Flies!!!

Three or four years ago, I kept finding more and more flies in the house. I finally traced them to the sitting room, moved the sofa and found the carpet crawling with maggots. I assumed that the flies had wintered there and laid eggs. They were quickly hoovered up and the room sprayed thoroughly - no more flies. I do move the sofa more often nowadays.

I came home from holiday one year and opened the garage door to be met with a cloud of flies, I presume cluster flies, most flew out when I opened the main doors wide. I then went round with an aerosol of fly killer. They have never returned.

My niece was plagued with flies a few weeks ago. In the end someone advised her to check behind the boarded up fireplace and sure enough, there were two dead birds in there. Once they'd been disposed of, the flies had flown.

I had them for two years running. Each year I hoovered them up each time and I never had them again

Yup - I have looked it all up and it certainly looks as though they are cluster flies and the bad news is that once they choose your house they will come back each year - also that the ones that are hatching out now will stop when it gets really cold and just pop up again in the spring.

They are horrible. And in such numbers. There is no way to describe how they simply reappear crawling all over everything after you think you have just got rid of them all - it is like some evil magic trick.

I do my sewing out there and yesterday I left a pile of material on the table, spent about 5 minutes on the sewing machine, then turned round to find the material on the table crawling with them.

We have pest control guy living in the village - I'll give him a ring. But I do not want lots of horrid chemicals around as we have GC in and out.

Flies sometimes lay eggs in small crannies in the house and then when the heating comes on they hatch earlier than intended.

Years ago when I was a bedsitter dweller a large bluebottle must have laid eggs behind my gas fire because for about six weeks every day when I came home from work there would be one big dozy bluebottle buzzing around my room. I would kill it, dispose of the carcase - and the next day there would be another one.

Hespian one of my friends asked me about being near cows - the farmer up the road does keep about six - my friend said she got them when they let the cows out again. The cows near us are out most of the time and only the last few weeks have the flies been a problem.

I remember those Vapona sticks. They were wonderful and lasted ages. We now use an Insectocutor (like they have in food shops). They help but we still get lots as we are next to a field with cows and all their accompaniments!!

I too have had loads of flies this summer, and still am invaded on sunny days. None of the sprays/stickers I have bought work at all. I remember Vapona, a solid stick fly killer, was really effective, but was then banned on health and safety grounds. I would prefer to take my chances with the risk of using a Vapona type killer than put up with the health menace of flies. I have now returned to covering food to protect it from flies as I remember doing in my childhood.

I too have loads of flies which may be cluster flies - Raid does NOT kill them - I was so fed up I sprayed every room and shut the doors between - went in several hours later to find them all in the best of health! They seem able to withstand several of these onslaughts of raid etc. only solution seems to be the swat and a good aim.

We've had more flies in the house this summer than in years. The conservatory has been particularly bad. I wondered if it was to do with the warm summer weather.

A nice little cartoon about fruit flies. Lecturer writes on board for students that he is going to be talking about fruit flies. He writes 'froot' looks at it crosses it out and writes 'frute' doesn't like that either, crosses it out and writes friut''. Finally gives up and writes drosophila!

There was one day when every shed on the allotments was literally covered with flies, as was the old carpeting that some people put down. It was quite odd, but the following day all was back to normal.

My neighbour has an infestation of "cluster flies" at present and is just waiting for R****kil to come to eradicate them. You may be the same- they sound very nasty but they are harmless (i.e. don't carry diseases) to humans. Good luck.

When we do have an influx of flies (just a few in summer) I find that leaving windows open means they go out again. I wonder if leaving your conservatory open to the world for a day or two might help?

No fly plague here. I think your first hypothesis may be right. Do you have plants in your conservatory? I'm wondering about infected potting compost.

We seem to have just one fly left per room but I can't get rid any of them. We have loads of those little fruit fly things too. Roll on snow.

No help at all with your problem mishap, but lots of empathy.