Last summer we had a nightmare with garden flies. Obviously we want to open the patio doors, windows etc. but flies are attracted for some reason and at one point I counted 30 of the in my living room.

This weekend the flies are starting to appear again.

I can't work out what's attracting them, the house is spotless, no food left out etc. Also have some smelly plants on the patio which should put them off coming near.

Has anybody got any tips on keeping the flies away???

Get rid of the dead body under the patio!

Aparently, failing that have you a chimney in the lounge? I've known dead birds stuck in there to be attract flies.

Plant some mint in the garden or place the pots near the doors/windows

No chimney at all on the house.

Mint I do have a nice big plant pot of mint, but currently nowhere near the house. I might move it and see if it has any affect.

30 in your living room is a lot, agree that something is attracting them, is it just your living room ?

do you have any pets ?

Iain

no pets.

Weirdly, our bedroom is above the living room, and even though the windows are open, flies never go in there.

1 option I thought of trying this year, is to put some netting across the door.

We have the dreaded "thunderbug" to look forward to every summer, especially hot humid weather and the cutting of rape seed oil seems to make them swarm. They get in your hair, get behind glass in picture frames, even got two in a LCD television once (thought they were dead pixels) Hundreds of the b s cover the walls and then they are gone perhaps they have a very short life.

You could try citronella candles also, the mosquito repellant.

could be the change in temperature attracting them, maybe a bit cooler.

Iain

My neighbours had a similar problem with nothing obvious to attract the flies, they called in the local council pest control people who carried out an x-ray/ ultra sound survey of the entire house and found a long dead harvest mouse trapped between the plasterboard and the insulation in the lounge wall. Once the carcass had been liberated the flies disappeared. How can carbon have a footprint, it has no feet?
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Just a thought! What colour scheme do you have in the lounge as some colours attract insects more than otheres (ask any golfer who wears a yellow shirt in the summer). Ralph
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my folks once had a problem with beetles (and no not vw's before anyone suggests it!!!) in their Lounge. groups of them suddenly appear under furniture / curtains etc. Room would be hoovered top to bottom yet a day or so later another glump of them appear (and they always hid under something!). They even took a couple to environmental health who didnt know what sort of beetle they were! They tried sprays and even those smoke bomb type thingys but nothing worked. After about 3 months they went and have (touch wood) never appeared again...

The colour scheme is purple and cream. If colours is the case, I should get that Laurence LLewylen Bowen to do a anti-bee make over haha

Interesting about the env. health coming out to do xray. Might see how I get on with the candles, mint, etc. first and if no joy go down the env. health route.

Are they definitely 'Garden Flies'?
Have you ruled out them being 'Cluster Flies'.

shilen wrote:

my folks once had a problem with beetles (and no not vw's before anyone suggests it!!!) in their Lounge. groups of them suddenly appear under furniture / curtains etc. Room would be hoovered top to bottom yet a day or so later another glump of them appear (and they always hid under something!). They even took a couple to environmental health who didnt know what sort of beetle they were! They tried sprays and even those smoke bomb type thingys but nothing worked. After about 3 months they went and have (touch wood) never appeared again...

You need "Help", have you tried telling them to "Get Back" Even then it could be "A Hard Days Night" till they go or give them "A Day Ticket" but they will return as a "Day Tripper" still with the forum "We Can Work it Out".

Sorry lads, slow day in the office.