Big fat black flies (Lounged)

[katyc]

Our house seems to have been invaded by a load of horrible large black flies, but I have no idea where they have come from. Is anyone else suffering too?

Its started a new sport in our house though - fly dustbustering....

[Penguin68]

The cold snap may have brought them in - they are very possibly blow-flies - which means that you may have a corpse somewhere close - fox? rat?

[HAL9000]

Did any one mention Beelzebub?

[intexasatthe moment]

They could just be house flies coming out of hibernation because you've increased your heating due to cold snap .

No need for talk of corpses ...please .

[Otta]

I had similar once, and it was indeed a dead mouse that seemed to attract them. Sprayed fly spray around the room, and loads of them swarmed out from everywhere. It was grim!

[Goodliz]

Check all your cupboards for rotting food. I once had the same and found a bag of rotting bananas that I had forgotten about at the back of the cupboard - gross. Once I got rid of the bag of bananas (which had loads of maggots in it by the time I found it) and cleaned the cupboard the fly problem went. Had it once too with a pineapple!

[redjam]

I had this problem once - lots of very fat and sluggish flies suddenly started appearing on our downstairs windows, as if from nowhere. It's the grimmest thing, and I still don't know why we had them or where they were coming from (presumably something nasty under the floorboards). I got some flyspray from AJ Farmers and went beserk with it - though be warned, as Otta said they all fly up at you when you do this which made me shriek! Got rid of the problem very quickly though.

[Annasfield]

This happened to me last year. It was horrible and they'd always be by the window so I assumed that's how they were getting in. Turns out they were just aiming for the lightest part of the room - no doubt lookin for an escape.

I've a fireplace in my room so covered up the hole with a black bin bag and seeled all the edges. Fly problem ended, shortly after. I imagine a bird had died in the chimney breast or something.

It was grim though - I feel for you.

[emcabs]

Are they bluebottles? I hate to break this to you, but bluebottles tend to be around dead animals...I've had an infestation (of both rats and then flies) and it's pretty foul. Poor you. You can fly spray the flies (they are so slow that they are easy to catch) but if I was you I'd try and find out where they are coming from and remove the food source (which I really hope for your sake is the rotting banana suggested above..!)

[DulwichFox]

Defo sound like it could be a dead mouse.. But you can usually smell dead mice...

Funny time of year for flies... But

Blue Bottle Flies breed often during the warm months.

Both larvae and pupae can live through the winter, but adults die when it gets too cold.

Blue Bottle Flies sometimes lay eggs in the wound of a living animal.

The larvae, when they hatch, eat from the host animal.

This is called "myiasis" and can cause infections in the animal.

Source WARNING Nasty pics of Blue Bottles

Could be caused by heating being turned up due to the cold snap..

Fox.

[Sue]

Happened to me once when a bird flew down a chimney and sadly died because the fireplace was blocked up and by the time I'd phoned the RSPB to see what to do about it it was too late.

A few days (if memory serves) later loads of large black flies filled the room, mainly as someone says above, around the window. I didn't think much of it at first but then there were more and more of them.

Eventually I found that they were coming out of air holes in the fireplace, presumably from hatched out maggots in the bird (sorry).

It was my bedroom, as well. It was really disgusting. I sellotaped over the airholes and I could see their vile little legs moving about behind.

So afraid I do think you may well have a corpse somewhere - but the good news is the flies should eventually disappear ....

[computedshorty]

I found a lot of those flies on my trousers, I could not pull them off so I cut them off only to find they were buttons, so I sewed a zip on them but it was upside down, now I have to zip down, and I cant get my trousers off.

[Sue]

computedshorty Wrote:

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

> I found a lot of those flies on my trousers, I

> could not pull them off so I cut them off only to

> find they were buttons, so I sewed a zip on them

> but it was upside down, now I have to zip down,

> and I cant get my trousers off.

xxxxxxxx

:))

[lebara]

Funny and revolting thread all at once

[katyc]

Thanks for the suggestions guys. In hindsight there was a 'meaty' smell in our small cellar area a couple of weeks ago so that's probably it (yes the kids and husband are annoying but no, I haven't buried them there).

Current scores on the doors r.e. fly dustbustering

Me = 48 flies

Hubby = 31 flies (unsuccessfully tries to use inappropriate items of clothing as a swatter instead)

5yr old daughter = 7 flies (height and reach issues)

3yr old son = 4 flies (stealth issues)

[woodrot]

Its gets worse.

Next it will be a plague of locusts, then famine. To top it all off, we shall be overrun by Advertising peoplev looking to breed.

[Betterat50m]

Fly activity

[moemaccy]

Hi

This also happened to me, I had them for 3 days, started to notice around 5-6 on all windows in my house downstairs. Then opened my cellar door, and was shocked at a swarm of them coming out! This was due to a dead rat!, you will notice that the flies are very docile. I reported it to southwark council and they told me to buy a can of fly spray (thanks so much!!!) So I ended up getting rid of the problem myself. I have lived in my property for 19 years and this has happened around 4 times. There is a huge problem of mice and rats in East Dulwich, I live on Gowlett Road.

[ibilly99]

Your house may be over an ancient Indian burial ground....

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kxiaB4xhlYU/TqC8TS7buKI/AAAAAAAABQU/AoYD9qFhXRA/s1600/AmityvilleHouse.jpg

[Administrator]

Moving this thread to the Lounge as it's not East Dulwich specific.

[katyc]

-- moved topic --