Fly Invasion

This isn’t a 365 Days of Texas True Crime but don’t worry, we’re still going to have one today.  I just ran across a story on yourbasin.com and I was like OMG SAME! In the last couple of weeks or more our house has been overran with flies and little gnats.  I bought one of those electric buzz zapping tennis rachet looking things last week but it came from a dollar store so you get what you pay for and it’s already not working.  To be honest it didn’t really work that well in the first place.  Anyway, bugs of all kinds will seek to move indoors to find water around this time of year and bugs are GROSS, just my opinion, so let’s keep them out if we can Mkay? While there are plenty of companies you can call to come spray (and if the problem get’s too bad you should) there are also some easy things you can do on your own.

I’ve heard it said that pouring bleach down your drains can help.  Which is sort of true but I just hate when there is no other information given and you guys know me, I kinda like information.  So why would that help you get rid of the flies in your house? Well it’s because often time the problem is that your home is that you may think the flies that are taking over your house have been coming in from outside.  You think someone is leaving the door open too long and letting them in ect… and that may also be partially true.  What could also be happening is that you have drain flies.   Drain flies are the worst, they lay their eggs in the gross stuff that lines your pipes, then the larvae feed on the stuff around them and then pop out of our drains as grown ass sky raisins.  The problem goes unseen until it’s too late and you’ve got the nasty little air a-holes flying around your kitchen and bathroom in gangs making sure you can’t poop in peace or eat at the kitchen table without a mosquito net.  I don’t have to tell you why it’s important to keep flies out of your home but I will.

Flies are known for spreading at least 200 known pathogens and parasites to humans and fur babies. They pick up pathogens wherever they land and can transfer them wherever they land.  They can spread diseases like typhoid, cholera, dysentery and others (yes like the kind of dysentery that killed you in the Oregon Trail).

So back to the bleach down the drains.  I’ve heard it said that pouring bleach down your drains can help to kill the larvae and that’s sortof true.  The problem is that it’s just a liquid that does exactly what it’s supposed to do, move on through and out.   For something like that to work it would need to be able to cling to inside of the drain for a while to work it’s magic.  So yes, it can kill some of the problem but likely not all of it.

It can be costly to have your home fumigated and the drains taken care of so it’s always good to try what you can on your own before you make the call to a company that does that kind of thing.  However, from what I know and my personal experience, there really isn’t a company (that I know of) locally does a very good job so if you know of one please, feel free to let me know.

Some thing you can do to naturally get rid of flies outside are as follows:

Herbs and flowers that repel flies-

Basil

Marigold

Lavender

Bay leaves

Catnip

Some people stand by the old Vinegar and dish soap method.  Mix about an inch of apple cider vinegar and a few drops of dish soap in a tall glass and leave it out where there are flies. The vinegar attracts the flies and the soap keeps them from getting out of the liquid.

You could always buy those sticky strip things. I can’t use those.  No matter where they get hung up, my dumb butt would figure out a way to get it caught in my hair and then I’d have to shave my head and we just can’t have that.

Bug Zappers are fun but you should be careful when you’re buying one if you plan on using it inside.  Makes sure it’s the kind of trap that is safe for indoors and then account for the fall out underneath wherever you decide to hang it or place it.

You can deter and prevent flies from wanting to make your place their forever home in several ways (and no, flies don’t live for just one day, they live for 28 days).  This one is pretty simple I guess.  Keep your house clean.  Ok, I feel attacked….. more than just the normal keeping the house picked up and vacuumed is what that means I suppose.  Standing water of any kind is something you want to prevent totally. So in the kitchen don’t leave any food or water out.  Keeping fruit in the house is going to be tricky so maybe start keeping all your fruits in the fridge.

Make sure the windows, door and house vents are sealed and free from holes and other damage.

Use a garbage can with a tight fitting lid and take it out as soon as it’s full.

Don’t leave dirty dishes out or glasses on the counter (or just use disposable).

Turn off outdoor lights at night when possible.  Flies are attracted to light.

Avoid using rat poison to kill rodents, because the carcasses can attract flies.

Clean up animal poops immediately, like the kind that end up in litter boxes too.  It might be good to find a litter set up that’s enclosed but I’m no expert.

When it becomes something that you can no longer deal with on your own you should consider calling a company that deals with bug problems.  It’s not sanitary or healthy for anyone to have flies overrunning your home.