I'm trying to avoid developing an irrational hatred of these creatures. This article was very informative. Keeping surfaces clean, and all food covered is important. Apples are in the fridge, not the fruit bowl. And bananas are inside a cupboard. And because I like to make tea in a teapot, and have a jug of milk, I've unearthed my jug cover.
I was out in a park with an old friend this week. Some guys were packing away a display about bees. There was a big photo frame. In the absence of grandchildren, we seized the moment for ourselves. 
I now realise flies are important pollinators. There are some plants which are only pollinated by flies [like cacao - no flies, no chocolate!] But I still struggle with their increased presence in my home.
Bees are much cuter!
How do you cope with house flies?
I waft them towards the open door with a flyswat, and swat them if they are stupid enough to land where I can get them!
ReplyDeleteI do not possess a flyswat, but if I did, I'm sure I would do more damage to the home than to the fly. "Wafting" is not one of my gifts!
ReplyDeleteI fix a fly screen over the back door - it's like a net curtain with magnetic closures. The cats can get through but the flies can't .
ReplyDeleteI should add, I don't have cats myself but my neighbours' cats like visiting 🙂
They seem to get in even of doors are closed!
DeleteWe were just talking about this today!! Norrie put the little dish from his frozen blueberries in the sink and a huge bluebottle died a glorious death in the sweetly scented remains! I have now our the fresh pears and apples into the cupboard out of the way of any more flying visitors. We have had lots of the little nighttime moths too so try to close the curtains before putting on the lamps in the bedroom and living room. Catriona
ReplyDeleteThe bedroom faces south, so the curtains remain closed all day and night
DeleteWe have invested in some fly fans. They are conical things with vanes that spin round at the top, rechargeable. With one over the food prep area and a couple positioned over our dinner table they keep the little pests away quite well.
ReplyDeleteThat's good. We did go to a buffet where the flies seemed to be flying in little circles around the fans!
DeleteI read a tip about smearing your window and door frames with citronella oil and the writer did say it worked and kept the flies away. I've been watching bees having a lovely time on the buddleia and the lavender. They're almost drunk from the nectar and fall off staggering round on the grass. Xx
ReplyDeleteBees 🐝 on our lavender too 🐝🐝🐝
DeleteI do not cope well with flies, not at all. I am careful about what gets left out and keeping things sealed, and do those traps for fruit flies.
ReplyDeleteMy gardening endeavours are not helped by the abundance of multilegged life out there either!
My neighbour has blue and yellow traps all over her house [perhaps that's why the insects fly round to my place?]
DeleteI have modern full length net curtains at both sets of French doors, they keep the flies out ... and make me smile when Ginger comes in under them looking briefly very bridal. 😄
ReplyDeleteVery swish - I'm sure Ginger looks most elegant, drifting through the veils
DeleteI remember the pretty doilies with the beads from my childhood in England.
ReplyDeleteWe only occasionally get a fly in the house, because all of our windows are screened. This helps to keep out mosquitos, wasps and black flies, too. If we haven't reinstalled the screen in any window after winter, that window doesn't get left open for more than long enough to evict a spider - they have their own ways of sneaking in!
Screened windows make a difference. I read an article about windows in Europe opening inwards, but in the UK mostly outwards. The latter habit makes fastening screen more difficult apparently.
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