Housefly help!

FirstAndFinest · #1 08-06-2006, 01:58 PM

I'm so grossed out!

We've got about 50 flies in our kitchen. They're all on the inside of the window screens. I have no idea how they got there - or how to keep them from coming back! To get rid of them, we just sprayed about a whole can of Raid on the screen, then closed the windows (truly a sin given the lack of humidity and comfy temperature today). Mr. FaF is ex-military and keeps a CLEAN kitchen. There is no fruit out (we had flies like this last month and thought it stemmed from overripe fruit in the fruitbowl on the table...) and the catfood is changed regularly, so it's not all skanky.

Does anyone out there have any advice??? The raid is giving me hallucinations; I need a more permanent solution!!!

WhiteDaisy128 · #2 08-06-2006, 03:43 PM

If they are the little fruitflies...leave a vase out with water in it. They'll climb in and won't be able to get back out.

kddani · #3 08-06-2006, 04:15 PM

This happened to me last year after I moved into my apartment. I noticed one fly, then two, then I looked up and there were dozens in my light fixture in my kitchen. Basically I opened the sliding glass door and all the windows for ventilation and went apeshit chasing the damn flies with a can of bug spray. Totally gross, but I got all of them. There were a few that survived, but I carried around the can of spray with me the next two days. The grossest thing was cleaning up their dead bodies. I just went around with the vacuum attachment sucking them all up.

Also, you're going to have to wash all the exposed surfaces in your kitchen once you've busted out the Raid. Don't want to poison yourself!

kathykd2005 · #4 08-06-2006, 04:29 PM

Please be careful that aside from poisoning yourself, you don't poison your cats!!! This happened once to me at my old apartment--the landlords had left town and kept food out, so we had HUGE black flies and my cat ate them--then threw up for days because they had been sprayed with RAID. Have you checked to make sure none of the other tenants are the cause?

FirstAndFinest · #5 08-06-2006, 07:00 PM

It's just my husband and me here in the house - and we can't figure it out! These big ole black house flies (not the little fruit flies) are *just* in the kitchen - oh and the vestibule/entrance off the kitchen - and they are all over *just* the windows & screens. Weird. Aggravating.

Thanks for the heads up about the cats getting poisoned!! Even though we are litterally spraying the screens then shutting the windows, I do need to clean everything up after spraying.

honeychile · #6 08-06-2006, 08:29 PM

Thank heavens that they're stuck in the window screen! Have you taken out the screen and made sure that they're not breeding under there? I know - gross to the max, but you have to figure out where they ARE breeding, and destroy the opportunity!

One thing I've learned about the ones that fly around (especially when you're trying to sleep) was to keep a can of cheap hairspray and a fly swatter handy. The hairspray makes them unable to fly, so you can swat them easier.

FirstAndFinest · #7 08-06-2006, 09:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by honeychile

Thank heavens that they're stuck in the window screen! Have you taken out the screen and made sure that they're not breeding under there? I know - gross to the max, but you have to figure out where they ARE breeding, and destroy the opportunity!

One thing I've learned about the ones that fly around (especially when you're trying to sleep) was to keep a can of cheap hairspray and a fly swatter handy. The hairspray makes them unable to fly, so you can swat them easier.

OMG!! I'm struck by how basic that is, yet we did not think of it!!! THANKS - DH will take care of that in the AM!!!

FirstAndFinest · #8 08-08-2006, 07:47 PM

We have flower boxes in the two kitchen windows. Apparently, the dead leaves/blossoms from those flowers fell into the window tracks, decayed and became the breeding ground. Mr. FAF took care of it - thank goodness, because he says it was quite gross.

Thank you to everyone who responded - and especially Honey who helped lead me to the (obvious) solution!

honeychile · #9 08-08-2006, 10:57 PM

You really DO have a DH!!! That is such a nasty job!! Thank heavens, I've never had to do it, but I saw it being done once. I've hated flies with a white-hot passion since!!