I have a bit of a problem with blowflies. I have three indoor cats. The trouble is disposal of the waste. It is heating up around here and we seem to have an abundance of blowflies. I usually just seal the waste in plastic bags and put the bag in the weelie bin, but this is causing problems with flies (more so this year it seems). I thought of digging holes in the yard, but this is impractical for me as I am getting on in years. Any helpful suggestions, please?
By Sharron from South Australia
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What about one of those fecal waste disposal units they sell through pet catalogs? You only have to dig one hole and insert the unit. You then drop in the waste and put chemicals on top to rapidly break it down. I have never tried one, but maybe someone who has can let us know if they work.
I am not sure what blowflies are but maybe using two bags would help. I have heard putting a half cup of ammonia in a garbage can will deter flies and wildlife.
Get a thing of poultry dust from the garden store, and a container of baking soda. keep the shakers where you keep your cleaning supplies near the bin. Every time you put the droppings in the bag, sprinkle the top with some baking soda (buy generic). Then sprinkle the top of that with a sprinkle of the poultry dust. You can also use Sevin dust but it's not very good for the environment. Poultry Lice and Garden dust is available at most feedstores. Its ingredient is permethrin. You might also find permethrin dusts at the garden store.
The baking soda will dehydrate and deoderize, the poultry dust will kill any larvae if they hatch.
I live in the south, and we have chickens, and cats, and all sorts of other creatures. Flies seek out moist places to hatch their larvae and are a serious problem. That is how we keep everything tidy and larvae (and thus blowfly) free around here! :)
Take care of the larvae, and you won't have to try to trap blowflies.
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I need ideas for getting rid of blowflies in the outer open area where my 4 Australops chickens are. Any suggestions?
By Bev M.
Take a milk jug and cut a small upside down V about 2/3 way up on the jug. Press it into the jug just a little leaving space enough for the fly to enter the jug. Put about 2 cups of apple juice in the jug and put the cap on.
Hang the jug. After the apple juice gets to smelling strong, it will attract the flies. They will go into the jug and can't find their way out. Eventually they fall into the apple juice and drown.
Yesterday evening I entered my bathroom, I had been invaded with blowflies. I could not see a source for entry into the bathroom, nor a source for attracting them. Any ideas on how to deal with this?
At first I used a swatter and quickly killed about 25 of them. When I went back several hours later a new bunch had come in. I sprayed with disinfectant got a few, but swatted the rest. This morning I had a new bunch. Sprayed with Raid bug spray.
I know they are attracted and come from something dead. So far no smell, but I have seen signs of a field rat around the house. (Have not had field rats in years). I have some traps set, but not tripped. What can I do to get rid these bad things from my bathroom? Please if anyone has an idea, I need help. Thank you!
oredwine1933
I had a similar episode recently, not with blow flies, but just plain old house flies. They were gathering in my kitchen window behind my sink. I swatted a dozen or so, and the next time I looked there were that many more. So I took one of the old fashioned "fly ribbons" and hung it in the window for a few days. It caught them, and after about 3 days, I was seeing no more flies, and removed the ribbon.
For you young people who don't know what a "fly ribbon" is, you can still buy them at the feed stores and I believe WalMart sells them in the garden center. They are enclosed in a round cylinder, and have a hanger sticking out the top. You remove the lid, and begin to slowly pull the ribbon out. Be careful in handling it because it is very sticky. I just pull out 3 or 4 inches, because it tends to stretch on its own as it hangs. But the flies are attracted to it, and they get caught and can't get loose. They are very inexpensive, like 3 or 4 for $2.00.
(07/09/2008)
By Harlean
The "fly ribbons" can also be referred to as "fly tape" or "fly paper". Just make absolutely sure they're hung above head level, or someone will end up with a major mess in their hair! (07/10/2008)
I had the very same thing happen a couple of months ago, with the blow flies. Each day for about 3 days in a row, I was killing anywhere from 5 to 20 flies a day. The only thing I could think of was I'd been to yard sale and bought some things. Once I took the yard sale items outside, my fly problem quit. My husband said these items had previously sat outside someone's home for them to have laid their eggs on it. I'd never experienced anything like this before and hopefully never again! (07/17/2008)
By badwater
I am happy to report my blow fly problem has been solved for a long time. I used the "Raid" spray and "fly strips" to get rid of them. Thanks for your good advice and help.
Oneta (07/07/2009)
