Flies !!!!!! Aaaaaargh!!

[Roberta]

I wish Summer would just be over already here in Australia…. Currently enduring the third heat wave since November with temps up over 40C (Yesterday was 44C and today hasn’t been much better)That’s well over 100F for any one in the NH. We had a week at over 40C in November then a another week+ in December now this and it looks like next weekend is going to be 35C and above as well…..

On top of trying to keep the bunnies cool when even the AC is struggling I now have lots of little flies in the house… Not a swarm so they are obviously getting in from the outside some how…

I am currently changing litter trays every hour to keep them away from the buns, I have sticky window traps and fly strips and have plugged in the bug zapper at floor level… I have had to spray in there too but going for short concentrated bursts which means I am having to stalk each fly individually…..

Any one have any suggestions…..?  

I wish I had some Tansy to spread around although I am not sure it’s bunny safe it does keep flies away..

I am also using the bag of dirty hay as a fly lure to keep them in one area……..

[Eepster]

I’m not sure how much knowledge of North American flies translates to Australian flies, so take what I say for what it’s worth. Little flies usually are fruit flies, not the ones attracted by poop, so changing the litter won’t help. You need to look for a rotting fruit source. Bananas are the most common culprit, but any fruit that’s become soft can host them.

Start by checking obvious things like fruit bowls, but it’s possible that the source is hidden. It could might be a piece of fruit that rolled under a piece of furniture, or grew out side near an opening to your house. It might even be a bit of fruit left over from a bunny treat that got stuck some where in their pen/condo they couldn’t access. The source is probably going to be in or near the room with the highest concentration of flies.

The good news is, if they are fruit flies, once you get rid of the fruit that they are coming from they will be done with quickly since they have a ridiculously short adult life stage before they die.

[Roberta]

Not fruit flies or gnats…Fly flies but little ones not the blue bombers or blow flies…. and they love the litter trays.

[Rufus]

My parents have the hovering bunches of flies at the moment. They’ve been using these hanging traps they got from Bunnings that look a bit like lanterns. They have a weird bluish liqid in them and seem to really attract the bigger flies. You can also try jars with apple cider vinegar in them and a drop of dishwashing liquid.

At my house we’re just recovering from a massive spider infestation. About 200 baby huntsmans in the living room. I don’t mind huntsmans but 200 is just too many, the whole ceiling was moving. Also one whole side of our house is covered in baby redbacks *shudder* I got bitten by a baby redback once and even though it was tiny, I still had to go into hospital. Hoping not to repeat that!

[Rufus]

Definitely with you on wanting summer to be over. I just want one decent nights sleep where i don’t toss and turn and sweat all night!

[Zombie-Sue]

O______________________________O I will never complain about the cold again.

[Rufus]

Lol Zombie-Sue! I think between your weather over there and our weather over here we can all agree that it just needs to be Spring/Autumn already. Extreme weather of any kind totally sucks!

[Deleted User]

FLIES! I hate them! and I literally have a can of fly spray on the desk, in the kitchen and the bedroom….. I’m one of those crazy ladies who will literally stalk a fly, spray in hand! Our house is screened – how do the dam things get in????? Anyhow, I use the ‘NatureGuard’ as it’s low odour (cough cough) and ok for pets and humans (but the way I use it – probably not?). I also have those ‘stinky’ plastic jars filled with a powder and water outside to attract the flies away from the doors, but from as full as they get, I still have flies at my doorways (I also indulge in ‘flapping the arms’ as I open the door to go in & outside to try and deter them from getting in). It’s horrible! Bloody Australia! My son spent New Year in New York – How dumb does this sound…. he came from the freezing conditions in the US, home to our Aussie heatwave! Talk about extreme.
Gee Roberta – short of living in a cloud of fly spray (my solution, doh), I’m sure anything else I could think to suggest you probably tried already. Sorry!
Redbacks, EEK! But I have to say Rufus, the huntsman’s are just as scary (to me). The thought of one jumping, landing, or crawling on me while in bed – terrifying!!!!!!!!! (Do you keep a pair of thongs by your bed? – WHACK!). Lol…..

[Roberta]

I was thinking about one of those battery powered indoor Natureguard sprays Andi, but I wasn’t sure if it was bunny friendly…
I might pick one up on the weekend… I have the outdoor one for the front patio as the frogs are not keeping up their end of the bargain and eating all the pests…

[Deleted User]

Roberta – yes! I have the ‘NatureGuard’ battery powered indoor AND outdoor which we use when we have barbies, and seriously, as long as they aren’t positioned directly above food and PETS (ha ha ha) for the mist to land on top I use it with Henry in the same room. No ill effects here. And by the way – the flies you are describing, I have the same and I hate them the most, they are so quick! At least the bigger one’s (blow flies, etc.) are a bit more dopey and slower to get with a spray can.
Oh one thing I will add with the NatureGuard – it says one can (setup) will do the whole house – na! It does work, but only for the room it’s in (or that’s my experience anyway). And it also says to leave it on 24/7 – I don’t. I turn mine on when I know the door is going to be opened and closed a lot that day, or if like you, have a fly problem thanks (not!) to the heat. Gee, I really hope this does the trick for you. Cheers Roberta.

Edit/Add – Dam those lazy pest control frogs not doing their job properly!

[Megabunny]

Roberta,

7 rabbits? I have 4 rabbits. My brother said I will officially be the Crazy Rabbit Lady if I ever get up to 6. What does that make you? Wow!!!

[Roberta]

Hi Megabunny, I also have a foster with 8 babies so that makes the total 16 plus 4 cats…

[Megabunny]

WOW!!!

[Zombie-Sue]

TO BE FAIR, momma bunny probably feeds the babies……………… for now

[Zombie-Sue]

TO BE FAIR, momma bunny probably feeds the babies……………… for now

[LongEaredLions]

Sounds really hot! It’s -20 here, wanna trade?

[Roberta]

Mumma Bunny fled the play pen the other night… Straight over the Xpen and off across the lounge…. If she could speak I suspect the comment would have been “To Hell with this, I’m taking a break, you watch the little monsters”. Play time was enjoyed solo in the bathroom area afterwards where the tiles are nice and cool and there aren’t small fluffy things trying to latch on for a feed or stealing the salad and pellets out of your mouth…

[Hazel]

Posted By AndHenry on 01/12/2014 10:47 PM

I’m one of those crazy ladies who will literally stalk a fly, spray in hand!

That makes two of us! Although I might be even crazier… If one comes through the door with me, I won’t rest until it’s dead. I have a whole plan worked out. I close all the blinds in the house except for one, in the room I suspect the fly to be hiding in. Then I wait for it to get attracted by the light. I even have the cat trained to help me track it down. I will say to her: “Where is it? Do you see it?” Then she will get that manic look on her face and start scanning the walls and ceiling for bugs. She is good at it too, it doesn’t take her long to find them. Then I kill it and she gets a reward.

Roberta: Other than getting a trained bug hunter cat I don’t have any other suggestions than what has already been said. I hope the flies stop bugging you soon, though.

[Deleted User]

Oh Hazel, I am, but be dammed if I will admit it to the world on BB – ha hah! So ssshhhhhh! Lol!
My dog (Sam) was my fly catcher, but the poor old girl is in retirement, 14yo (not happy supporting her, but her ‘super’ wasn’t adequate), so I can’t afford to employ another ‘fly catcher’ at the moment. Gosh, I’m laughing as I write this….. So yes, silly me (like you, ha hah) has taken up the can of fly spray habit (warning – it is addictive). Gotta laugh at us. Cheers.

Roberta, I can’t criticise Pandora for her wanting a breather – I did the same when my kids Grandma had a sleepover! Lol! Isn’t she a clever girl!

[AnnaW]

Jeez guys, this all sounds crazy! Especially the spiders everywhere part …*squeals and shimmies up a drain pipe* … hope it gets a big cooler out there for all of you soon … I am definitely staying in England where we don’t get too hot or too cold a crazy heatwave here is 25c!

[Roberta]

Oh you don’t want to go up a drain pipe… That’s where the Red Backs like to hang out…… and sometimes the White Tails…. and the rats, they get bad this time of year… Although the sweet little native rats are very partial to a spider supper….

[Roberta]

Luna kitteh was stalking the flies tonight… Both Luna and Finn gall are good at stalking the flies but suck at catching them…….. Maybe I need to reward train them for spotting a fly.

[Deleted User]

Oh Roberta – white tails, I forgot about those…. My house gets sprayed ‘every year’, bugga that!
Would you believe the mice and rats don’t bother me – as long as they stay outside!
And that’s ‘my’ problem – I have the dry dog food inside (outside – flies, ants, mice, etc.) and I can’t stop Henry from eating it!?!?!? Any suggestions for me?

[Roberta]

Hmmm, Let’s see… Henry is a bunny so he possesses excellent problem solving skills… Anything you don’t want him getting to will need to be in a tab locking container at human head height without any form of remote access…. Even then I would make sure it is in a locked room and you do not leave the keys where Henry can find them.

[Deleted User]

I am laughing so hard – thanks Roberta, you were ‘no’ help at all! Ha ha ha hah! Bloody bunny!
Oh, gosh – my sides are hurting, still laughing!

[Author]

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