bluebottle fly infestation, please help!

dreamsofpavement

i was away during the weekend and came back to my kitchen being filled with dozens and dozens of blue bottles!! i can only assume some got in when i had the door/window open and have laid eggs in the bin and hatched while i have been away...

it's pretty gross and i daren't go into the kitchen to change the bin or even open the door as there's just so many of them that it freaks me out they don't even do much flying, they just sit there on the walls and windows looking dopey!

i've tried looking on the internet for solutions to get rid of them and most suggestions are on how to keep them out in the first place, which in hindsight, is great, but i kind of need to find ways of getting rid of the current batch!

i've heard great things about the sticky fly tape stuff, though i am unsure about having to deal with replacing this on a regular basis. i've heard mixed reviews about the fly zapper lights.

i have ordered one of those things that you fill with water and they fall in and die, but it'll be a couple of days beefore it turns up so i'm just wondering if there's anything fairly easy i could do to alleviate the problem before this arrives?

many thanks in advance!

renegade

I had them once in my wheelie bin, it is horrific, I sprayed the bin inside and out at the same time as dodging the blighters in flight.I used Wasp & Fly spray, it stunned them then they all died within 4 -5 hrs!
Hope this helps you.

devildog

I had a similar problem only it was in my wheelie bin one week, after refuse collection I washed it through etc only to have the same problem a few days later. Local hardware shop recommended 'bin buddy' a citrus powder which contains natural insecticides(not disimilar to shake and vac) Despite my scepticism I gave it a try and it worked No problems since.

Also, although I am not doubting that you know what a blue bottle looks like-are you sure it is not a cluster fly? It is about the time when they seek somewhere warm and once they have picked a house..............!!! You can get something like a 'smoke bomb' for them but most likely they will be back again next year

missile

Close all doors and windows, spray a GOOD quality insecticide and they should be dead within 4 hours. Clean out your bin.

As devildog says they are unlikely to be blue bottles ............... unless you have a dead animal in your bin?

latecomer

note that if you do use a spray insecticide - make sure you really clean everything before doing any food preparation afterwards!

missile

Flies carry germs and spread disease, so you would be well advised to clean all surfaces thoroughly.

You may find this amusing > http://www.getridofthings.com/get-rid-of-house-flies.htm

maninthestreet

so you have been away for 48 to 72 hours, and a blue bottlle fly has laid eggs in your bin, they've hatched into maggots, then entered a pupal stage and hatched out into adult blue bottles? All in under 72 hours???

adecor

Hope you manage to sort them out - I found it imposssible to kill maggots when they got in the bin. Tried boiling water but they came back to life. Tried bleach but again no good - had to stamp on them which was gross. My OH said that petrol would have worked - but if I did that and set them on fire I'd probably end up with the house in flames!!

If you ever get any fruit flies which drive you mad this works:


1 teaspoon sugar
2 teaspoons cider vinegar
couple of drops of washing up liquid
cold water

Place all ingredients into a small container and see how many of the blighters are dead the next day!!

Tucker

The process for them to lay eggs, hatch, grow and then turn into flies takes longer than a weekend, even in warm conditions.

The process would have to have been well underway beforehand, so unless you've not emptied the bin for in excess of a week, that's not your problem here.

hollydays

Last time this happened to me I found a half tin of opened dog food in a cupboard that had got put there by mistake.

dreamsofpavement

missile wrote: »

As devildog says they are unlikely to be blue bottles ............... unless you have a dead animal in your bin?

i am a meat eater so it's entirely possible i've left some meat in the bin and not realised, i believe they are attracted to any food scraps?

maninthestreet wrote: »

so you have been away for 48 to 72 hours, and a blue bottlle fly has laid eggs in your bin, they've hatched into maggots, then entered a pupal stage and hatched out into adult blue bottles? All in under 72 hours???

i've been away for about four days but i'm not in much so i don't think i've changed my bin for about a week... i am assuming i have put some meat in there and forgotten about it, otherwise i would have emptied it sooner...