FLIES! What do I do?

[Shesapip]

Now that the warm weather is here I'm noticing something new since last year - a loud, high-pitched buzzing the instant I open my door to the outside! They are everywhere!

I can only guess that it's the chicken poo that's drawing them. . . .

I can't rake my whole back yard! I can't hang flypaper from every tree! I don't want to kill the honeybees, what with sudden colony collapse or whatever the tragedy befalling our country's beehives is called, so I can't hang those "welcome to my world, now drown" things around.

I will be so grateful

for any effective solutions I learn here. Please help me send them all ...flying.

 

[btrent94]

I'm looking for answer to the same question

.. BUMP !

 

[NellaBean]

Use fly predators? Horse people always speak highly of them.

I have used fly bags and also bee/wasp bags. I don't recall ever catching any bees in my fly bags (or maybe one or two, but nothing significant). Speaking of which, I didn't catch any significant amount of bees in my bee bags either, darn it. Even when i hung it over their hive, ha ha ha.

 

[JennsPeeps]

Google "homemade fly trap" and make some of those. If you use a combinatio of vinegar, sugar, and water in the trap, you won't get any bees (vinegar won't attract bees to the sugar but flies won't mind the vinegar's scent).

I just hung 2 strips of fly paper. we're having a big BBQ on Sunday and I want to catch as many darn flies now as I can, since we, too, are having lots & lots of the dern things.

 

[Shesapip]

NellaBean, what's a fly predator? What's a fly bag?

JennsPeeps, I will google that. I must say, I have made more homemade creations since getting chickens than in my entire lifetime up 'til now!

Thanks for the suggestions! I am eager for more!

 

[NellaBean]

Fly predators......are basically a very tiny kind of fly that eats the "bad flies eggs/larva".....breaking the cycle of more and more "bad flies"

http://www.thebeneficialinsectco.com/fly-predators.htm

Fly bags.....the come to me and drown bags are what I mean by "fly bags". Add water, hang em up and when they are full toss em. Love those stupid things (even though they stink)

 

[Shesapip]

NellaBean, you're the best! Thanks for the education - I love

to learn!

Stinky, did you say?

I'm goin' for the predators!

 

[Robin'sBrood]

My 1st order of fly predators came 2 days ago and they're starting to emerge from their little cocoons now.

Since the predators do not kill adult flies it may take a while for me to be able to see a reduction in the number of flies. I'll report back in a month or so.

 

[gumpsgirl]

You can add food grade DE to the chickens feed and to their coop litter. This helps tremendously in controlling flies here. The DE is composed of fossilized shells that have been ground up into thousands of tiny, splinters that cut into the skin and exoskeletons of insects which makes them dehydrate and die. When adding the DE to the feed, it prevents the flies larvae in the feces from hatching, thus helping you to keep your coop and run fly free! I absolutely love it!

 

[lone cedar farm]

Whats the ratio of sugar, vinegar, dish liquid, and water in the home made fly trap....I forgot?