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Googling showed that I had what looked like cluster flies. These jerks can fit in gaps between closed sliding windows, and definitely around screens. They are like mice of flies, and seem to be able to flatten out completely. I found that removing the windows, and cleaning all the grooves really helped to reduce incoming flies.
A couple of weeks later, there were dozens of flies congregating on the basement windows. They looked like carpeting. It was truly horrifying. But even more horrifying was when I sprayed them all with insecticide. Nothing can prepare you for the awful, awful sound of dozens of flies all dying at once, buzzing their last against a concrete floor.
posted by PeppahCat at 8:24 AM on June 10, 2012 [2 favorites] Check the sink drains. If there's food in the garbage disposal that hasn't been washed away, it could be full of fly eggs. And make sure to check all the trash cans. Anywhere a hunk of food could have fallen or gotten lost could be a breeding ground for flies.
The bucket that had been there when they moved in. They had been there for 3 years. It was a bucket of decomposed pickles, literally thick with gnats. Someone had opened it many, many years ago and left it there. Everyone since had just disregarded it. Moral is: Make sure your empty containers are empty.
They're in the center of the room because flies mate while flying in circles and a room is open enough to do this, but enclosed enough so that they can find each other. Larger houseflies, greenheads, etc are mating when you see them flying in circles around garbage, dog poop and stinky people. The tiny flies are there, too, but you don't notice ...
posted by burnmp3s at 10:17 AM on September 9, 2009. Small, fruit-fly-sized flies that hop are Phorid Flies (aka Humpbacked Flies). They feed on all kinds of decaying organic material, not just fruit. Take a look at the pipes below your sink to see if there's any gunk there.
They look a lot like ground pepper - black and pale brown tiny spherical specks. They are odorless, and hard. They don't move, but scatter randomly across my desk. They look more like poppy seeds than anything relating to insects or animals. Context: this is a small study off my kitchen. It is the only place they appear in the house.
Any remaining flies will want something to eat and drink, so make sure all fruit/veg is put away and pour a bit of bleach down all drains and toilets after using. posted by notquitemaryann at 10:45 AM on July 30, 2023 [ 2 favorites ]
I don't know about other kinds of flies, but fruit flies eat yeast, so they are attracted to (1) Things that are already fermented (2) Actual yeast (3) Carbon dioxide (4) Things that would ferment well (sugars, fruit, etc.). So if you use a lot of brewers yeast, if you habitually drink a glass of wine with meals (but hang around with people who ...
2. Tidy up the area, with a particularly sharp eye towards little bits of water. Wash all the dirty dishes in the sink, clean up all the coffee cups with a little bit of coffee in the bottom, empty the drip trays of any house plants, etc. You should see a 95% reduction in the number of fruit flies. (I don't know where they go.