Andy's Mom: House Flys
House flies. Not houses that fly like we saw this spring with the tornadoes (horrible, horrible, horrible!). I’m talking about the nasty flying insects that invade our homes every summer, trying to make our home their home.
You’re probably thinking, “Here she goes again bad, mouthing another insect!” As much as I despise flies, they do serve a purpose. (Unlike the ticks and mosquitoes I’ve whined about.)
Without flies, our world would be smelly, with bacteria seething everywhere. They help devour carrion and animal dung in their larvae state (maggots).
The life cycle of a fly is egg, larvae, pupae, and adult. In two weeks, with warm weather, this cycle is complete. Flies can transmit over 20 human and animal diseases. Just think, that fly you shooed away from your potato salad could have just feasted on some dog doo and infected you with E-Coli! So, what can be done?
I’ve tried many remedies....
Sticky tape and boards—work well but are unsightly in the kitchen. I use the sticky tape in our mud room and garage.
Spray insecticide—Can sprays work well, especially when hordes of flies need obliterating. Once, I used a device that shot out insecticide every 15 minutes. I set it up in the kitchen where flies were most problematic. It worked well, and the smell was quite fragrant, but then I read the fine print. Do not use it around food or people. Hum, I thought, a house devoid of flies or my family poisoned? Since I didn’t want to go to prison for killing my family, the gizmo ended up in the trash.
Fly traps—I seldom use them. They are often bulky and odiferous.
Plug-in light traps, like Zevo — It works fine, eliminating gnats, but house flies aren’t fooled.
Blue kitchen—When my sister and I visited the Netherlands, we toured a cheese-making facility. They recommended painting your kitchen blue as blue deters flies. I like blue, so if I ever get to redecorate my kitchen, I’m going blue. I once had a picnic tablecloth with bright yellow sunflowers. The flies swarmed on it, so a yellow kitchen is out.
As you can see, I’ve mostly failed at annihilating flies. I’m always forced to return to the old standby—the fly swatter! During the summer, I have one available in every room. I even gave fly swatters for Christmas last year. However, I’ve got to learn to be less zealous when swatting.
Recently, I whapped at one so hard on the table that my poor brother-in-law about jumped out of his skin. I felt terrible about that. He has a heart condition and is one of my favorite in-laws.
So, whatever fly-dooming remedy you use, I hope you’re more successful than me!