House Flies from nowhere ..........

[Rollerball]

Over the past few weeks I've been noticing a few flies in my bungalow, usually in the evening and mostly (but not exclusively) in the kitchen. The first time was about 2 or 3 weeks ago when I ended up finding and swatting about a dozen in one evening. Since then I sometimes find one or two (today I have found five), but sometimes a few days pass with none in evidence.

These are your normal house flies.

I've checked the attic and can't see any up there. There are spot lamps in the ceiling of the kitchen so I'm pretty sure that if there were any in the attic they could creep through the light assembly and into the kitchen. But, as mentioned, no sign of any in the attic (except for one or two very dead ones).

I know that there's a chance that something has died (in the cavity walls or loft) but there is no smell of a rotting creature (not in the bungalow or in the loft). I do have experience of this - about 18 months ago a bird must have died inside a disused chimney (blocked off) and I eventually found flies crawling out of the tiniest hole in the wall in the area of the blocked off fireplace (I plugged the hole, the flies stopped appearing). However, those flies were obviously new born, ie very small and with curled up wings. The ones that I'm now finding seem to be relatively mature in comparison.

I can only assume that they are hiding out somewhere and become active when the heating comes on (twice a day, morning and evening). I don't usually seeing them in the morning because presumably by the time I get up the heating has switched off, so the flies have gone back to their hiding places.

I HAVE very occasionally found one or two in the morning, but hardly any at all.

Of course, we've had a pretty mild Autumn and Winter so far, so that possibly has something to do with it.

I'm pretty puzzled though as to where they are coming from. How could I finding their hiding place(s)?

 

[Norcon]

Just empty a tin of fly spray into the offending area and vacate for about 12 hours overnight.

 

[Rollerball]

Thanks, but as the main area seems to be the kitchen is fly spray okay to use in there?

I also have dogs that sleep in the kitchen so don't want to risk them being affected after the spray.

 

[Norcon]

Can you not keep the dogs outside in an outhouse for the night?

 

[Rollerball]

I don't have an outhouse.

I'm still curious where these flies are likely to be coming from.

The floor is concrete with ceramic tiles on top.

I can find no cracks or tiny holes where the flies could be coming from (walls, skirting, etc).

My best guess is that they are coming in via the spot lamp fittings, but if I go up in the attic I see no flies buzzing around.

 

[Norcon]

Big dead rat in the corner under the cabinets mebbe.

 

[DAZB]

They are more than likely Cluster flies and they hibernate quite often in attics and loft spaces. They are probably fooled by the mild weather and have woken up early. View Cluster Flies on the net.

 

[longdogs]

Do you have all concrete floors? Are there floorboards anywhere? They love to live under damp/flooded floors.

 

[Rollerball]

Big dead rat in the corner under the cabinets mebbe.

No smell if so.

 

[Rollerball]

They are more than likely Cluster flies and they hibernate quite often in attics and loft spaces. They are probably fooled by the mild weather and have woken up early. View Cluster Flies on the net.

I'll examine them more closely before I swat the next ones - apparently Cluster Flies have overlapping wings when at rest, House Flies have the wings side by side.

 

[Rollerball]

Do you have all concrete floors? Are there floorboards anywhere? They love to live under damp/flooded floors.

All floors are concrete.

 

[LastMagicBean]

Could be an old sausage roll under your fridge.

 

[planenut]

Are your neighbours suffering too?

If they are it's something around the area, if not, it's definitely in your place. Can you get a "zapper" light, one of those UV type thingies, even to borrow, until they are gone?

 

[Rollerball]

Are your neighbours suffering too?

If they are it's something around the area, if not, it's definitely in your place. Can you get a "zapper" light, one of those UV type thingies, even to borrow, until they are gone?

Neighbours are fine.

UV light - yup, might try it. Going to check the attic again this evening when I usually see them in the kitchen, then take it from there I guess.

 

[Nige F]

They are more than likely Cluster flies and they hibernate quite often in attics and loft spaces. They are probably fooled by the mild weather and have woken up early. View Cluster Flies on the net.

Open a tin of Lakota whup ass - that`ll be Clusters Last Stand