Flies in the house - Loads of them

workaccount

It's only really started happening in the last few months where we have tons of flies in the house always. These flies look different to normal flies aswell.

We cannot find the source. Anybody know what might be going on here?

Thanks.

hairymolly

Depends on where you live. When we moved into our house a couple of years back we and neighbours had similar problem, like you said different to normal flies. In our case big dirty black ones. Turns out a guy was renting units to store chemical waste!!!! The place was shut down. Have a look around your area and ask neighbours if they have similar problem.

Sonnenblumen

workaccount wrote: »

It's only really started happening in the last few months where we have tons of flies in the house always. These flies look different to normal flies aswell.

We cannot find the source. Anybody know what might be going on here?

Thanks.

Can you post a pic?
Could be flying ants?

workaccount

hairymolly wrote: »

Depends on where you live. When we moved into our house a couple of years back we and neighbours had similar problem, like you said different to normal flies. In our case big dirty black ones. Turns out a guy was renting units to store chemical waste!!!! The place was shut down. Have a look around your area and ask neighbours if they have similar problem.

Sonnenblumen wrote: »

Can you post a pic?
Could be flying ants?

Thanks for the replies. I'm not sure if the neighbours do have them...I'll have to ask.

I have also attaced a picture sonnenblumen. They don't really look like ants at all.

Alun

Looks more like a small moth to me, rather than a fly. Maybe try over in Nature and Birdwatching .. there's someone called Mothman over there who'll probably be able to ID it if it is in fact a moth.

Rancid

...or maybe some sort of Gnat?
Have you ponds or stagnant water near?

workaccount

Rancid wrote: »

...or maybe some sort of Gnat?
Have you ponds or stagnant water near?

I don't think so and we only have them for the last few months anyway.

Saruman

Its possible they are breading IN the house! We had this problem last summer, leaving the windows open as it was hot. They came in and layed their eggs under something... might have been near the bin, or behind a cupboard.. perhaps all of the above.
When the cats started pawing at something i got interested.. turns out there were maggots crawling. took us days to track them all down and get rid. I thought maggots only appeared by dead things and we had no dead animals in our kitchen.

These were normal bluebottle type flies. I have seen the type you posted plenty of times.

workaccount

Saruman wrote: »

Its possible they are breading IN the house! We had this problem last summer, leaving the windows open as it was hot. They came in and layed their eggs under something... might have been near the bin, or behind a cupboard.. perhaps all of the above.
When the cats started pawing at something i got interested.. turns out there were maggots crawling. took us days to track them all down and get rid. I thought maggots only appeared by dead things and we had no dead animals in our kitchen.

These were normal bluebottle type flies. I have seen the type you posted plenty of times.

Very interesting and thanks for you reply. This is a big problem for us.

I wonder how I could go about finding the source...we have no animals.

landydef

how about picking up one of them plug in devices for insects and rodents
i think they are around 40 quid and can be got in most diy shops
had fruit-flies in my house about a year ago,finally found a bananna in a golf bag after about 2 weeks

Rancid

workaccount wrote: »

Thanks for the replies. I'm not sure if the neighbours do have them...I'll have to ask.

I have also attaced a picture sonnenblumen. They don't really look like ants at all.

I think your flies are Window Gnats - Sylvicola fenestralis

workaccount

Rancid wrote: »

I think your flies are Window Gnats - Sylvicola fenestralis

Hmmm, it looks to be that alright.

Thanks, now I have a possible solution for getting rid of them from google.

Rancid

workaccount wrote: »

Hmmm, it looks to be that alright.

Thanks, now I have a possible solution for getting rid of them from google.

Be gentle with them, they're more a nuisance than anything else.
They do love rotting fruit so if you can find the source and remove it, they'll eventually leave.

bauderline

FYI

Of all the flying pests, gnats might be the most annoying. Though they're harmless, they hover and buzz around our heads, driving us crazy. Gnats are also known as vinegar flies or fruit flies because of their attraction to the smell of rotten food. This explains why they particularly enjoy the areas around drains and trash cans.

Gnats are most commonly found around fruit, saturated house plants, compost piles, and other rotting, smelly food or plants. The problem is there's no such thing as one gnat. In fact, one gnat can lay two to three hundred eggs in its two to four month life span. If you frequently see gnats hovering around your sink drain or trash can, there's a good chance they're laying eggs inside your home.

If you don't want gnats around, you have to cut off their food supply. This means fruits and vegetables have to go in the refrigerator or a bin the bugs can't penetrate. Make sure house plants stay damp, but not wet, and they must have the proper drainage. Gnats just love over-watered house plants. Empty trashcans regularly and don't allow rotting food to sit in the house. Make sure all trash receptacles and sink drains are cleaned thoroughly, and don't have any old rancid food stuck to them. Never let dirty dishes stand in the sink.

You can also get rid of gnats by using products found around the home. Since they are attracted to the scent of vinegar, fill a jar with vinegar and poke holes in the lid. The gnats will climb into the jar, but they won't be able to climb out. For those that remain in the house, try putting vegetable oil around your kitchen sink drain. Gnats finding themselves coated in the oil will be unable to breed. If you're not interested in potentially clogging your drain with vegetable oil, pouring a cup of ammonia down your kitchen sink is said to get rid of any flies hovering around that area. Let it sit for a couple of hours before using the sink again.

Rancid

bauderline wrote: »

Of all the flying pests, gnats might be the most annoying. Though they're harmless, they hover and buzz around our heads, driving us crazy. Gnats are also known as vinegar flies or fruit flies because of their attraction to the smell of rotten food. This explains why they particularly enjoy the areas around drains and trash cans.

Gnats are most commonly found around fruit, saturated house plants, compost piles, and other rotting, smelly food or plants. The problem is there's no such thing as one gnat. In fact, one gnat can lay two to three hundred eggs in its two to four month life span. If you frequently see gnats hovering around your sink drain or trash can, there's a good chance they're laying eggs inside your home.

If you don't want gnats around, you have to cut off their food supply. This means fruits and vegetables have to go in the refrigerator or a bin the bugs can't penetrate. Make sure house plants stay damp, but not wet, and they must have the proper drainage. Gnats just love over-watered house plants. Empty trashcans regularly and don't allow rotting food to sit in the house. Make sure all trash receptacles and sink drains are cleaned thoroughly, and don't have any old rancid food stuck to them. Never let dirty dishes stand in the sink.

Exactly!

BJC

workaccount wrote: »

It's only really started happening in the last few months where we have tons of flies in the house always. These flies look different to normal flies aswell.

We cannot find the source. Anybody know what might be going on here?

Thanks.

Buried any annoying neighbhours in your walls lately?