flies gathering on external walls

purerandom

hi guys,
I have read a few threads on this topic but i have not came across any solution, if one exists.
Currently, our 2 storey house is covered with flies on the wall the sun is shining on. we dont have a fly problem inside the house but outside there are a large amount of flies on the wall.
there are no exposed bins, or any recent activity that i could think of to instigate this. Our neighbours house over the fence does not seem to have the problem which worries me.
Should i be calling Rentokill or would i be wasting my money?

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

A couple of questions first. Do you know what type if flies? And, did you put compost on the garden this year?

purerandom

hi, i think the term is common house fly. They are your standard run of the mill fly if that makes sense! no compost was put on the garden. i did put sulphate of iron of the lawn to kill moss, that was the only activity that occurred on the lawn this year but that was months ago.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

All I can say is that the good summer has led to an abundance of insect life. They use the wall for heat mostly so I assume your wall is warmer than that of your neighbours. I wouldn't be worried about it at all. I have plenty on my walls too but, judging by all the cobwebs along the guttering and window frames, the spiders are benefiting from it.

purerandom

ok thanks alot for your input. i did omit one thing. we have velux windows on the roof and they do congregate there also. for example if went upto the attic now there would be a few 'visitors' there, i have placed masking tape around the seal of the window. i was wondering is there anything else i could do to get rid of the flies?

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

purerandom wrote: »

. i was wondering is there anything else i could do to get rid of the flies?

Pray for a couple of nights with a good hard frost.

Desmo

purerandom wrote: »

ok thanks alot for your input. i did omit one thing. we have velux windows on the roof and they do congregate there also. for example if went upto the attic now there would be a few 'visitors' there, i have placed masking tape around the seal of the window. i was wondering is there anything else i could do to get rid of the flies?

They are at the window because they are trying to get out, not in. They just accumulate there because it is bright and they head towards the light to try to get out. No need for masking tape. House flies are harmless if there is no uncovered food.

swifts need our help!

Meilani Fat Zucchini wrote: »

All I can say is that the good summer has led to an abundance of insect life. They use the wall for heat mostly so I assume your wall is warmer than that of your neighbours. I wouldn't be worried about it at all. I have plenty on my walls too but, judging by all the cobwebs along the guttering and window frames, the spiders are benefiting from it.

I agree. One of my house walls faces south and they are always basking on it. No need to panic

inocybe

Desmo wrote: »

They are at the window because they are trying to get out, not in. They just accumulate there because it is bright and they head towards the light to try to get out. No need for masking tape. House flies are harmless if there is no uncovered food.

They definitely can come in velux windows, I have the same problem. You can see the bluebottles on a cold sunny evening getting into every crevice and crack for warmth. If you open the velux hundreds of them fall in, they've squeezed into the window space. Just have to put up with it, it's only for a few weeks a year.

the_seaker

inocybe wrote: »

They definitely can come in velux windows, I have the same problem. You can see the bluebottles on a cold sunny evening getting into every crevice and crack for warmth. If you open the velux hundreds of them fall in, they've squeezed into the window space. Just have to put up with it, it's only for a few weeks a year.

No, I don't think you have to put up with it!
If you have one of those windows with an extra air vent, where you can let air in without opening the window, most likely the air filter is missing. The window should come with this air filter pre-installed, ex works.
Unfortunately, the four windows which I bought from a local hardware store (Co. Sligo) did not have them. I had them installed by a builder. I only discovered that something was missing when the weather got colder and hundreds of flies stormed into the room when I opened the window fully!
I have contacted the company but their help-desk was not very helpful so far, claiming, these air filters were removed by us or the installer. (which was not the case but which ironically confirmed that they are normally pre-installed!)

Anybody else out there who has this type of roof window?

I don't think we have to grin and bear if a remedy is there :-)