[SageTheRage]

I don't know if the predicament I now find myself in is due to the constant rains experienced here in my area lately (just outside of Phx, AZ ... paging SmartAZ please!!!) but as of yesterday, I've been swatting dozens and I mean DOZENS of flies. Killed 4 dz in the kitchen alone in less than 2 hrs. A stray fly or two at most in another area in the house but all the rest have been in the kitchen.

Sprayed a heavy duty insecticide in there but again this morning, as soon as the sun warmed up the room a bit, there came the flies again. Swatted 6 in a mere span of 5 minutes.

Don't have any doors or windows open so I'm thinking the fly larvae are somewhere inside the house (most specifically the kitchen) but I can't find anything anywhere other than the pesky flies!

I've NEVER had this problem before...NEVER! Food/garbage, etc is not an issue as none is left out and trash is emptied to the outside recepticle everyday. (which is not in the vicinity of the kitchen's arcadia door which leads to the backyard).

As many of you know, I have goats & dogs and have had them for years and not ever had this problem. The rains here have been numerous for over 2 wks. and we've been quite chilly during the day and very cold at night (very unusual for my area especially this early in the season) so I am wondering if this is the cause for the flies hatching indoors? I cannot find where they are coming from and that is driving me crazy! I can stand outside and not see one darn fly. I carefully check before opening/closing the arcadia door and nope, no flies. But there they are....flying all over my kitchen by the dozens!!!!!

I have thoughts of purchasing an inexpensive fly trap (plastic gizmo that you fill with a "poop scent" that attracts them) but due to the stench I don't want that hanging in the kitchen. Nor do I want to hear the zapping of an electric fly killer. Since there seem to be no flies OUTSIDE, I'd have to hang such apparatuses in my kitchen where the flies populate, congregate and just party hardy in general...HELP!!! :eek:

I'm embarrassed that ya'll might think I'm dirty or have an unkempt house but I'll risk it in asking for your advice as to what to do/what is causing these hordes of flies.

Since I know for sure, SmartAZ is close to my locale (I'm in Glendale, AZ to his/her Phx) I'm hoping s/he can tell me if this is a problem in the SmartAZ home too.

If anyone else has ever had this problem, even if not in AZ, please advise me and I'm hoping you'll tell me this is indeed weather related. I'd hate to find out otherwise.

TIA,
Sage :sigh:

[Hamilton Felix]

Around here, when the weather cools down, they'll make a last ditch effort to get inside and survive. Start hanging those strips of fly paper! :D

[Mike]

Well...we had a similar problem here at the house when we all moved in.

Me a 3 friends rented a nice house, and all moved in over the course of a week. It was hard to figure out whose pile of stuff was whos. Then this smell started and no-one could figure out what it was. After a couple days the smell got worse, and then the flies started to come....out in full force.

So we started ripping the house apart, and sure enough found the culprit.

We all had remembered seeing the white plastic garbage can, and then it got moved into a corner. What no one had realized was that it didnt belong to any of us. It had been left by the previous tennats. And...to make matters worse, it appeared they had disposed of their leftover freezer meats into said garbage can.

Well...luckily I was not the poor bugger that had the pleasure of unknowlingly ripping the lid off the can, and cramming his head into it to inspect for the source of the smell.

From what we were able to gather from his incorherient ramblings after the incident was that the flies had found a new home in the decaying meat, and hence the large fly problem in the house.

Once the can was disposed, the flies were gone completely in a couple of days.

My suggestion would be to see if a piece of raw meat might be lying somewhere unnoticed. Even a small piece could offer enough surface area to house many fly nests/eggs/larva.

Try looking between the stove, and counter, under and counter appliences..etc..etc..

Or if you have a pet, he/she might have brought a "kill" like a mouse or something into the house to show you, and hide it somewhere.

Just my two cents!

Mike

[SmartAZ]

There are no flies here. Correction: There were three flies last week. I ignored them, and they apparently have gone to fly heaven by now.

A lot depends on what kind of flies they are. Some like meat, some like poop, etc. The eggs might be almost anywhere. Hardware stores sell fly strips awfully cheap. They come in little paper cans about the size of your thumb. You hang it on a nail and pull the can down to expose the bait. Put them up out of your way, and when each one gets really gruesome just slip a plastic bag over it (so you don't have to touch the mess) and toss it. That way you don't have poisonous fumes in your kitchen.

Hang in there, this will probably only last a few days.

BTW, I am male! I guess that's not obvious from my avatar, but you can check the member pictures for a more revealing (or at least more current) likeness.

[phoenician]

Hi Sage- Living in Chandler we have experienced the same problem you are having now. Its amazing how bad it can be and just how it can affect an area. The first and worst problem we had was overwhelming and it was this same time of year. I honestly thought it was us because my neighbors across the street didn't have a fly in sight while we were covered over. After living here for a few years we have found it must be a shift in the air currents and they come and go. My problem today will be someone elses tomorrow. Hang in there it will pass.

[SageTheRage]

Thx for the tips everyone; I'll look for some pieces of meat that may have fallen between stove & cupboards or perhaps is stuck in the drain pipe perhaps? (don't have a garbage disposal). Will also get the fly strips pronto.

And yeah, I hear ya, Phoenician about the disparity of one house but not another; that is what made me hesitate to finally seek outside help (the embarrassment that it was "just me" since my neighbor had no such complaints).

Yep, SmartAZ, I figured you for a male even judging by your baby picture (which looked like a darling rascal of a little boy to me!) and especially by your postings throughout the site but didn't want to presume incorrectly. I knew of someone a long time ago who was a strong poster with an icon that indicated one gender while actually being another....just so she would be left alone.

Thx again to everyone who posted here with your helpful suggestions. I feel like the fly swatter has become an extension of my hand lately.

[ssbn sailor]

Sage:

Is there a lot of standing water from the rains around your house? If so, the flies can breed in mud puddles and make it into your house.

Empty anything you can find outside that has standing water in it, and it should help a little bit.

[JustLooking]

Just thought I would mention, flies are sometimes attracted to gas leaks, you might want to check that out.

[SageTheRage]

We're all electric here, JustLooking but I had NO idea about the attraction to gas...wow!!!! Thx for that info. I like learning new things.

SSBN: come to think of it, you might be onto something there! There's quite a bit of things outback but further away from the house that have probably collected rainwater; I'll go check it out as soon as I finish this post before it gets too much darker (its dusk now).

The odd thing is though, I see no evidence of them coming INTO the house! I can open the arcadia door and stand there with it open, and nothing flies in. Its as if the flies are already in the house but I cannot figure out from WHERE.

The trapped meat behind/between stove, etc might be the source but I am going to check the possibilities of the rain reservoirs out back too.

Thx again one and all!

[Gizmo]

Also check out cat litter that hasn't been taken care of or bird feed, dog or cat foor (dry). We had a problem recently because we forgot a bag of cat litter that we left in the basement for a week (didn't go down there for a week to do the laundry or anything). Flyin bugs came out of it. Those fly strips are great for dealing with it. If the flies are in the main living area, still use the fly strips! They aren't pretty but they sure work. Got so old fashioned fly swatters? Also, we have this fly gun thing that is fun :D

[SageTheRage]

Gun??? Gun??? You say Gun??? COOL! Please tell me more about this "fly gun"! And YES!, it does sound fun.

[Libertarian]

Last winter I had a mad buzzing coming from the exhaust hood over my stove. There must have been a dozen big flies in there. I could see them through the screen filter. I just turned on the fan and listened to the thwacking for a while. When I turned the fan off there was no more buzzing.

[SmartAZ]

http://www.drgadget.co.uk/shopimages/products/normal/flygun300.jpg

FLY GUN Our Price £1.99
Killing those pesky flies has never been so much fun! No more swatting with rolled up newspapers and magazines � saving a lot of arguments from the other half who hadn�t finished. This will now be your choice of weapon in the battle against the bluebottle!
This amazing little gadget shoots the fly straight out of the sky. We found this gun on one of our travels 8,000 miles away. If you score a direct hit, the fly gun will kill small flies, gnats and, best of all, mosquitoes. Any larger flying pests, such as wasps will be knocked away in mid air or killed against a hard surface.
The fly gun fires a powerful plastic net, 2.5 inches in diameter, via spring power at the fly. Fun Safe and easy, become a hunter in your own home. Just push the plastic net onto the barrel of the gun, aim and fire! The net is even attached to the bottom of the handle with a chord to allow for quick reloading and to stop you from losing it.
The net is easy to rinse clean under a tap to remove the casualties of your mission!

But remember, never point at someone's face! THIS IS NOT A TOY.

LINK (http://www.drgadget.co.uk/product.php?xProd=166)

amazingflygun.com (http://www.amazingflygun.com/main.asp)

[SageTheRage]

I simply MUST have this :D because it looks like so much fun. I am going to ask for it for Christmas (seriously, I am *that* weird!) The cost is $6.95 ea (which inc. airmail rate S/H) with discounts on multiple purchases. They come in two colors: red and blue.

My luck I'll never have a darn fly problem again after the shipment of this nifty item arrives (in which case I'll rent my services out in the neighborhood just so I can have an excuse to use my flygun) Thx SmartAZ... Oooh boy, I can hardly wait!

[Ought Six]

I had one of those years ago. It is called a "FlyShooter". Here is a link to the manufacturer's website:

http://flyshooter.com/

They are selling them for $2.95 each + shipping.

[FireDance]

Heh, amazing. I too have been having problems with these TINY flies. I thought at first that they came from corn in the guinea pig food (could have). I've been sucking them up in the vacuum - WAY, WAY too much fun. The Lord knows I need one of those fly gadgets right now. Anyway, got rid of the first infestation and came in to the kitchen yesterday and there, on my fruit, fruit flies. Kill me. There are a zillion of them.

I've also had problems with leaving potatoes too long from time to time. YUCK. Look around, I'm sure you'll find the culprit. Meanwhile, I fight to win!

[SageTheRage]

Thx 06! That's a great price. I can order 2, invite a friend to my shoot-out and have a target contest. Puts me in mind to try to catch all the flies into a jar first, then release them all at once to see how many I can get in succession...like a clay pigeon shoot...PULL! Blast!!! .... PULL! Blast!!! :D

[Libertarian]

Went I was a youngster and I'd come down to San Antonio to visit relatives for the summer, my cousins and I would go outside with badmitton rackets and whack flies near the trash cans. They made a lovely "thoink!" when well hit.

[Summerthyme]

The easiest way to get rid of existing flies without the dangers of pesticides is with sticky fly strips. No, they aren't "pretty" hanging in the kitchen, either, but most flies will shortly be stuck to the strips, and you can then take them down and dispose of them. If you have an ongoing infestation (like what you're looking for... rotting food, although it could be something as tiny and unnoticable as a dead mouse along the foundation), at least you control the adult flies, preventing them from breeding and creating more flies...

We're on a farm with close to 100 head of cattle, horses, poultry, etc. We rarely have much of a fly problem. I use the sticky strips in the calf barn above the pens, starting early in the spring, and it generally keeps the numbers down to manageable levels. But a big farm down the road spread lagoon manure across from our house once, and we had flies EVERYWHERE. Millions of the damned things... I was not impressed, but how does a farmer complain about another farmer spreading manure? LOL!

Anyway, if you decide to use the strips, make sure you don't get them anywhere near your hair! They are sticky.. and I haven't seen much of anything which dissolves that special gunk they use on them!

Summerthyme

[Ought Six]

StR:

The FlyShooter will not kill airborne flys, but it will stun them long enough for a coup de gras. You need to wait until the little pests land on a flat surface, then you can waste them with one shot.