Flies everywhere!!!!

[Cluky]

Ok, so everything was perfect until it got really warm. we have a coop and a run for 8 bantams. I clean the coop every day, overall nothing big. For the past couple of weeks we have tons of flies. I am not quite sure how I get rod of them. suggestions? what has worked for people?

 

[eggfarmer4life]

I've have this problem myself. I have 4 Rhode Island Reds and 5 Black Australorps and 8 Indian Runner Ducks. We clean their living quarters and run daily, fresh straw, clean kiddie pool, the works. But still with the flies. I finally had to resort to wiring a box fan to one of the windows for constant, steady breeze and attaching those Little Tree vanilla scented air-freshners to the fan to help with the gnats also.I also hang up the old fashioned fly tapes too and change them frequently. Here's a tip for that too... If you accidentley back up and get your hair stuck on one, use WD-40 to get hair off the trap then jump in the shower and wash the spots with Dawn dishsoap. You might smell like a mechanic for an hour or so, but you won't have to cut your hair! And yes, I did have to do this....
If you are not against using sprays, there are plenty of fly sprays at farm stores that are safe to use around dairy cows. We have found some before at our local FS station called Dairy-Ease fly & beetle spray. They also carry a brand at the local Farm King, but I can't remember the name of that one. I hope this helps!

 

[benosayi]

I saw this on facebook. I took a ziplock baggie and filled it with water. Put 6 pennies in t and close. I put mine on the line with clothes pins. I hate when flies come in the house when the door is opened. You could tack it to the wall in you hen house and see if it works. I haven't had time to see if it really works. I haven't had any flies in the house lately so.... Supposedly , millions of molecules of water presents it own prism effect and given that flies have a lot of eyes, to them it like a zillion disco balls reflecting light , colors and movement in a dizzying manner. It's free so if it doesn't work nothing lost.

 

[AmpersatChick]

Ugh, flies, us too! We have the coop and run right by our compost and this is our first go 'round for all of it. The flies are insane.

 

[VallejoSheltie]

Well, HD has the $4 Rescue fly traps that are a plastic bag with an attractant.
There are a couple of different kinds, of which one apparently smells foul but pulls in tons and tons of flies.
When full, you just toss 'em in the trash.

While not a permanent fix, I would think that if you go through several of them over the course of a month or two you can break down the reproductive cycle.

First you'll get most of the adult flies, and hopefully the maturing ones. With the second, you catch most of the maturing maggots before they have much chance to reproduce. Third one should pick up any stragglers late bloomers.

From reviews, I read that once the main group was captured, the total fly density went down considerably. However, they didn't have a small poultry farm in their backyard.

 

[Cluky]

I am working with the bags now. took a day to fill the bag so the bag just isn't doing it. I also tried the whole zip lock bags with pennies and water in them. Not working well either. Any other suggestions from anyone? These flies are ridiculous!

 

[BluePastelBird]

I've heard some Guinea Fowl with your brood will help a lot. I'm getting some soon and will let you know how they do. My little pellets are trying to catch the flies. It's pretty comical too! But, I agree, the flies are horrible!

 

[AmpersatChick]

I am disappointed that the chickens don't keep them under control, I really thought they would...can you tell this is our first go 'round?

 

[RedneckGurl]

I have tried those bait bags (got ours at Lowe's) and they do work to draw in quite a lot of the flies but in our case, only about half of the population, and the smell is GAWD-AWFUL! Smells like something dead and rotten. I have tried relocating the bag to several different locations around the run but every time the wind shifts in just the right (or should I say wrong) way, you get a whiff of that nasty, gross attractant. It's not only our coop and run that have been plagued by these dang flies...our kitchen is practically overrun and I can't seem to get rid of them. I've swatted and shooed and even broken down and sprayed them but they just keep coming back. AAAAGGGGHHH! I don't want to hang that smelly bag near my front porch but I don't know what else to do.

 

[wasntme]

I had issues with mosquitoes first, flies second! So, I found out that this works for flies - even better than mosquitoes!

Items needed:
1 cup of water
1/4 cup of brown sugar
1 gram of yeast
2-liter plastic bottle
1. Cut the plastic bottle in half.
2. Mix brown sugar with hot water. Let cool. When cold, pour in the bottom half of the bottle.
3. Add the yeast. No need to mix. It creates carbon dioxide, which attracts mosquitoes.
4. Place the funnel part, upside down, into the other half of the bottle, taping them together if desired.
5. Wrap the bottle with something black, leaving the top uncovered, and place it outside in an area away from your normal gathering area. (Mosquitoes are drawn to the color black or white.)
Change the solution every 2 weeks for continuous control.


I mixed up the above solution that I found floating around FB last month. Instead of getting mosquitoes I got tons of flies! I was happy! I had put this solution up against the fly traps they are selling on sale at Tractor Supply for $4.95. Not only did the Tractor Supply trap smell HORRIBLE, it didn't get as many flies as my free homemade one. I'd try this out. I had everything at home to make it so I didn't have to purchase anything additional. I did not cover the trap in black. I just left my old diet dr. pepper bottle as is!

After it sat out for 2 days - it really got some flies!