The Accidental Smallholder Forum

Community => Coffee Lounge => Topic started by: suziequeue on March 13, 2013, 01:59:34 pm

Title: FLIES!!!!
Post by: suziequeue on March 13, 2013, 01:59:34 pm
We have oak window frames and yesterday afternoon my husband opened one of the windows in the spare room to find HUNDREDS of sleepy flies hibernating in the hinge area between the window frame and the jamb.

Is there any way that we can stop flies going in there? I don't know how they get there as all the fittings are pretty snug.

Anyone else had the same experience?
Title: Re: FLIES!!!!
Post by: in the hills on March 13, 2013, 02:22:19 pm
Similar. My son's bedroom faces south and a couple of summers ago, on returning from a day out, we found his room full of flies. The windowsill was literally black ... we are not taking one or two  ::) . Windows and doors all closed. A relatively new property with double glazing  ???  ..... where do they come from???


Every year we have some warm days when they just appear .... in big numbers  :o


OH used some sort of smoke thingy in the loft as he thought there maybe a nest in there. Did seem to help.


Neighbours all have the same trouble at times. None of us can quite work out what causes it.


Maybe some clever TAS'er has the answer.
Title: Re: FLIES!!!!
Post by: tizaala on March 13, 2013, 02:26:04 pm
These are called cluster flies, probably get in through a ventilator ,then they cluster together for warmth through the winter waiting for the first bit of sunshine to fool them into activity.
Title: Re: FLIES!!!!
Post by: deepinthewoods on March 13, 2013, 02:29:56 pm
if flies can get in, so can water. best to go over them with a caulking filler.
Title: Re: FLIES!!!!
Post by: ZaktheLad on March 13, 2013, 02:49:20 pm
Not flies, but every year we get a host of hibernating ladybirds in one of the bedrooms behind a piece of wallpaper that is peeling away from the wall slightly!   
Title: Re: FLIES!!!!
Post by: Jackie 2 on March 13, 2013, 06:32:47 pm
Spray their preferred resting places with fly killer as they wont then land there, and yes caulking
Title: Re: FLIES!!!!
Post by: Lesley Silvester on March 13, 2013, 09:54:15 pm
Spray their preferred resting places with fly killer as they wont then land there, and yes caulking

Not the ladybirds!
Title: Re: FLIES!!!!
Post by: Jackie 2 on March 13, 2013, 10:27:11 pm
Spray their preferred resting places with fly killer as they wont then land there, and yes caulking

Not the ladybirds!


No not the ladybirds :) they have been known to bite though
Title: Re: FLIES!!!!
Post by: ZaktheLad on March 14, 2013, 07:13:49 am
I would never spray the ladybirds - I love watching them coming out of hibernation and making their way out of the window!
Title: Re: FLIES!!!!
Post by: Clarebelle on March 14, 2013, 07:16:55 am
our last house had triple glazing as we were just outside a noisy RAF base. One sunday summer day we opened the curtains on my daughter bedroom to find that the gap between the triple glazing and the window (about a 4 inch gap) was FULL of flies. It was so disgusting. My OH opened the triple glazing a crack and sprayed fly killer into the gap and shut it over again.

That was the one and only time it happened but it was awful, I feel for you!