Fly repellants !

[pumbaa]

A few years back our local quarry became a landfill for all the local rubbish
Not only was i extremely gutted to hear this ,but the problem gets worse !
After our recent sunny spells there are now swarms of flies everywhere . The usual fly traps are not coping ! I have tried citronella candles and a parrafin lamp (with citronella ) , although they have reduced numbers there are stil more than enough to be highly irritating .
My wife is a very severe asthmatic so alot of the comman sprays will put her in hospital !
Does anybody have any ideas as to how i can get rid of them ? there must be some thing natural to do the job ?
Any advise appreciated as i have allready broken a fly swat this morning , ot to mention worn myself out !
Cheers
Pumbaa

 

[match]

Quite difficult to keep them away en masse. However some of the better remedies:

Rub pennyroyal/mint/wormwood/southernwood/mugwort around all your door and window frames, the scent tends to repel them.

Chrysanthemum cinerariaefolium - Pyrethrum plant - this also works well as a repellant and insecticide with low risks to people and animals (except fish if I remember correctly).

Nets and bead curtains on windows and doors work - but can be unsightly.

Electric fly zappers (UV tubes) or repellers (ultrasonic etc) can also work well - but I'm guessing you might be looking for something a bit bushcraftier!

 

[Toddy]

Phone Environmental Health, now.
Your wfe is unable to be comfortable/safe in her own home. The problem is not with your actions but with those who own & operate the quarry and they must take all available preventative measures to ameliorate the problems their ill management is causing. They ought to be dealing with the fly problem and with the problems that toxic flykillers may cause, not your family.
Pester your neighbours to phone too; Environmental Health must respond to complaints but the more ammunition (i.e. complaints) they have, the more they can push for emergency measures to be taken. EH Officers are your friends in this type of situation, don't rail or flyte at them, just calmly explain the severity of the problem and ask for help and advice.

In the meantime some plain, cheap net curtains or voiles fastened to the inside of window and door frames will allow light and cool, fresh air into the house without having to overload the air you breathe with toxins. Even if there is a fly killer or discourager your wife can tolerate, the nets will help reduce the amount of them that ought to be needed.

It's a dreadful situation to be in; I really hope it gets sorted out quickly for you both.
best wishes,
Toddy

 

[Stevie]

My grand-parents were infested back in Switzerland. More mosquiotoes and horse flies than house fliesThey lived between a lake and a forrest. We used insect mesh on doors and windows and UV/electric shock lamps. This worked well but didn't help when they had to go out doors...

 

[Spacemonkey]

I get the same problem on my farm in Spain. The little bug-gers (sorry...) live in the shrubs that are everywhere and are a total pain all year apart from Winter. You can't do anything outside without looking like an extra from a Bob Geldoff advert and they follow you into the awning, fly net or not. It makes it impossible to eat outside or anything really, especially work! I suppose that now the fire has cleared the bush away it should be a bit better come my return in September, but I doubt it. My bush fire took out 120 hectares, but there was another that got within 3-4 miles of my dad's farm (10 mins away) that took out 640 hectares!! EEK!

 

[nameless]

why not start a smoky fire? it should keep alot of them away,

 

[pumbaa]

why not start a smoky fire? it should keep alot of them away,

I wish ! Just so you get the picture , i am 31 , shaved head , goatee , facial piercings , tattoos , 6ft2 and 15 stone .
Last time i lit a fire , me and a mate from the bike club got a battering of this little old granny (must have been at least 80) used her walking stick ,man do they hurt ! Had to run away from her (no way it would have been self defence!).
This is a comman reaction round here , common curtisy goes a long way !
Just for the record i have spoken to EH and the quarry have done tests , and apparently these flys come from a chicken farm 6 miles away not the landfill 300m away !
Does anyone know where i can get flys tested to prove where they come from ?
Cheers
Pumbaa

 

[Toddy]

Pester EH again. It doesn't matter where they're coming from; if they are a by product of someone'e poor management then EH have a duty to deal with the Health & Safety issues the flies cause. Flies from a chicken farm sounds like a biological hazard to me.
Might be worthwhile phoning your local paper too, this sounds like an excellent human interest/ public accountability story. The paper might know where such things as 'which fly'/ 'which diseases', etc., can be investigated.
If no one complains, nothing changes.

Best wishes,
Toddy