Flies inside?

[firedove]

We are overrun with flies, mostly like the housefly type but they are everywhere. They breed in the manure pile and anywhere else they find a suitable place. I know my chickens spend a lot of time under the barn, there's probably plenty of poop under there for millions of flies. Worst is that they have moved into the house. We are trying to keep ahead of them, cleaning litter boxes and the rabbit tray but somehow every day we just have more and more. I don't know where they are coming from. We have tried one of those attractant bottles and that got a few of them. We have sticky traps up, that catches a lot but not fast enough. I know they must have found someplace in the house to breed as well as coming in from outside. I'm going to have my husband look under the tub to see if one of our cats happened to use it as a litter box space (although I haven't smelled anything there). I'm just way past wits end with these flies!

So, the question is, does anyone know of an organic or pet and people safe way to eradicate, or at least mostly destroy, the adult stock that is invading my house? I need something that REALLY works well.

THANKS!!!!!!!!!!

 

[jessica117]

I don't know of anything, but I'm going to follow this because I want to know too. The flies are HORRIBLE this year. We have been battling them since it warmed up.

 

[quiltnchik]

What about diatomaceous earth (DE)? There are several threads on here about its use, including feeding it to all your animals and spreading it around, especially in those manure piles/under rabbit hutches.

Just a thought...

 

[Chickfever]

How about this: http://www.epinions.com/review/HOME_DEFENSE_Indoor_Insect_Killer_33_ounce_Spray/content_197046603396

I haven't tried it but I remembered reading it.

 

[TreeHugger]

I use the trap n toss fly traps. THEY STINK & are not recommended for indoor use (I don't think anyone could stand the smell). However, they work & I hang them up in my chicken yard. They will hold hundreds (maybe thousands) of flies. They can either be emptied out & refilled with the smelly mixture or tossed.

 

[firedove]

Thank you for your suggestions. I will probably put up the trap and toss things around the yard. That Ortho home Defense may be the solution for all the flies on the wing in our house. I'll probably put DE in our house rabbit's tray since it seems like she collects flies as soon as she poops the first poop in the tray. I've had DE for a while for the chicken coop but I didn't think to put it in the rabbit tray too

DH looked under the tub and no poop there either. He did however find a pile inside our storage room between some boxes. I will keep looking under and in everything until I eradicate any and every source inside and try extra to make sure the litter boxes and rabbit tray are immaculate.

 

[Chickfever]

Good luck. We have horses and cows about 15 feet from our house so we have those to attract even more flies (as if the chickens, dogs, cats, rabbit, and pigeons didn't bring in enough

). I've got some of those hanging bags. I hope they work. I guess I won't know till I get them out though

 

[firedove]

Chickfever, I've got a horse right in my backyard too, he is the majority donor to the manure pile! Although when I was raising rabbits they were keeping up pretty well with him. Don't have the rabbits anymore, at least most of them anyways, still 2 kickin' around here. One to stay and one still to go. I bought a trap and toss bag about a month ago planning to hang it in the house. Then I saw all the stuff on it where the word outdoors was shown in bold everywhere, as in "hang somewhere outdoors," so I rethought that plan. The bug bottle we have stinks enough but it sits in the storage room well away from where we travel on a daily basis so it's not that bad to have inside. If it were anywhere that was trafficked though it wouldn't be good at all. The big bottles work great outside but don't seem to be a big draw inside. I may just put the bottle outside soon since it doesn't seem to impress my indoor visitors.

 

[NotTheMomma]

Fly predators!

Google it.

Well worth the money!!! Flies eliminated!! Even with 5 horses here, plus 3 dogs, and chickens!!!

 

[granola friend]

Fly Paper

2 cups milk
2 tablespoons black pepper
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 tablespoons brown sugar
Brown paper bags, cut into strips

Boil milk, pepper, and sugar together for 5 minutes. Simmer uncovered 5 minutes longer, until thickened, and then let cool. Wind the brown paper strips into a tight roll and drop them into the milk mixture. Let them become completely saturated. Rewind the strips gently and let them air dry on a cookie sheet. They are ready to hang when they are sticky to the touch.

To use, suspend the strips up and out of the way wherever flies are a problem. CAUTION: Keep the strips away from young children, especially after they are covered with flies.

or

Gnat, Fly and Mosquito Repellent

This will not harm babies' faces. It can also be sprayed onto horses to prevent pests from bothering them.

1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 cup water

Mix. Store in a tightly-covered container. Rub this mixture on faces and arms. Also apply it around eyes and ears and it will keep flies away.


or

Homemade Fly Trap

2 cups water
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup vinegar

Mix ingredients and pour into a fruit jar. Punch holes in the lid large enough so that flies can get inside. Set outside away from the kitchen door. It will draw flies away from the door.

Let me know these are easy to make and also pretty cheap

I tried some of them and they works for me