Fat Flies
Posted by Grace Cushman on February 21, 2006
Q: I have a house that is closed down in the winter months, but we do visit in Dec. the cluster flies are very,very bad. The floor and windows are 1 inch deep. It takes hours to clean it up. What do I do to stop them from coming in?
Grace
State: Montana
A: Sounds as though you're inundated with these guys! From your info, it appears that many or most of the flies are dead when you arrive in December? Guess you just get the shopvac out! The best/only way I know to eliminate, or at least reduce, this problem is to seal up any entrance holes or cracks on the outside of the house - older homes tend to be much more difficult to seal up though. You've seen our unit so you know they're looking for a place to overwinter and as the temp warms, will be eager to leave. Guess I'd do my best at sealing the house then to prevent them getting in, but for those that do, I'd open all the windows to let them out (those that are alive) when they become active. You needn't worry about any diseases but of course, no one likes having flies around. Sorry I can't give you any better info.
John Wiessinger ( February 22, 2006)