East Dulwich fly invasion?

[Sue]

In the last three days I have had ten flies in my kitchen, at one point three at a time and another point four at a time (all were put out of the window). Plus at least one more (possibly two or possibly the same one) in other rooms.

I can't trace any source of them within my kitchen or the rest of the house. There's no food left out anywhere.

Just wondering whether anybody else has had any or whether it's just me?

ETA: Some of them seemed quite dozy.

ETA: I'm just wondering whether they could come down the chimney? I don't have any windows open, though I have had over the past week, but surely so many wouldn't have come in the window?

[mfcjoe]

Go check on your neighbours, make sure they are all still in the land of the living.

[Penguin68]

I'm afraid a dead animal under your floorboards is a likely scenario.

[nxjen]

Ha, just seen the advert for No Flies in the right hand panel

[Sue]

Penguin68 Wrote:

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> I'm afraid a dead animal under your floorboards is

> a likely scenario.

No smell though

[JohnL]

Fruit flies or drain flies (or dead body flies) or just house flies.

Can't miss the small fruit flies that I get loads of in the summer (especially if a potato rots)

[Sue]

I have had a PM from someone who had the same thing, and they are most likely Cluster Flies.

This would explain the drowsiness as they have been hibernating.

It is also potentially bad news :(

I've just googled them and evidently they return to the same house year after year, hiding away in crevices.

If so, this must be their first year at mine.

Bleurgh.

I've just found another one drowned in a vase of flowers :(

[Siduhe]

Sue, I sympathise. I found a female moth this morning in my airing cupboard where it has been happily over-wintering and probably laying a tonne of eggs around the house. I thought I'd finally got on top of the little buggers. Bah!

[DulwichFox]

Siduhe Wrote:

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> Sue, I sympathise. I found a female moth this

> morning in my airing cupboard where it has been

> happily over-wintering and probably laying a tonne

> of eggs around the house. I thought I'd finally

> got on top of the little buggers. Bah!

Female Clothes Moths cannot Fly. Females travel by either running, hopping, or trying to hide in the folds of clothing. The Female lays about 40 eggs at any one time.

Any Moths that fly off when breathed on will be males.

[Siduhe]

Thanks DF. This one did not fly, just scuttled off to hide in the cracks in the shelving. I may have got it, but not sure. Am going to take further steps this evening..just frustrated that I didn't even think to check there before.

[JohnL]

Siduhe Wrote:

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> Thanks DF. This one did not fly, just scuttled

> off to hide in the cracks in the shelving. I may

> have got it, but not sure. Am going to take

> further steps this evening..just frustrated that I

> didn't even think to check there before.

moth balls ?

[Sue]

JohnL Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Siduhe Wrote:

> --------------------------------------------------

> -----

> > Thanks DF. This one did not fly, just scuttled

> > off to hide in the cracks in the shelving. I

> may

> > have got it, but not sure. Am going to take

> > further steps this evening..just frustrated that

> I

> > didn't even think to check there before.

>

> moth balls ?

You get strips these days, which do not have the hideous smell of moth balls.

I have found them very effective, though they do have to be changed quite frequently, and it can work out very expensive.

I also use sticky traps for the males - I don't like doing this because I think it's very cruel, but I don't want to use a chemical spray and in any case that depends on actually spotting the moths.

I diarise when to change the traps/strips, and I keep a note of where I've put them all (many many places .....)

Each time I renew them I google to find the best price, but it's still very expensive :(

I have just found three more effing very dozy flies on the kitchen window. I imagine they are going to die once they are out in the cold, sorry flies.

ETA: Re moths, it is amazing how fast those female moths can move, and how quickly they find somewhere to hide where you can't reach them. I have to admit I do sometimes use a spray in that case.

[lavender27]

I hate the flying ants.

[Sue]

JohnL Wrote:

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> Fruit flies or drain flies (or dead body flies)

> or just house flies.

>

> Can't miss the small fruit flies that I get loads

> of in the summer (especially if a potato rots)

These flies look like ordinary house flies, though I'm no fly expert.

Though apparently you can get cluster flies which are the size of fruit flies.

Googling cluster flies mainly brings up pest control information, and a lot of rather disheartening facts :(

[Sue]

Since at least one other house in East Dulwich has had this fly problem, I'm wondering how common it is in this area.

[Penguin68]

If they are large, like house flies (or larger, like bluebottles) then they have been corpse-fed, most likely. Mice that die under ground floors, where the gap is likely to be aired through air bricks, will likely not smell, and if the flies are hatched they are long beyond that.

[Sue]

I'm pretty sure they are cluster flies which have been hibernating.

They are very dozy indeed.

Also the vast majority are in the kitchen and I can't see how flies originating from a corpse could end up there.

[tomskip]

I put spiders out when they come in from the cold ... but flies?? Aren't you being a bit of a softy, Sue?

How about getting some fly eating plants if you don't want to use chemicals?

[Sue]

tomskip Wrote:

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> I put spiders out when they come in from the cold

> ... but flies?? Aren't you being a bit of a softy,

> Sue?

>

> How about getting some fly eating plants if you

> don't want to use chemicals?

I don't want to use chemicals because of the effect on me, not the flies/moths!!

Fly eating plants are a good idea, but given the number of flies they'd have to be very hungry plants :))

[tomskip]

Those tube-like ones are very good!

[Sue]

Pitcher plants? I was thinking of the Venus Fly Traps. Much more Sci Fi :))

But I can't imagine they each eat more than one or two largeish flies a day, so I'd have to have a whole windowsill of them :))

[Applespider]

If it's any comfort, I had an infestation of large dozy flies about 10 years ago that lasted a couple of days and they've never come back. I assumed at the time that it must be a dead thing even though there was no smell but it may have been cluster flies.

[Sue]

Ah, thanks.

Fingers crossed!

[jimmyraj]

We've had two invasions in the last few months, though I think we do have a dead thing somewhere under the floor boards. Unfortunately we have put engineered flooring on top so there's no getting to it - but you could see the flies emerging from tiny gaps around door frames. Pretty grim. One of the downsides of old Victorian terraces.

[rendelharris]

Citronella incense sticks and tealights did a good job for us in repelling a recent invasion, they seemed to be getting in from the front garden through airbricks in the porch and coalhole, possibly after breeding in carelessly closed refuse and compost bins (not ours!), but didn't seem so keen when they encountered that scent - rather a pleasant smell too.