Fly traps

[Dave2002]

This year we seem to have had more flies than usual, and they have been a nuisance. Threatening them with RAID doesn't always seem to work, and in any case in some areas - such as the kitchen, that's perhaps not a good idea.

I mentioned this to a friend some while back, and he said that they didn't have many flies once they got some venus fly traps. A few days ago we bought some fly catching plants, including a venus fly trap, and installed it. There hasn't been an immediate success, as evidenced by a few flying beasties, but I noticed that some of the traps on the plant have now closed.

Does this indicate that the plant has been successful in attracting and catching one or more flies?

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

It should do - the traps are triggered when any of the "hairs" inside the trap are moved twice. The individual heads go black and die after a certain number of closures, so they "make sure" that they've actually got something worth eating before closing.

If you have an accessible outside window ledge, you can also reduce the number of flies that come into the house by putting pots of (living) fragrant herbs on it. Flies are repelled by the scent of things like mint, rosemary, lavender, basil etc.

[Serial_Apologist]

There are no flies on me, but I still have my perennial clothes moth problem, though it is just about manageable - no favourite items of clothing needed to be thrown out this year - but to it I have suffered a woodlouse invasion this year in my kitchen. I've had to resort to aerosol spraying with a cockroach exterminator - there don't seem to be any agents on sale for dealing specifically with woodlice - and I hate having to do this, feeling as if I am wiping out one of the last remaining species of living fossils, which are cute and mean me no harm. But they do leave little reminders wherever they congregate - under that cloth I draped over the tap to dry out, for instance - which can't be hygienic, and probably carry bacteria.

[Bryn]

There are no flies on me, but I still have my perennial clothes moth problem, though it is just about manageable - no favourite items of clothing needed to be thrown out this year - but to it I have suffered a woodlouse invasion this year in my kitchen. I've had to resort to aerosol spraying with a cockroach exterminator - there don't seem to be any agents on sale for dealing specifically with woodlice - and I hate having to do this, feeling as if I am wiping out one of the last remaining species of living fossils, which are cute and mean me no harm. But they do leave little reminders wherever they congregate - under that cloth I draped over the tap to dry out, for instance - which can't be hygienic, and probably carry bacteria.

Many people find Woodlice unpleasant. However, they do not spread disease and their presence is not any risk to health.

from https://www.lbbd.gov.uk/residents/pe...eets/woodlice/

[Serial_Apologist]

from https://www.lbbd.gov.uk/residents/pe...eets/woodlice/

That's most useful information - for which, many thanks, Bryn.

[Dave2002]

There are no flies on me, but I still have my perennial clothes moth problem, though it is just about manageable - no favourite items of clothing needed to be thrown out this year ...

How do you deal with moths, then? I try to mimimise moth problems, but I've had pullovers, jacket and even a tie attacked over the years. Some were nice and had to be rescued by darning, but others went terminally bad.

[Serial_Apologist]

How do you deal with moths, then? I try to mimimise moth problems, but I've had pullovers, jacket and even a tie attacked over the years. Some were nice and had to be rescued by darning, but others went terminally bad.

In the first year I discovered the problem I lost two jackets, two 3-pieces suits, an old but still very serviceable great coat, a couple of pullovers and several thick woollen pairs of socks. All were items I either hadn't worn for a long time or kept only for use in exceptionally cold weather, or for some future time when I become more sensitive to cold; but not having ever experienced anything of this sort happening before it came as a considerable shock: that great coat was the one item I always held mentally in reserve as being my ultimate saving, in the unlikely event of my becoming homeless; and finding my carpets eaten away in places only hoovered as part of the annual spring cleaning was indeed an unwelcome lesson! One thing I have learned not to depend on is spiders!!

I have stuck mothballs in clothing drawers, but am not sure as to how effective they are at deterrence: mothballs might lose their power over time. What I do is I obtain rather expensive canisters of moth killer (Rentokill Insectrol) from a local hardware shop, usually about two per year being sufficient in my 3-bed flat. No sooner than the first adults start flitting about, I empty all cupboards and drawers of clothing, spraying each item of clothing both inside and out as I layer them on the bed. I don't bother about shirts or underware, these getting recycled quite frequently! I then spray inside all drawers and in the spaces they slide into, and wherever possible pull out chests of drawers and other furniture to spray behind and underneath. The same goes for beds, bedclothes and especially curtains, making sure to open these right out before spraying, as the little buggers can easily hide in the folds, especially near the tops. I also do all the carpets, fitted and covering, and it is important to do floor corners, skirtings, and book and record/CD shelves - you might be surprised to find moths flying out from between stacked LPs, so it's worth taking them all out and giving a quick dust over. One of the first places I found moths congregating and presumably laying eggs was inside and under sofas and armchairs, so these need tipping up and spraying behind and underneath: I even have had an area of carpet under one of my armchairs eaten away almost down to the underlay, fortunately mostly covered by the chair, but it is always the dark places that come under attack. Make sure to sweep or hoover under seating cushions, getting as far down the sides before application. The spray does quickly tend to get in nostrils and on lungs, so it is advisable to do one room at a time and close the door on that room for a couple of hours; some people might wish to don a face mask while spraying, though I myself don't that far. From experience, a couple of sprayings per year seems sufficient to have stopped the problem getting any worse, though I did find a whole lot of valuable blankets in a closed antique chest had been "holed" when I checked (for the first time, as it happened) this year. Having left the room and its items unventilated for 2-3 hours, armchairs, sofas and carpets can be hoovered on the assumption that any grubs or eggs will no longer be alive and waiting to turn into breeding adults.

I hope this helps, Dave!

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

If you don't mind the smell of lavender on your clothes (and surely that's better than chemical mothballs), put a sprig of fried into one of the pockets of each garment whilst it's in the wardrobe/drawer, and another sprig hanging in the wardrobe itself. The moth-deterring fumes fade after three or four months, so the sprigs need to be replaced - or a drop of lavender essential oil onto the old sprig to rejuvenate.

[ardcarp]

I have stuck mothballs in clothing drawers, but am not sure as to how effective they are at deterrence: mothballs might lose their power over time. What I do is I obtain rather expensive canisters of moth killer (Rentokill Insectrol) from a local hardware shop, usually about two per year being sufficient in my 3-bed flat. No sooner than the first adults start flitting about, I empty all cupboards and drawers of clothing, spraying each item of clothing both inside and out as I layer them on the bed. I don't bother about shirts or underware, these getting recycled quite frequently! I then spray inside all drawers and in the spaces they slide into, and wherever possible pull out chests of drawers and other furniture to spray behind and underneath. The same goes for beds, bedclothes and especially curtains, making sure to open these right out before spraying, as the little buggers can easily hide in the folds, especially near the tops. I also do all the carpets, fitted and covering, and it is important to do floor corners, skirtings, and book and record/CD shelves - you might be surprised to find moths flying out from between stacked LPs, so it's worth taking them all out and giving a quick dust over. One of the first places I found moths congregating and presumably laying eggs was inside and under sofas and armchairs, so these need tipping up and spraying behind and underneath: I even have had an area of carpet under one of my armchairs eaten away almost down to the underlay, fortunately mostly covered by the chair, but it is always the dark places that come under attack. Make sure to sweep or hoover under seating cushions, getting as far down the sides before application. The spray does quickly tend to get in nostrils and on lungs, so it is advisable to do one room at a time and close the door on that room for a couple of hours; some people might wish to don a face mask while spraying, though I myself don't that far. From experience, a couple of sprayings per year seems sufficient to have stopped the problem getting any worse, though I did find a whole lot of valuable blankets in a closed antique chest had been "holed" when I checked (for the first time, as it happened) this year. Having left the room and its items unventilated for 2-3 hours, armchairs, sofas and carpets can be hoovered on the assumption that any grubs or eggs will no longer be alive and waiting to turn into breeding adults.

Mon Dieu! Obviously your efforts at exterminating them have been so extreme that the few survivors have bred a strain of Super-Moth!!

[gradus]

Once trapped:
https://christinascucina.com/scottis...s-fly-cemetery...

[Bryn]

Once trapped:
https://christinascucina.com/scottis...s-fly-cemetery...

[Quarky]

This year we seem to have had more flies than usual, and they have been a nuisance. Threatening them with RAID doesn't always seem to work, and in any case in some areas - such as the kitchen, that's perhaps not a good idea.

It's easy to say, but prevention is better than cure. I live in a old cottage, and over the years, I have been plugging up likely sources of flies. For example, I had a leaky roof, and flies were hibernating in stored paper documents near the leak.

It wasn't until a lady friend/ house cleaner/ cook moved in that flies have bee reduced to an absolute minimum. She is totally OCD about cleanliness. I feel unwelcome in the kitchen as being a source of breadcrumbs! But it works!

[Dave2002]

It's easy to say, but prevention is better than cure. I live in a old cottage, and over the years, I have been plugging up likely sources of flies. For example, I had a leaky roof, and flies were hibernating in stored paper documents near the leak.

It wasn't until a lady friend/ house cleaner/ cook moved in that flies have bee reduced to an absolute minimum. She is totally OCD about cleanliness. I feel unwelcome in the kitchen as being a source of breadcrumbs! But it works!

I think prevention as well as cure is necessary - sometimes. Flies and wasps can get into places one doesn't expect, such as lofts. I suppose it's just about OK if they don't do any damage up in a loft - we have on a few occasions found wasps' nests in lofts. Also mice don't help, as they get in and go around under the floorboards, and upstairs and in to lofts. Sometimes they die there, which the flies usually manage to find, and then one gets a faceful (of flies at least) on opening the trap door. Vigilance!

However, it all takes time, and it's hard managing every possible aspect of these things. Keep the levels down and manageable, and try not to let cleaning and maintenance take over.

[Serial_Apologist]

It's easy to say, but prevention is better than cure. I live in a old cottage, and over the years, I have been plugging up likely sources of flies. For example, I had a leaky roof, and flies were hibernating in stored paper documents near the leak.

It wasn't until a lady friend/ house cleaner/ cook moved in that flies have bee reduced to an absolute minimum. She is totally OCD about cleanliness. I feel unwelcome in the kitchen as being a source of breadcrumbs! But it works!

Crumbs! Clearly she's well bread.

[Serial_Apologist]

If you don't mind the smell of lavender on your clothes (and surely that's better than chemical mothballs), put a sprig of fried into one of the pockets of each garment whilst it's in the wardrobe/drawer, and another sprig hanging in the wardrobe itself. The moth-deterring fumes fade after three or four months, so the sprigs need to be replaced - or a drop of lavender essential oil onto the old sprig to rejuvenate.

I hadn't realised that as being the reason my mother would place lavender sprigs in clothes drawers - I'd always assumed it was in order to make the clothes smell nice! Thanks once again for some useful (and money-saving!) advice - we have lavender here, so I'll give it a try.