For the past 3-4 months, I've got a huge fly problem! I don't know where they came from, or how I got them! They're smaller flies, but they look like regular flies. I've got fly strips hanging from my ceiling in every room! Real attractive! I catch about 25 flies on every strip each time! I can't get rid of them! Help!

Do you live in a private home or an apartment? What state do you live in also?

I own a ranch-style home in Michigan.

You have essentially a fly egg problem. Do you keep your home warm or hot? I'm surprised that they are still around now that fall has come and gone. Have you tried bug bombing? I know fly paper is unsightly but if you don't want to bug bomb (I don't like that myself) try opening the windows and doors and cooling down the house so the flies think it's not summer anymore. Keep all food in the refrig. Don't have any standing water around either. You might have brought these home with you from the supermarket and they are actually fruit flies from the way you described them as tiny flies. They somehow keep producing. You should be able to locate their eggs. Look around where you see a lot of the little flies and see if you can't find the nest of eggs. Flies like garbage to breed in. Take all garbage outside immediately every night.

They're not fruit flies or tiny flies. They're regular flies, just a little smaller than what you'd see outside. I don't have any food around or standing water. I keep a fairly clean house- that's why I'm baffled! I can't bomb because I have a dog and a cat. I don't know where to look for eggs, or what they look like.

Have you kept your home warm since it's been cold outside? I'm in Ohio and I know Michigan has been cold lately that's why I'm baffled also.

Google Image Result for http://www.justbajan.com/health/articles/flyeggs/eggs1.jpg (http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.justbajan.com/health/articles/flyeggs/eggs1.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.justbajan.com/health/articles/flyeggs/index.htm&h=259&w=450&sz=24&hl=en&start=1&tbnid=G6O9zbYXAZYQ7M:&tbnh=73&tbnw=127&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dhouse%2Bfly%2Beggs%26gbv%3D2%26svnum% 3D10%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DG)
This is off Google for images of what house fly eggs look like.

I'm sure you've already tried the litter box...

I once lived in NYC many years ago. The 1860 building I lived in had a swell roach problem. The way I solved the problem in my apartment was to leave all the windows open when it got real cold outside and spent the night at the neighbors elsewhere. When I came home all the roaches had gone...

Maybe you could do something along those lines but you would have to spend the night elsewhere if you kept all the windows open all night on a cold night. On a cold night but not so cold as to have adverse effects such as frozen pipes, but you could leave the cold water running to a fast trickle and be sure sink not clogged.

Take pets with you, of course.

This might sound ridiculous... but eatery places in FL use this concept. Take a large ziplock, put a few pennies in it, and fill it 3/4 way with water. Then hang it up. They say a housefly has many many eyes, and when they see the pennies in the water, it puts off a multi shimmering effect that literally frightens them away. "Hey, you have nothing to lose..."

Tarponman has a valid point. Many many places have convex mirrors installed to assist in fly control. Most people assume the mirrors are for traffic safety in aisles, and the large ones serve that purpose as well.

Old folk wisdom says you don't even need the pennies, just the "water bag" will repel them.

Houseflies can also lay eggs in decaying vegetable matter. Check your crawlspace, attic, and gutters for moisture problems that will allow leaves/cardboard/stored papers to decay.

Repelling the adults and finding the breeding site is your best option for control.

Sonds like cluster flies! Go to www.millironlogrestoration and click on fly elimination.

Zombie thread warning

Closed