*Swat*

[jducoeur]

On top of the joy of being stuck at home, Kate and I have gotten to spend the past week in a fierce holding action against an invasion of houseflies. There have been two waves so far, of a few dozen each -- we haven't yet puzzled out where they are breeding, but they clearly are doing so.

My inner Buddhist is making sad faces at me, but we're getting better than I might have expected at it, swatting a couple dozen a day. I've tried a few of the folk-remedy traps (eg, fill a bowl with some apple cider vinegar, a bit of sugar and a bit of dishsoap) with modest success, but we're mostly finding it effective to roam the kitchen with sacrificial magazines that we are prepared to get Fly Goo on.

So -- yay, fun. How's by you?

Comments

[ilaine]

I had a nest of yellowjackets take up residence in my compost bin. At least they were outside not in the house. I called in the professionals.

For flies - maybe get a close-up photo and ask the kind folks on r/whatsthisbug - proper species identification can help you hone in on likely breeding sites.

[jducoeur]

Interesting -- thanks!

[sorcyress]

We had a house centipede scuttling around the kitchen while making dinner (on the floors) which was very charming except for the parts where me and roommate were nervous about stepping on it. It does mean fewer flies! ;)

~Sor

[jducoeur]

Yeah -- centipedes don't dive-bomb your head, which makes them a lot less problematic. Still not sure I want it in my kitchen, but it's usually much easier to move in a humane way...

[cvirtue]

I have found these very effective:
https://www.amazon.com/Catchmaster-904-Clear-Window-Traps/dp/B001QBPP66

[jducoeur]

Interesting -- so basically flystrips, but put them where they are crawling instead of where they are flying. I may need to try these out -- thanks!

[cvirtue]

Regular flies, fruitflies, and other flies all seem to head toward light/windows, so these catch them when they do that.
We're considering putting one on John's tablet, (temporarily) because when he reads at night, one of the species is attracted to the tablet's light.

[jducoeur]

Yeah, it makes sense -- they've certainly been congregating around the kitchen window. I've ordered a set of these: they're cheap enough to be worth having on hand and trying if we get another infestation.

[cvirtue]

I suggest putting one up in that window even if you think you have prevailed -- because it will verify your status. They are very transparent - hardly noticeable... if empty. I'll go take a pic of one of mine and post it here.

[cvirtue]

Here we go:

We found that one of the feeding locations for the fruitflies was a catbox -- note that this catbox was cleaned daily, but there apparently was enough moisture anyway...

[jducoeur]

Nice -- yeah, I'll think about putting one up prophylactically.

No cats here (Kate's allergic); still trying to puzzle out possible sources...