Every summer, especially after the commencement of Monsoon, the flying bugs come out. And I’ve always found it interesting that every summer one particular sort of bug is predominant, but rarely the same sort of bug two summers in a row. Like, one summer there’ll be weevils getting into everything. The next summer you won’t see even one, but enormous moths, big as hummingbirds, are everywhere.
But everywhere and all the time, there are houseflies. And this summer they’re driving me crazy. Leave the door open for even a minute and the Lair is practically packed with them. Aggressive little buggers, too. I’m going batshit nuts from the tickling alone.
It’s nothing unusual, really, but do you think there’s one single place in the crappy little town nearest where I live, where a guy can buy a lousy flyswatter? Seriously. The food store, the drug store, the (2) dollar stores, even the Alco doesn’t carry flyswatters.
Does that seem right to you?
Weird, haven’t seen a housefly yet this year but the black flies were especially vicious in late spring / early summer.
A few years ago, most of my neighbors either sold their horses or moved them away somewhere. So, I didn’t have much of a fly problem after that until this year. Once again, there are 15 horses within sight of my house on the hill, and I just HATE having a fly in the house. ONE – and there are days now where I kill 20 at a time. I don’t ever leave my door standing open either. sigh
Three ways to deal with them.
The good old fly swatter, if you can find them. Gone out of fashion, I guess.
My favorite way involves an adjustable nozzle household sprayer with rubbing alcohol and a little water. This will actually knock down a fly off a wall or even out of the air. Awesome point and shoot practice. I seldom miss anymore.
The third is what I used on my little farm, and might be practical for you. Go to a feed store and see if they have a “big stinky” (or a little one). It’s a lid that fits on a gallon glass jar (or a two quart). You put a little bait in it with some water. The flies can get in… but they can’t get out. It’s nasty to have to dump them, but it’s better than trying to use a “swatter” on hundreds or even thousands of flies constantly.
Unfortunately, the chickens won’t eat them. I tried every once in a while, but mine wouldn’t go near them. I dumped them into the middle of my compost pile and they simply vanished. 🙂
*Buy* a flyswatter?!? Mine are made of forked willow twigs and leather or rawhide.
Or, alternately, get some nice shooting-sized rubber bands and learn to shoot flies. I used to kill them that way by the hundreds in the pet store.
I just use a rolled up kitchen dish towel because I can never find the fly swatter where I need it. We’ve not had a fly problem so far, but I was helping a friend who has horses and got bitten by one of those great big biting horse flies. Arm is still swollen 3 days later.
Here, I’ve got woodworm beetles and the moths which eat clothes emerging indoors and horse flies and maggot flies outdoors, that and we get lots of midges – clouds of tiny little itchy biting buggers.
I caught a lamb today which I thought was maggoted – it wasn’t and neither should it be – it was only dipped with OP nerve agent 2 weeks ago. it got a spray of pyrethroid anyway.
OK
long range indoor fly swat: “rats tail”
This was the deadly weapon of the school locker room and showers, a hit caused a big black bruise and I wore more than a few of them in my early teens.
Take a towel – even a dish one, and lay it out flat with one of its long sides towards you.
get hold of the two far corners and bring them together and towards you, so you have a triangle with the point away from you.
start at one of the corners to your side and roll it up really tight to the corner that was at the other side.
tuck the loose corner into the top. you should now have a tapered whip. practice flicking it, the motion is mostly from the wrist with only a little movement from the elbow – and watch you don’t get it in your eye when it recoils. A few minutes practice and you should be able to make a crack with it like a real whip, as the tip goes supersonic.
For an aimed shot, your strong hand starts infront of your nose, your weak hand supports the thin end beside your ear, and your weak hand stays there.
obviously its not for use on delicate things or pets, and watch out for hitting things with the recoil, but it’s great for flies and clothes moths high up on the wall or on the ceiling. I’d be careful about using it on critters with stings and fangs like big spiders, scorpions etc, as the recoil might bring them back towards you.
The other day, I killed 7 flies in my house, 3 males and 4 females. How could I tell? 3 were on a beer can and 4 were on the phone. Ba da bump
It always amazes me how you can drive miles into the desert, stop in the middle of nowhere, get out of your car with the windows down, and when you come back the car is full of flies. Where do they come from? Do they sit there, day after day, hoping some idiot will park there so they can infest an interior?
Also, Bug-A-Salt: http://bugasalt.com/how/
Duck tape…Place or hang the tape sticky side up where flies like to land. Throw away and replace when covered with flies. A cheap three pack of tape makes fly traps for years. I use the cheap tape sold in Home Depot/Lowes etc.