I don’t leave food out. Garbage gets tossed, counters are cleaned. I replaced half the windows in my home and caulked up the rest. I bought a salt gun and have been picking them off but there’s always more.
How do I figure out where these little fuckers are getting in?
They probably aren’t getting in as flies. But also they probably get in when you enter or leave.
I was having the same problem and we couldn’t figure it out. I tried hanging up some old school fly paper strips and withing a week or so all the flies were dead on the fly paper and they haven’t come back.
I impulse bought a fly zapper on Amazon last night so hopefully that helps. But I had the same problem last year - albeit not nearly as bad as right now (there’s probably 20 inside at the moment)
I find most of the indoor bugs don’t care about the fly zappers. Not a set and forget solution, but in my experience nothing compares to sticky yellow things on a window. Hanging fly paper is good too, but getting what they walk on is best.
They seem to congregate around my grow lights in both rooms so I’m keeping my fingers crossed. Hopefully not a total waste of $30
If it’s the only light source, flies love the blue light disco. Useless in the day but effective in the evening.
It’s fun luring them by turning on and off the lights in the house so they follow the light, until you get them near the blue one and game over.
They were laying eggs in the window sill at my apartment. They wouldn’t stop and we didn’t realize.
There’s numerous other places, holes in screens of windows, of bathroom exhaust, dryer exhaust. Most annoying might be central heating if you have.
Need more info.
Do you live somewhere that has lots of bugs (Like a high humidity place, lots of plant life outside) or in a dry climate?
In an area with lots of bug life it’s hard to completely keep them out - your house is like a sieve and you have a high “bug load”. So investigate gaps in window frames, screens, etc.
In a place with few bugs (say US southwest), you’re just playing odds and aren’t likely to get many anyway.
Someone else mentioned they’re probably coming in with you through the open door - in my experience that’s the “big gap” (haha) that’s hard to reduce.
I’m in the Midwest US, though I don’t think it’s super relevant. I’m more wondering if there’s a way to identify gaps that I’m unaware of. My plan B is to have my friend bring his thermal camera to scan the walls
Have you checked your attic? I was just reading about cluster flies, and… it looks disturbing but at least they don’t carry disease. They lay eggs in earthworms and sometimes adult flies congregate in attics.
Oh…no…no I have not checked my attic. God I hope it’s not the attic, it sucks up there lol
The mentioning of a salt gun just sent me down a rabbit hole…
And this below must be the most US thing I have seen in quite a while! 😆
Also found a fantastic direct translation with hilarious WTF-factor on the page (for anyone speaking German):
They’re incredible and by far the best bug killing method I’ve ever used. They don’t move when you’re pointing it at them from a meter away and the salt usually just rattles them to death so you aren’t picking up bug pieces. Sometimes it vaporizes them, though lol
Don’t make the same mistake I did and shoot it near a house plant, though.
Care to translate that German for us lesser people?
What salt gun do you use? I’ve never heard of them and now I’m intrigued
The original Bug-A-Salt. I did some research and the knockoffs are nowhere near as good. And I sure as hell didn’t want the one with CO cartridges.
I don’t work for them but it was worth every penny. I know 2 other people with them and they say the same.
Yes, looks effective!
When young, I had a blowpipe shooting sucker cup darts.
Most effective mosquito hunting device I ever owned. But left a mess of the target and was slightly cross to re-use the darts ;-)I will give translating a try, but guess some of the silly punch will get lost in translation:
“Will the salt squirt [on] the beetle?
No, the beetle stays complete for an easy cleaning”(Where “bespritzen” may also be used as a colloquial term for ejaculating on someone or something and is in general only used for liquids)
That’s pretty funny. Even funnier that it’s saying almost exactly what I said!
Yes, after thinking about it for a few seconds it becomes clear what they are trying to say.
The direct 1-to-1 translation to German is just really bad and funny sounding :-)
I can almost hear the grinding noise this will make when you step on it inside the house. Or the nasty feeling of salt in your socks.
It uses a minuscule amount of salt. Actually works better than a swatter or the electric one. The form factor is a bit silly, but it gets the job done.
I keep a hash mark count on mine.
Drains!!! Make sure you have water in all your ubends
Good call, forgot to mention that I checked all the drains and even cleaned them!
“P traps”
I used to have lots of flies and noticed one summer when I put tin foil in the windows to cool my house down, I stopped finding flies inside completely. Maybe because it made my house dark, they didn’t want to come in anymore? Idk, but I’ve been gloriously fly-free ever since. You’ve mentioned you have a basement—do you find fewer flies there? I suspect they might avoid dark places.
dead animal in your walls or similar.
they will go away eventually. once the food source does.
just kill them.
And recommendations on what animal to use?
If you’ve ruled out the kitchen and bathroom, try exterminating in one room, closing it off for a couple of days, then opening it up. If you see more that’s likely a source…
Unfortunately I’m in a split level so there’s no doors between the kitchen, dining room, living room, foyer, and basement :(
Fly strip in each room and see where there are more?
What kind of flies? House flies or fruit flies?
Big ol house flies. I’ve got separate problems with gnats but that’s mostly under control
They come in through the door when you do. That’s the only thing I can figure out, I have the same problem. I’ve caught them doing it a couple of times, but of course I don’t see them every time.
I think you’re doing everything you can to keep them out. Unless, you want to build some sort of airlock contraption. Make it with smooth, white walls, a bright light, and a fly swatter. But, the thing is, even then, a few would sneak through, and that would absolutely drive you mad after going through all that effort.
Some places use a directed air blast at the door whenever it opens up. Enough to push any bugs away from opening the door.
Air curtains.
In a residential home?
I’m not so sure! Unless they’re laying eggs inside, there’s simply too many of them for that. My dog hates going out in this weather so it’s not like I’m even using the door that much
Clean up the dog shit in your yard if you don’t regularly. That’s likely part of the issue. Also these fly traps work great (we have dogs and chickens).
Get those sticky paper strips. You might have to wait a few generations, but after they “hatch” they don’t immediately reproduce, but instead look for food first. That’s the small window where you have to get them.
Importantly, you have to keep the strips up at least 1 “cycle” after you’ve caught the last fly!Start by identifying the fly. Habitats very by species.
Could be something died in your chimney, could be drain flies, could be vents. Could be doors or crawlspaces. Doesn’t take much.
Bathroom and kitchen exhaust fans might be an entry point, especially if some critter crawled into the duct and died.
How close are your outdoor trash cans to your front door? In the hottest summer months it is sometimes hard to keep flies from laying maggots in the trash cans and even though it’s about 15+ feet from my door through a gate they still manage to fly in.
They’re in my garage on the opposite wall but I’m actually leaning attic or HVAC now… The door seal on the garage is good and they still appear when I’m working from home for days
