Cluster Flies

[dave1949]

Have you ever battled cluster flies?

I have a detached garage which seems to attract them. They got started in it the two years it had no ceiling. Thousands of flies I'm talking. The floor would black with the dead ones. It even looked evil

After putting in a ceiling and using fly tapes and spray, the population seems to be going down each year. They have no interest in stinky fly traps.

In the spring on a sunny morning, I will see the boogers crawling out from under the vinyl siding on the east end of the building. I am guessing this means they over-wintered there.

This building has never had animals or feed in it. I don't have any livestock or chickens. The nearest livestock (beef cattle) are over 1/2 mile away.

Besides being a warm place to winter, I can't figure out why these flies are such a problem. I can't find much about their breeding cycle on the 'net.

Any ideas or experiences?

 

[keegs]

Hi Dave,

Just got back from Maine last night. Our place was covered with flies this past Monday and Tuesday. Although they were still buzzing around, we got allot more wind later in the week which I think kept them away. My guess is their numbers have something to do with the changing temps. I've notice them in spring also.

We just finished putting up a new shell. I thought it was pretty tight but they're getting in and they're grossing us out. I scoured the place looking for access ways for them getting in and I think it's the metal roof. If you're familiar with the Amish metal roofing, they have a raised seam that runs from the rake to the ridge. The roof is vented so that seam provides a nice tunnel from outside right into the attic. I called the roofing vendor, Kaufman's in Smyrna, and they told me to shoot some non-expanding foam into the seam (AKA the fly tunnel ) at the rake. I hope this does it.

Opening the windows let more out than in so you can give that a try if it applies. And they go away (probably into that roof seam to roost) at dusk.

Good luck

 

[dave1949]

keegs,

Sounds like your experience is similar to mine. I have a standing seam metal roof but it is crimped tight so I don't think it makes a tunnel. Plus I have gable vents and no ridge vent. I think the flies can squirm through just about any crack anywhere. I have watched them crawl out from under the siding for example. Also seen them get through the weather seal around a door.

Sounds like you are building a camp or house up in the County?

Dave.

 

[keegs]

Hi Dave,

A retired farmer in the area just finished putting in a new septic for us (guess that must make him a semi-retired farmer ) and the fly situation came up in conversation. He suggested they were a regular fixture at certain times throughout the summer. We had them in the camp a few times in the past but I thought this new place was tight enough to keep them outdoors. I'm going to do my best to figure this out before the sheetrock goes up.

Here's a shot of the new place earlier in the year:

 

[dave1949]

Hi Dave,

A retired farmer in the area just finished putting in a new septic for us (guess that must make him a semi-retired farmer ) and the fly situation came up in conversation. He suggested they were a regular fixture at certain times throughout the summer. We had them in the camp a few times in the past but I thought this new place was tight enough to keep them outdoors. I'm going to do my best to figure this out before the sheetrock goes up.

Here's a shot of the new place earlier in the year:

Looks nice!

Oh yeah, they are a regular 'feature', usually late summer. I was hoping someone had the 'inside' insect knowledge on them, how to interrupt their lifestyle

Sometimes, insects have a point of vulnerabilty you can exploit to control them. It's a matter of understanding their life cycle, breeding requirements, etc.

For example, I thought all flies must go through a maggot stage. I never see anything but adult flies - so where are the maggots?

Dave.

 

[keegs]

Dave,

Not sure if you caught this in the paper. A neighbor of mine in Maine sent it along to me yesterday.

Shooing flies seeking shelter for the winter - Bangor Daily News

 

[20 20]

Flys have quite a survival instinct, wood attracks them just as much as manure. Just because you don't see a huge pile of maggots does not mean there are no flies, infact just the opposite. Also most folks think flies die of in the winter, NOPE a lot survive they hibernate allmost like a bear until they can breed again. Of course then there is their breeding just 1 can have maaaaannnnnyyy offspring. They are just as happy living in the walls of a building as they are playing in pooo. Try borax, the type you find at the local store usually in with the laundry stuff. Just spread it into cracks and such, it will kill allmost any insect but is completely harmless to animals{which includes us}. Try mixing it with cornstartch makes it more attractive to a lot of creepy crawlys. Give it some time to work, it has made a huge difference for us with fly's, ants, boring beatles, and other such pains in the bum

 

[dave1949]

Dave,

Not sure if you caught this in the paper. A neighbor of mine in Maine sent it along to me yesterday.

Shooing flies seeking shelter for the winter - Bangor Daily News

Nope, didn't see that. Thanks. If they use earthworms in the larval stage they must be good at finding them in the woods.

I have used the pyrethin based sprays, I think that is a standard treatment in dairy barns. My population is slowly declining to something less than a scene from a horror show.

A few flies I can co-exist with, but when they turn the floor black with their dead carcasses - well, that's not good.

Thanks, Dave.

 

[dave1949]

Flys have quite a survival instinct, wood attracks them just as much as manure. Just because you don't see a huge pile of maggots does not mean there are no flies, infact just the opposite. Also most folks think flies die of in the winter, NOPE a lot survive they hibernate allmost like a bear until they can breed again. Of course then there is their breeding just 1 can have maaaaannnnnyyy offspring. They are just as happy living in the walls of a building as they are playing in pooo. Try borax, the type you find at the local store usually in with the laundry stuff. Just spread it into cracks and such, it will kill allmost any insect but is completely harmless to animals{which includes us}. Try mixing it with cornstartch makes it more attractive to a lot of creepy crawlys. Give it some time to work, it has made a huge difference for us with fly's, ants, boring beatles, and other such pains in the bum

They definitely do shelter in my building over winter. Thanks for the borax + cornstarch tip, I will try that. I had heard of that for ant control, the borax provides boric acid I think, which is a great ant killer. I even happen to have some of the old 20 Mule Team in the laundry room.

Thanks, Dave.

 

[keegs]

My population is slowly declining to something less than a scene from a horror show.

A few flies I can co-exist with, but when they turn the floor black with their dead carcasses - well, that's not good.

Thanks, Dave.

Yeah...It'd be a bummer trying to suck Jeff Goldbloom into my shop vac.