Flies

Controlling flies can be a problem for anyone.  They are necessary in the decomposition process of dead things but absolutely disgusting and they also carry germs.  In the barn we have a gallon jug which has some really stinky liquid in it.  Unfortunately it smells like something has died and is rotting.  The flies swarm to it and we really don't have a fly issue in the barn. 

 

We normally don't have too many flies in the house but a couple of weeks ago the cats decided to have a contest to show which cat loves us more.  They kept bringing in dead creatures, mainly mice and squirrels.  At the beginning of this contest they left them on girl's bed and we could easily dispose of them.  Unfortunately the cats didn't like us disposing of their gifts so they started hiding the dead creatures throughout the house.  A couple of times I could smell something dead but couldn't find it.  Three dead things ended up having maggots.  It was disgusting.  We tried to clean it up and sanitize the area. 

 

Unfortunately, we now have a fly explosion in the house.  Last weekend I vacuumed up at least 50 live flies.  The grandkids have gotten pretty good at smacking them with the flyswatters.  There are still too many in the house.  I can't use the same technique used in the barn for inside the house.  I have come up with two solutions.  I took a waterbottle and cut the pointed top off.  I inserted it upside down into a quart mason jar.  I put in an inch of sugar water and also cut a small piece of banana and put it into the jar as well.  I have the jar by the kitchen window.  Since flies congregate near the windows for the warmth, I'm hoping to attract a lot of them and have them fly into the jar, never to escape. 

 

The second idea I am trying tonight.  Once I'm done watching the election results I'm going to turn off all the lights in the house.  I've got a lamp with a bright white light that I've put onto the back patio.  I'm going to turn that light on and open the porch door and hope that the flies in the house are attracted to that light outside.  Hopefully they'll just fly out.

 

I've also thought of making a fly paper.  You are supposed to mix water, sugar, and corn syrup.  You dip brown paper bags torn into strips into the mixture.  The paper is supposed to be sticky enough to catch the fly.  You hang the strips up in a window and it should catch flies.  It sounds easy and cheap.   I have one of those long sticky tube traps that the flies are supposed to be attracted to and then get stuck.  I may have about a dozen flies on it.  It certainly wasn't worth the ten dollars that it cost.