Any tips on backyard fly control....????????

[decterlove]

I'm house sitting and the owner has a dog and a compost heap...seems the flies are endless!

He got a few little pint sized plastic fly traps but I remember the big glass ones being much more effective. (and stinky to clean!!!!)

Ideas? Did they ever determine who was the lord of the flies anyway? Was it the pig? I didn't get that movie. Lost my glasses right in the middle of it tho and that didn't help matters any.


It's not her, right? She's not the lord of the flies, I hope! (not, that is...)

[Tars]

I'm house sitting and the owner has a dog and a compost heap...seems the flies are endless!

Sorry, bad news. To really control a big fly problem, one needs to have started much earlier...say, May. What kind of timeframe are you wanting? Short term solutions involve large amounts of chemicals. The least invasive one I know of is pyrethrine, which is often used in food handling facilities. Also, there are now huge flystrips, like 8" wide by 10 feet long.

But flies are going to be very active all during the hot months, up into October. They can travel up to 1/2 mile, so if there's a major fly food source within that distance you're gonna have difficulties getting rid of them. Do you have livestock neighbors? Ask them if they can use a fly control feed supplement, available at any area feed store.

A compost heap shouldn't cause fly problems if it is properly managed - no human/animal wastes, no meat scraps. A good compost pile should be dry on the outside, sealing in the damp area where the bacterial activity is going on. Flies hate dry.

Dog excrement will generate a lot of flies, if it's not removed regularly and/or if it's in a situation where it doesn't dry out very fast. When I had dogs in a small yard I dug latrine trenches in the flower beds and buried the waste regularly; no stink, pretty flowers.

Good luck

[gypsey]

This year there seems to be a tremendous fly problem in west sonoma county. Here are some other suggestions:
while you are house sitting turn the compost so that only dirt is on top. Clean up after dog daily. There are these weird fly attractant bags you can buy at the hardware store, you fill them with water and hang them outside (they do smell so closer to the source and further from you, is best.) Also, consider getting flystrips, they are about $2 for a pack of 3. If you are housesitting for a longer time or for your own home, you can invest in predators (the safest and non-toxic solution) which are mailed live to you each 60 days-we use them at the farm where I live. Fly sprays are toxic to pets and people, I use only in emergency.
Good luck!

Sorry, bad news. To really control a big fly problem, one needs to have started much earlier...say, May. What kind of timeframe are you wanting? Short term solutions involve large amounts of chemicals. The least invasive one I know of is pyrethrine, which is often used in food handling facilities. Also, there are now huge flystrips, like 8" wide by 10 feet long.

But flies are going to be very active all during the hot months, up into October. They can travel up to 1/2 mile, so if there's a major fly food source within that distance you're gonna have difficulties getting rid of them. Do you have livestock neighbors? Ask them if they can use a fly control feed supplement, available at any area feed store.

A compost heap shouldn't cause fly problems if it is properly managed - no human/animal wastes, no meat scraps. A good compost pile should be dry on the outside, sealing in the damp area where the bacterial activity is going on. Flies hate dry.

Dog excrement will generate a lot of flies, if it's not removed regularly and/or if it's in a situation where it doesn't dry out very fast. When I had dogs in a small yard I dug latrine trenches in the flower beds and buried the waste regularly; no stink, pretty flowers.

Good luck