIY-DY Posted June 5, 2008 Share Posted June 5, 2008 We just moved to SC. Apparently, it is the FLY capital of the world or something. I don't know. I need help with controlling them in my house. It seems as if every time we open a door a ton will fly in. :ack2: I really don't want to use fly tape. Please tell me there is some miracle of how to live in SC with flies! Thanks! :crying: It was vile. I'd walk into the kitchen and an entire HERD of them would lift off from the floor and hover ahead of me. I told the boys I was going to be a flyherder if this didn't improve. The boys finally talked me into buying fly strips. Yeah, I know. Ew. But honestly, they're tremendously effective. We only had to use them for about a week (fresh strip every day - couldn't hang w/ the carcass display otherwise) and by then, the Season of the Fly was over. We're back to swatting the occasional interloper, now, and that's nice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Georgie Posted June 5, 2008 Share Posted June 5, 2008 I haven't tried this yet, but someone told me to hang a bag of water with a new penny in it by doors. This is supposed to keep flying bugs out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kari C in SC Posted June 5, 2008 Author Share Posted June 5, 2008 Hmmm, I haven't really had that problem in the Carolinas. We get an occasional fly, but nothing tremendous. I would try to figure out what is bringing flies into the area in the first place. DO you have a nextdoor neighbor with a dog who doesn't clean up the poop from they yard? That's a great way to get flies. Do you keep the garbage can in the garage? And not seal garbage properly? In the summer, we have to be careful to tie up garbage really well, or it will attract flies. Our pick up is just once a week, so this is important. Well, we have our own dog and I can't say we clean up that much because it is an acre of land. And... my neighbor just happens to be my brother-in-law. He has 3 dogs! :lol: Actually, just about everyone in our neighborhood has dogs. Big dogs and lots of them. My bil did just get fly strips, but I was trying to find another solution. Thanks for the info! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newbie Posted June 5, 2008 Share Posted June 5, 2008 I just moved too, and have flies. We dont keep doors or windows open. They just kept popping up, in herds. I would vacuum them and than empty my bag. Gross. One day I took tape and taped areas I thought they might be getting through on windows and sliders and havent seen them. I also used Calif. Baby soap, bugs dont like it. Jeannette Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
umarider Posted June 5, 2008 Share Posted June 5, 2008 We go through occasional fly spells here, too. I'd badger the whole family about closing the doors quickly (the flies lurk right outside the doors waiting for a chance to come in). One day I was really annoyed about them as I was leaving the house carrying a bunch of horse supplies. When I saw the lurkers outside my door I dropped everything in my hands, grabbed the horse fly spray/repellent and let loose. I was mostly doing it from frustration, but darned if it didn't work! So now I spray outside the doors about 1-2 times a month and that seems to keep them away. (Just for the record, I use Repel-X horse fly spray!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newbie Posted June 5, 2008 Share Posted June 5, 2008 Does that work on mosquitos, and is it all natural. If so I might do that out my front door, we have a fountain out front. Mosquitos love it. Jeannette Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kari C in SC Posted June 5, 2008 Author Share Posted June 5, 2008 We go through occasional fly spells here, too. I'd badger the whole family about closing the doors quickly (the flies lurk right outside the doors waiting for a chance to come in). One day I was really annoyed about them as I was leaving the house carrying a bunch of horse supplies. When I saw the lurkers outside my door I dropped everything in my hands, grabbed the horse fly spray/repellent and let loose. I was mostly doing it from frustration, but darned if it didn't work! So now I spray outside the doors about 1-2 times a month and that seems to keep them away. (Just for the record, I use Repel-X horse fly spray!) I am going to have to try this! Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chickenpatty Posted June 5, 2008 Share Posted June 5, 2008 I pay in chocolate chips. It's funny how the boys take such pleasure in laying out and counting each fly carcass. But, we're dealing with them here and I HATE them! LOL, several times, I have almost come to this board and posted with a subject line only of "I HATE flies!" We have chickens, so I thought that might be the source. ? The chickens aren't close to our house, though. ? Either way, they're nasty creatures and they make me so aggravated! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
umarider Posted June 6, 2008 Share Posted June 6, 2008 Does that work on mosquitos, and is it all natural. If so I might do that out my front door, we have a fountain out front. Mosquitos love it. Jeannette If you're referring to the horse fly spray; no, it's not all natural. And I don't know whether it'd be any use for mosquitos. But there are floating things (look like little donuts) you can put in any outside fountains that get rid of the mosquito larva. I'm sure a local garden supply store would have them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renee in NC Posted June 6, 2008 Share Posted June 6, 2008 Hmmm, I haven't really had that problem in the Carolinas. We get an occasional fly, but nothing tremendous. I would try to figure out what is bringing flies into the area in the first place. DO you have a nextdoor neighbor with a dog who doesn't clean up the poop from they yard? That's a great way to get flies. Do you keep the garbage can in the garage? And not seal garbage properly? In the summer, we have to be careful to tie up garbage really well, or it will attract flies. Our pick up is just once a week, so this is important. In our case it is the numerous chicken and cattle farms in the general vicinity. There were too many flies here before there was even a house! We use fly tape and occasionally dh vacuums flies with the Shop-Vac!:tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Veronica in VA Posted June 6, 2008 Share Posted June 6, 2008 Are they regular flies, or are they a little smaller. When we moved into our current home, on the first really warm day we had so many flies I thought the previous owners left something dead here. It turns out that previous owners had taken out the screens and opened the windows wide:glare:. So we had cluster flies - they hide in walls, etc. and come out when it is really warm. We don't really have them anymore , but I can't remember how we killed the ones in the house - maybe fly tape. The exterminator I called said nothing would really work to eliminate them - just put in screens and we should have a few less every year. My dogs loved when the cluster flies would die because they would spin around and buzz. Veronica Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.