Anybody got a recipe for making your own --

afer_daily, Jan 30, 1:30am
fly spray. the stuff you buy in the areosol cansthese days just doesnt seem to work.and please dont tell me to use a rolled up news paper . thanks.

elliehen, Jan 30, 1:38am
The flies must be mutating to accommodate the chemicals.

What about old-fashioned sticky tape?...somewhat out-of-sight around a corner;)

suie1, Jan 30, 1:40am
Get a zap bat, they are great & good exercise! Some sprays are better than others but the little flies that hang around are usually more resistant than the others, I don't know why.Mortein sprays are usually the best I have found.

suie1, Jan 30, 1:42am
Get a Pyretherum (sp) plant, they hate the smell of it as it is toxic to them maybe keep it outside where they are getting in.

prawn_whiskas, Jan 30, 1:45am
Invest in fly screens and live fly free without exposing your self to chemicals.

afer_daily, Jan 30, 2:00am
been using mortien black flag for ages/ but it just doesnt seem to work now

elliehen, Jan 30, 2:10am
I use my zap bat for indoor wasps.It hasn't got quite enough zap to kill them, but stuns them and then they beat a hasty retreat.

I don't like the idea of breathing in the same poison as the flies - was reading on a website recently that over time it can interfere with the brain's 'electrics'.

afer_daily, Jan 30, 2:16am
breathing the spray wont hurt.. kof kof kof kof .

prawn_whiskas, Jan 30, 2:16am
Well for years 'they' assumed 'flit' was fine and dandy, now we know its a very potent neurotoxin - same goes for all the commercial rubbish people spray around their homes now days.

justme..., Jan 30, 2:21am
I have Mortein Low Irritant Odourless, great stuff, certainly works for me, its the one with an energy ball.

elliehen, Jan 30, 2:26am
Each to his own, but I think that possibly means it's just a
silent killer!

I see TV advertisements for little machines that you attach to the wall which puff out poison intermittently, and I shudder to think of the long term effects of that slow poison on a household.

justme..., Jan 30, 2:57am
Yep elliehen, I know what u mean, I certainly don't use it regularly or when the kids are around.I also have the sticky papers u hang from the ceiling, they're great although hard to source, Bunnings have them.

buzzy110, Jan 30, 3:10am
Eliminate the problem. Stop wasting your time and money with fly sprays or making them. The absolute surefire way of dealing with flies is to NOT HAVE ANY.

Flies are attracted to anything that stinks. You may not be able to smell it but flies can so here is what you should be doing:

1. Ensure that food is not left out. Always refrigerate.
2. ALL meat and dairy wrapping and scraps need to be placed in a plastic bag and either frozen or tucked away in the fridge AS THEY ARE MADE. Not an hour later but immediately.
3. Wash immediately, all animal food bowls.
4. If you have a dog and it has to have bones then try and tie the animal up as far away from the house as possible and then go and remove the bone after doggy has lost interest and refrigerate or freeze.
5. Defrost meat in the microwave or similar sealed container.

In short you need to remove any trace of what attracts flies. If you garden then sheep pellets, manure and rotting compost needs to be away from the house. The flies will stay there and not come inside. Check that neighbours aren't harbouring their heaps close to your house.

They may come in whilst meat is cooking. You have to shut windows.

Keep the outside of your home around open doors and windows clean. Plant flowers that repel flies - pyrethrum daisies for instance.

Then all you need is a fly swat or that handy zapper mentioned earlier for stray flies.

valentino, Jan 30, 3:13am
The best thing to rid flies, believe it or not, LOL "Heat Pump".

Noticed since we have a heat pump and more so over the past couple of summers now but flies are about one a week...... especially when the heat pump is on during the real muggy Auckland climatic days that one gets......

Have only purchased 2 cans of fly spray in the last 2 years and still using the first can very rarely.

Interesting thoughts and wondered if any others have noted this.

Cheers.

cgvl, Jan 30, 4:03am
havent had many flies this summer until the last couple of weeks with this windy weather we have been having.
We just turn a fan on inside and that shifts the pesky things.
Agree with others I can't abide sprays you see advertised that continuously spray at repeated intervals. I am allergic to so much of that sort of thing and stay well away from them.

lythande1, Jan 30, 4:18am
Pyrethrum, a plant-based product used in insecticides, can't be used in many parts of Australia because flies are becoming resistant to it. "We're starting to notice that here a little bit now," says Stevenson.

Use DDT. Nothing ever became resistant to that!

lx4000, Jan 30, 5:21am
fly zapper!! Got one off here and wonderful!! They fly into the purplish-blue light and get zapped!! Beats the robo spray thingie and no smell and for ever running around with fly spray!! But do have a can around for spot spray some times.
(barloo)

buzzy110, Jan 30, 5:44am
barloo where do you get those from? Also, are they good for mossies, moths and other night time insects that come and swirls around lights?

buzzy110, Jan 30, 6:08am
Thanks for that barloo. I think the wattage is too high for our camper, 15ws or less would be ideal, but now I know where to get them from, I'll keep my eyes and ears open.

lx4000, Jan 30, 6:52am
there are smaller ones on Tm also:)

(barloo)

lizab, Jan 30, 7:07am
no homemade recipe I'm afraid .... but my friend was so sick of the flies that she used 'Ripcord' on her house recently. I saw her today and she highly recommends it, as she's hardly seen a fly since. We're in a rural area on farms btw. I don't know anything about Ripcord tho, so don't ask any questions please lol!!

roseann48, Jan 30, 7:49pm
I havent tried this myself (we have fly screens) but found it in a magazine some time ago. Not sure of origin.
Natural Fly Repellent
10 mils Citronella1 tblspn Meths
2 tspns Dishwashing Liquid2 tblspns White Vinegar
2 crushed Garlic Cloves150 mils Strong Tea
Mix all together & add enough water to make 1 litre. Pour
into spray bottle.