FLIES! What do I do?

[hen-thusiast]

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.

We just got ours in the mail today. I can't wait until they hatch

 

[JennsPeeps]

I found a good website today with instructions for making homemade fly traps. Thought I'd share: http://www.showhorsepromotions.com/horseflies.htm

 

[consdrs]

I was desperate. a million flies in my yard. I think there is a dead body somewhere breeding flies. I clean up every poop every day, run and coop. put in a covered container, its not my chickens. I think the next county is exporting their flies to my house. I hung a vinegar trap, caught 3 in a month. hung a stinky trap and caught quite a few flies. not near enough. some go in the trap some come out. fly strips are a mess to clean off a chicken don't ask how I know... 3 days ago I became queen of all fly killers. I got golden malrin at the feed store. I set some out on a paper plate away from my dogs and chickens. I did not get one fly. I was so disappointed. I added a few drops of water to the golden malrin crystals and made a paste then added one of the slinkiest chicken poos I could find (you know the one...) and mixed that in. OMG I was gonna throw up but was desperate. then spread the stinky paste on top of and around the stinky fly trap I already had and voila!!! now if they land on the trap they are dead meat. I bet I have killed at least 2,000 flies in the last 48 hrs. I have dead flies every where. there was a pile of them under the hanging trap. now there is not the constant buzz in the yard when I walk out. This is not something to use where your chickens can get it your dog or other animals or your children can get to in it is toxic!! I don't have young children and my dogs cant get to the trap. they die in 58 seconds. its amazing.

Connie

 

[allmypeeps]

oh i HATE that perpetual buzzing and commotion of 100 flies all stirring as I walk out into my yard....they are everywhere on my porch railing and screen door and all my plants- and of coarse hovering the chicken run and trash cans like buzzards.

I don't really have anywhere to put fly preditors since I have a small city backyard and I KNOW the flies are breeding elsewhere and then being attracted to my yard...

and the bait bags stink to HIGH heaven and the only place I have to stick it is under a neighbors window- lol it WORKED AWSOME but I think it was so stinky it was catching 3,000 flies every day from 50 miles away!!!! But the SMELL of it was choking up my little yard!!!!!

Connie's TOXIC MASTERPIECE sounds great but I have a small yard, 4 dogs 4 cats and 4 chickens and have no where 'safe' to hang it- not that I'm willing to risk.....


I created my own using various vinegar and cat food methods...I found the vinegar mixture wasnt working

So I left out the vinegar and just put a couple table spoons of 'special kitty' (the cheapest can cat food ever, 4 for a buck!) in an old washed out pickle/mayonaise/relish jars (I made a few) and filled the jar about 2/3 full with warm water and swished the cat food up in it real good. put on the lid and used a hammer and screw driver to make a small hole in the top- just one (big enough for a large house fly).

I stuck that out and it works like a charm. Doesnt seem to stink unless you purposely get close enough to smell it, though I only made it a few das ago and its been RAINING for seeming ever here in Maine lately (only had 2 sunny days this month!) anyway, its cheap enough to make more so i figure I'll just dump it down the toilet if it gets 'peeuy' and mix up more.
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[joletabey]

I have used fly predators for three years now, and they really work. They will range fairly far - if others in your neighborhood complain about the fly problem, maybe you could interest the neighbors into getting them also. I get an automatic shipment every month from April to the end of September and its incredible! I have horses, the neighbors have goats, everyone around has dogs and cats, and I really can't complain about more than an occasional fly!

 

[kuntrygirl]

I use fly bags. The guy at the feed store told me about them. Since I started using them, my fly problem has decreased at least 90%. They can hold up to 10,000 flies according to the bag. I will not use anything else from here on out. This product has proved to be the best thing for me. I tried the home made traps, bags filled with water and a few other things but they were not as good as the fly bags.

Here is the link to a similar fly bag.
http://www.horse.com/Rescue-Disposable-Fly-Bags-BUL25.html