Help with getting rid of Deer flys

[rekees4300]

Re: Make sure to use the correct Tanglefoot product (i.e., Tangle-Trap)

Please be aware that the Tanglefoot company makes several different products for different purposes. Yes, they have one specifically for trees. That is not the one you want to use on a deer fly trap. You need to specifically use their Tangle-Trap Sticky Coating. I use the canned kind, not the spray. Tangle-Trap has no color and no odor. It is simply sticky.

Try it, you'll like it!!!!

UmbrellaGirl I ordered the wrong product ... DUH :embarrassed: Thanks for clarifying.

View attachment 272982

 

[rswyan]

Re: Make sure to use the correct Tanglefoot product (i.e., Tangle-Trap)

We used to have deer flies really, really bad .... any time you'd walk into the woods you'd get nailed.

For some reason they haven't been bad at all lately (last year or two .... or three ?) .... in fact, I don't think I've bitten yet this year. I do get buzzed every now and then .... but they give up and don't seem to hang around.

I do have 4 bird feeders hanging off the back deck .... during the day it's like Grand Central Station and quite noisy anywhere around the house - I could probably hang 2 or 3 more to accommodate all the feathered visitors ....

And we do have a bunch of Chimney Swifts (a dozen ?) nesting in our chimney - they have been doing so for the last few years (3 or 4 anyways, if not more) .... and they feed on the wing ....

So there may be something to the bird aspect that Tollster raises ....

 

[General Lee]

Not only are they attracted to the movement but the highest part of the movement. Thats why they are always at your head, animals ears, etc. When I'm lucky enough to just have a few buzzing around me, I stop and hold my hand up, wait for them to land on the hand and SMACK them with the other. Dealing with hundreds swarming you it wouldn't be effective unless you had nothing else to do but smack flies off your hand

And the little suckers get you in the shaded spots. Along the tree lines, in the woods or tree covered driveway. Hit the middle of the yard or field and they disappear.

 

[cschulz]

Not only are they attracted to the movement but the highest part of the movement. Thats why they are always at your head, animals ears, etc. When I'm lucky enough to just have a few buzzing around me, I stop and hold my hand up, wait for them to land on the hand and SMACK them with the other. Dealing with hundreds swarming you it wouldn't be effective unless you had nothing else to do but smack flies off your hand

And the little suckers get you in the shaded spots. Along the tree lines, in the woods or tree covered driveway. Hit the middle of the yard or field and they disappear.

All so very true. Sons a Bitchs!!!

 

[Pete Judd]

When we bought this property 25+ years ago, we had a heck of a problem with the deer flys, but we opened up a flyway for the birds, and put up bat houses and birdhouses, and the problem went away in about 2 years. I still put up bird houses around the place, and add a bat house a year or so, but have no flying bug problems. Just give the birds a good home, and they seem to take care of the problem, as well as get fat on them.

 

[rswyan]

When we bought this property 25+ years ago, we had a heck of a problem with the deer flys, but we opened up a flyway for the birds, and put up bat houses and birdhouses, and the problem went away in about 2 years. I still put up bird houses around the place, and add a bat house a year or so, but have no flying bug problems. Just give the birds a good home, and they seem to take care of the problem, as well as get fat on them.

Interesting .... seems there is something to having plenty of little feathered friends around ....

I haven't put up any bird houses yet (although I do have both a bluebird house and bat roost sitting out in the garage) .... we do have a fair amount of dead standing timber on our and adjoining property .... I make it a point to leave it up for the critters if it's in an area where it doesn't pose a hazard ....

I've noticed that the mosquito population seems way down this year as well .... though I imagine that is largely due to the lack of rain and general dryness ....

Looks like our chimney swift chicks may be starting to fledge .... had to rescue one that got cornfused and stuck in the garage last night .....

 

[MossflowerWoods]

When we bought this property 25+ years ago, we had a heck of a problem with the deer flys, but we opened up a flyway for the birds, and put up bat houses and birdhouses, and the problem went away in about 2 years. I still put up bird houses around the place, and add a bat house a year or so, but have no flying bug problems. Just give the birds a good home, and they seem to take care of the problem, as well as get fat on them.

Pete,

What is a "flyway" and what kind of bird houses do I build?

I LOVE this solution!

Thanks in advance...
David

 

[MossflowerWoods]

Duplicate post.

Thanks in advance...
David

 

[Pete Judd]

Mossflower, when we bought, our property was mostly Alder, Cedar Bog, and blackberrys. Clearing a flight path for the birds, down the center about 20 yards wide was the first thing we did. It brought the birds in to prey on the flying bugs, but still left good nesting ground on each side. I added bird houses as we expanded that out from the center. The bird houses are just simple ones made from fir with cedar roofs, with either a 1 1/4 or 1 1/2 inch hole in the front. Don't even paint them. The bat house plans are also found on the net, and I build them out of western cedar fence boards (cheap), and just hang on the south side of trees about 12-16 feet up. At dusk, it is great to watch all the bats flying around, and eating everything that they can find before expanding out to find more prey. Spent many an eve, sitting in the back yard watching them eating all the mosseys, instead of them eating me. As I type this I am looking out my office window, I can see at least a half a dozen birds gathering bugs to take back to their young in a row of fir I planted 20+years ago. That double row, planted very close together that now is full of nests. The chirping, is great to listen to, and wakes us up in the morning.

 

[cschulz]

Several people have posted about bird houses. I really like the idea of more birds and less flys is a bonus too.

Chris

 

[MossflowerWoods]

Mossflower, when we bought, our property was mostly Alder, Cedar Bog, and blackberrys. Clearing a flight path for the birds, down the center about 20 yards wide was the first thing we did... At dusk, it is great to watch all the bats flying around, and eating everything that they can find before expanding out to find more prey. Spent many an eve, sitting in the back yard watching them eating all the mosseys, instead of them eating me...

Pete,

That is really nice.

I get bats and a good amount of birds at the house, but not so much up at the pasture. The long easment gravel drive is narrow and heavily treed. and I am surrounded by treed acreage on all other sides.

Seems I need to widen the clearings around the driveway to get more birds up there...

I also need to find the good cheap bat house plans.

Thanks,
David

 

[rswyan]

I also need to find the good cheap bat house plans.

Ask and you shall receive :

Bat Conservation International: Free Bat House Plans

 

[deezler]

UmbrellaGirl, are you still following this thread? I'd love to see an update on your blog about fly catches since July 6th!

You say on your blog that the deer fly "season" is typically about 8 weeks? Meaning every year it has rather consistently ended 8 weeks after it began, or is that more of an average value? Does the season end more when cooler temps come in (say, early September)? So, might the earlier start this year lead to a longer overall season?

Hoping for an end to this insanity soon! I mean, the blue cup hat is still working, but what a PIA. I need to get a team of volunteers helping me out on my land for fence and pole barn installation ASAP, and the thought of everyone having to don a silly cup hat just to stay un-eaten is rather silly.

 

[tuerdon]

I use an electric fly swatter for the little buggers. The "Eliminator" packs a punch and is quite effective at keeping them at bay.

 

[UmbrellaGirl]

Hello deezler: Yep, I'm still following this thread. Been having problems logging in, but now I'm in.

I'll be updating my blog soon, but I'll tell you now that I've trapped an additional 3,000 deer flies since July 6, making the total so far this season 12,500. The deer fly season in our part of Michigan typically runs mid-late June to mid-late August. It got started a bit early, so I expect it will end a bit early .... for a total of 8 weeks. The 8 weeks is darn consistent from one year to another, regardless of how many deer flies or when exactly they start appearing. The numbers are certainly already on the decline, as this past week I have "only" trapped 150-250 deer flies each day. I, too, am looking forward to the end of this madness. Hopefully for sure by August 1.

 

[deezler]

Great, thanks!

How many years have you been living in the woods of Livingston county, and collecting data now?

I wonder if the recent rains will rejuvenate your local populations.

I will note also, as anecdotal info, that my last venture out onto my property last Saturday, with a blue-solo cup hat, caught noticeably fewer flies than in late June.

Cheers to our impending outdoor freedom :drink:

 

[rekees4300]

caught noticeably fewer flies than in late June.

Same here in SE Indiana. The season seems to be ending. Past few days have gone unprotected (used the last patch) and only bitten once. See very few and they seem sluggish. Will postpone purchase of Tanglefoot and more patches until next year. :umbrella-guy:

 

[tuerdon]

Make them pay

 

[UmbrellaGirl]

How many years have you been living in the woods of Livingston county, and collecting data now?

We've been living here for 22 years and have always had deer flies. This is the first year that I've been serious about trapping them. I put the umbrella trap together late in the deer fly season of 2010. I used it only a few times in 2011. But this year I decided to be serious, so it's the first year I'm going out there every day and collecting real data. I will be doing this for now on and will continue to collect data each year. I'm wondering if my efforts will affect the number of deer flies in future years around here. I kind of doubt it, but it will be interesting to see. I will let the data speak for itself.

 

[UmbrellaGirl]

:umbrella-guy:

Nice smiley icon!!!! I'll have to start using that!!