Flipping Flies!!!

I've found that after having flies around my fruit bowl and waste food caddy, a few drops of peppermint oil seems to have done the trick. Any others get zapped.

I swear they wait at the door like they’re paying rent. I’ve tried sprays, zapper lights (useless), even mint and cloves, but they still sneak in.

Ended up going for proper window fly screens this year, because I was done with the swatting and paranoia. Found a place called Premier Environmental that does custom ones. Not cheap, but honestly, the peace of mind is worth it. I can finally open the windows at night without hosting an insect rave.

Totally get it—flies are relentless! Try sticky traps near windows, a bowl of apple cider vinegar with dish soap, and consider magnetic mesh screens so you can still get fresh air without the invasion.

Google essential oils for getting rid of flies.

Lots of stuff for nice smelling sprays etc.

Hope they help

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Well NeilspurgeonO , if you were my husband you would shortly be my ex husband. !! You may be physically as unattractive to flies as your are in your "totally unable to put yourself into other peoples shoes" post.

However, I am of a great deal better taste, and find myself in great demand from such flying creatures. Now having lived abroad in varying places such as Damascus and in Portugal etc etc , the situation varies. One of my worst places is Scotland. We had an old yacht and sailed round the Hebrides and the west coast etc etc. So while out at sea I could wear shorts sandals and a t shirt. Lovely and free. The minute we sighted land I would have to go below and don socks , trousers, long sleeved top and then top this all with a mozzie net face cover etc etc. The dratted things would pass on the message that fresh meat was coming and they would all descend on me. Absolute murder. I learned the hard way, in the early days by not putting on the protection until I got to shore. Then was covered in bites before I could get sorted and 2 bites below my eye swelled up so badly I had to be taken by ambulance to the nearest hospital. Not something I wish to repeat. !!
So I sailed once with a chap who smoked a pipe. That seemed to help keep bugs away from him. Another friend just seemed immune to them and the clegs up in scotland are some of the worst bugs you can get swarming. On dry land if you want to have a picnic or eat outside, my best advice is to get a piece of bread old or fresh and put a fair bit of jam on it. Place this bait some way from your picnic site and let them all go after that. Another thing that sounds a bit odd but works, is to take your picnic food well covered with cling film. Then dont eat in the order of savoury then sweet, but rather the reverse, eat the most tempting stuff first. If you are hiking or walking where there may be a station waiting room or a barn or hut of any description available go inside to eat. It may not give you the views but you get more things eaten in a decent manner, then make your coffee and sit outside with that.
Of course it will take some experience but try to find someone who is considered much more tasty to walk with so that bugs are diverted elsewhere.A devious plan which I have found very helpful !! I also have two very whippy fly swats and can use them at picnic tables etc etc. It gives me great pleasure to deal a blow to many of these insects etc. I am pleased to get some of them, and in particular rather enjoy thinking of such people as Boris Johnson Nigel Farage and Trump as I swipe . It gives an added accuracy to my battering. Oh of course now I can add NeilspurgeonO to my aim!!!
As for people opening doors etc. I have a simple way to deal with that by locking the doors so that they cannot just walk in and leave doors open. Those who know me are well aware of my attitude and would not dream of going against my rules in my house.
One rather arrogant person walked through my french windows and left them open so did not actually come through the usual doors. I then deliberately got up, collected bits and pieces and put them into my handbag and said "Shall we go then?" puzzled he asked where was I going and I replied " well to your house of course as now I will need to stay there until this evening when it will be safe for me to come home" He looked to see if it was a joke, and I just stood there and waited. I then said, this is the only time you will do this here. You of course may do as you like in your own home, but if I end up having to go to hospital tonight, and will not be able to drive tomorrow and possibly have to have treatment and antihistimene , through your thoughtless and arrogant behaviour I shall be extremely annoyed.
I will add that my family all have very sensitive skin, I am a redhead and some family members are allergic to penicillin etc etc, so we do have to be sensible. It is not a whim. Each person is an individual with their own reactions to things. We cannot tell how someone else is coping with things. I happen to have cancer and am having treatment for that, so I am more vunerable to lots of things. I used to go camping with a tent and could go practically anywhere with no worries. Now am annoyingly susceptible to things, and need the treatment to be sorting out the cancer and not dealing with flipping cleg bites. I dont inform other people about this and am not asking for pity at all, just to remind you that there may be reasons why someone appears to be affected by flies bugs etc etc., that seems out of proportion to the cause. All I can hope is that the chemo is fighting them too!! In general, when it is very hot and lots of flies etc I dont tend to go out much. I really prefer the autumn and spring for going off, so on a very hot day I will be indoors, with the curtains shut to keep the room cool. I have one of those freezer blocks that you use for childrens lunch boxes. Put that in a plastic bag to get the drips and then in a towel or pillowcase and then you can take your slippers off and put your feet on them. Or get out the old hot water bottle, fill with very cold water and put in a few icecubes, same thing lovely and cool. Travelling anywhere I have a clean flannel rinsed in very cold water and squeezed just enough so that it doesnt drip. Placed in a plastic bag and in my handbag, just the thing for hot airport lounges or trains or whatever. I just get it out, wipe hands face and neck. Bliss . I change my patterns for the day at this time of year, going out sometimes at about 6am when the shop opens so that I have got what I need and home before it heats up. Always carry a largish towel with me , as the british never think it is going to be hot and there is no shade in car parks. Drape towel over steering wheel and drivers seat. Result? When shopping done, whip towel off and seat is comfortable and steering wheel not burning your hands. All these things help to lower the stress of very hot weather and keeping cool usually means keeping calm as well. So good luck with the bugs in your life. We need to make the most of the weather whilst we can and learn to adjust our days as much as possible to make things as comfortable as possible. For me basic cleanliness, simple food, and cool rooms get me through the hottest muggy weather. It is always the humidity that makes the main difference. I have coped with very little problem in 105 degrees in the shade in Syria, but at this time of year there is about a fortnight in portugal where the humidity is unbearable and even being in the market before 6am, you could end up with curdled milk by the time you got home. I try and make the most of the one cloudy and chilly, or windy day by rustling up some meals that I can freeze, and that need little effort on the hot days. On the hot days so long as I have plenty of water , eating isnt important and I cheer myself up by thinking how slimming it is to have so little to eat today!!
Well if it is very hot tomorrow, get radio 3 on with some good music and get out the fly swats and enjoy the swatting tango or whatever, of course adding whatever name you like to add vigour and force to your swiping. Now where have I put my swat??!!

The fount of all knowledge , AKA DGD, tells me that flies have 5 eyes and thousands of lenses so can see in all directions so what hope do we have of swatting the horrid things ?

Half a lemon studded with cloves definitely works for me. I place them by open windows/doors apparently the flies do not like anything citrus. We still get on or two flies visiting but the lemon/cloves keeps the majority at bay.

We purchased an electric fly/bug zapper from Amazon . Its bright blue when its switched on , we put it top of high kitchen cupboard(near ceiling).
I ordered extra large by mistake.
Reminds me of the two barred electric fires.
Really reccomend this.
Quite loud when it zapps a fly, sometimes it gets more than one sounds like machine guns.
Zapped flies goint a tray underneath.

Get a cat! My cat has hours of fun stalking and chasing the odd rogue one that gets inside…and then eats them!

I burn lemon grass essential oil in my kitchen and hallway went from loads of flies to just the odd one.

I have a fly screen curtain - does the job very well. Amazon or Ebay very cheap and easy to fit yourself, just velcro. There are two curtains so you can walk through! They are held together with magnets.

Fit a fly curtain over door

There are 'weird and wonderful' things shared online that work for no fathomable reason. Like hanging up small, clear plastic bags of water near windows and doors. Some people advise to have a copper penny in the bag too. Why would that work? No idea, but it does seem to do the trick.
There are also mesh curtains for doors and windows that you fit magnetically, so the door/window can be opened but insects can't pass through.
My go-to was always the old fashioned net curtain. Not so popular these days where windows are often left bare until blinds or curtains are pulled at nightfall.

Get a net curtain to cover door that your opening. They have magnet fastenings so you can still go in and out of door but keep flying creatures out. Can be taken down during winter months.

Not here yet, but thanks for the heads up. I will go buy my fly papers tomorrow

They seem to have got wise to my blue light zapper, it`s only killed 4 flies in 2 weeks.

I bought a machine that zaps them when they land on it. It was very effective. However a previous reviewer had commented that he was in the military and had been posted to Afghanistan and took cover every time a fly was fried. I understand now exactly what he means and my poor dogs were terrified, it was more traumatic than November the 5th? The machine it stored in the cupboard under the stairs to be used sometime in the future.

My dog is a great fly catcher. She eats them as well! Gross! I can't kill them personally. All God's creatures and all that. I just try to scoot them out the window or door. They usually obey 😂

You haven seen the insects you get close to water in Africa I’ve had 2 or 3 Safaris lights attract them heat burns them. In the bush a gas powered camping light attracts and incinerates them after dark, alongside a lake they had a floodlight shining across it, very effective all the insects buzzed around it leaving us in peace.

Here get an electric fly killer a bluish light attracts them an electric grid zaps them, under £20 at Argos or B&Q

I've tried Venus Fly Trap plants and have managed to kill every single one. I don't use Raid. If it kills flies, I don't want to breathe it in!

My daughter came today, swatted and killed a few of the flies, there were 3 left when she went home, but one was zapped by my electronic fly killer, so now just 2 annoying the hell out of me!

Don't dust; leave the cobwebs in situ and let the spiders do their job!!! Works for me - fairly fly free! It is fascinating watching a spider wrapping its web around a fly - it really is.

Last night I was shoving a aah! Bisto Classic Bangers & Mash in the microwave for 9 minutes, when it was done I opened the door and as I took it out a flying beastie actually tried landing on it! Thankfully I still had the plastic film over it, I'm not having it scoffing my bangers!

''Listen here, fly! I've worked mightily hard doing a grueling 16 hour work shift to get the cash to pay £2.50 for a pack of bangers, mash, peas and gravy and I'm not having you, that's contributed nothing at all to my household, mugging me for it so buzz off, freak!''

Then in bed last night there was a HUGE one, extremely loud, built like a Antonov An-225 Mriya plane physically buzzed my face and head 3 times in seconds! I screamed and was absolutely hysterical! I ran to the kitchen where I keep my tin of Raid and shot back to the bedroom but the demonic ratbag was gone! I would have LOVED to have Raided it to death ... and beyond!

I am currently using a citronella reed diffuser that I got in LIDL. It’s been so good that I went out and bought a couple more. The lemon balm room refresher spray from Dunelm (their own brand) sprayed liberally around also seems to deter them, along with horsefly spray. We always have a problem with flies due to living in a very old cottage and having dogs.

Macadia

ViceVersa

What baffles me is how they can get in through the tiniest of spaces, but can't get back out again even if you open the windows wide!

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They lay eggs in window crevices/ lofts when the windows are open. Then theses hatch out later.