Fly strips? Hmmm, I have my suspicions...

[suzettex5]

So here's a random question- Do fly strips really work to control flies?

I am a bit suspicious of the whole fly strip, wasp trap, concept. I mean, if the traps are going to be effective, ie: lure those buggies to their deaths, dont they have to be somewhat ATTRACTIVE to them? Sooooo, if you DONT want flies or wasps, the idea of purposely putting out an item that ATTRACTS them seems...IDK.....maybe, counter-intuitive? I get that you will kill a few, maybe 20 or 30, but there are billions of them, and youre putting an attractive substance out there to draw them in. Wouldnt you just end up with more bugs everyday?

I know they can help inside the house, but outside??? How does that really work to get RID of the bugs? And for how long?
I will admit, I get a horrible sense of satisfaction at seeing those little nasty creeps hanging dead on that strip of glue, but then I get distracted by all their buddies climbing up my legs and arms!

Talk about a marketing campaign- "Wanna get rid of flying bugs around the barn? Just hang up this sticky paper that draws them in like moths to a flame! It sure wont attract more than it can kill, so go ahead and buy a dozen!"

(sorry, I tend to see conspiracies that dont really exist!!

)

 

[Tala]

I dunno, but my chickens like eating the dead flies off of them.....(actually we used fly "tubes" glue covered paper towel tubes, coz the paper strips are too easy for a bird to get tangled in)

This year I opted for a Golden Marlin fly bait station isntead. Still not sure it's really killing THAT many flies.....but

 

[Sequin]

The brilliant suggestion I heard, was to put the wasp traps at the furthest points on your property to attract wasps Away from eating/living areas. we have a bug light that goes on at night automatically, and since the coop gets shut every night the bugs in there(ie flies) gets zapped or stuck on glue paper, thus, every morning we start out with less flies than at night. I think it helps. At least it helps keep local populations down. Now if only the mosquitoes would disappear...

 

[bakerjw]

I don't believe that fly strips have any attractant applied to them. Flies naturally land on surfaces and if the strip is placed in their flight zones then the probability is that they will land on the sticky strip eventually.

There are some products that have attractants in them. Japanese beetle traps have pheromones which do attract the beetles. I believe that they are highly effective though so it's kind of a coin toss.

 

[Mattemma]

I have this fly trap that you add the lure liquid and some water. It smells like fish.No flies in the trap.I had more flies on a piece of banan in the run.
I have plenty of flies on the glue strips.I will use the strips.Next year maybe I will make my own with tanglefoot glue on something.

 

[slackwater]

With Japanese beetle traps, you are supposed to place them as far away from your garden as possible. That way you ARE attracting them AWAY from the sensitive areas.

 

[manderzpants]

i got this link from another thread. that person said these things worked brilliantly...but i don't know. does anyone else have experience with them?

http://getridofflies.com

 

[gudrin]

i got this link from another thread. that person said these things worked brilliantly...but i don't know. does anyone else have experience with them?

http://getridofflies.com

Sorry, I can't help you with if they work or not. However, one portion caught my eye: Football size & attractive!

Seriously? I'm not doubting the size. Attractive? There's something attractive about a bunch of dead flies? I think they could have come up with something else to describe it.​

 

[bywaterdog]

I use flypaper- looks nasty but it works for me. It is out of reach of the chickens so they don't get stuck. I get them from my local dollar store @4 for a buck.

 

[sourland]

Fly strips simply provide a convenient place for flies to land. They do not contain an attractant, but are quite effective. Someone mentioned Golden Malrin. I have found it to be an effective fly killer, but once killed a brood of young chicks that fed on flies killed by this product. I guess the toxic level in the dead flies was too much for their little systems; therefore, use judiciously.