HELP! My house has been invaded by flies and gnats!

My gran would swear that half a jar of water mixed in with some washing up liquid did the job (half and half mix apparently) and worked wonders for attracting and killing flies.

Sounds like baloney to me, but there's no harm in giving it a go.

 

Yeah, according to google, washing up liquid and dishwasher detergent look to be the same thing.

 

Did you re-pot any plants? I was babysitting plants for my son and one of the times he came home he re-potted them and shortly after he left again (like a week later) I was overrun with gnats. They came in in the soil, new soil never fully dries so it's perfect for fungus gnats. I felt really bad but ended up throwing all the plants out. I tried a few different things I found on Google and even did get a pesticide powder to mix, nothing worked. I have a tortoise who has coconut coir as bedding and when the gnats moved in with him it was time for drastic measures...out went the plants and no more bugs after like a day.
Good luck if that's what they are. They look like tiny fruit flies. Bastard bugs.

 

cloves are a fly repellent..

so is lavender..


also to get rid of house fly's you can make the room(s) as dark as possible..with only one small lighted way out to the outside like one small window or door..they tend to follow the light to get back outside..

good luck

 

Mix this , heavy on the soap, light on the water, in a bowl, set it out.
Let the Massacre begin!! That's how I got rid of the gnats.



Try one of these for the fly's. Works on the gnat's as well.

 

Dont get the fly strip in your hair though, Awful mess, especially with dead bugs in it!! Ewwww

 

I dont know about other dish washing liquids,


i think maybe it is something about the smell of soap though.

 

they go to the light fast...you can also shoo them towards it...it's not a leave the window open all night thing...
15 -20 min for an average sized room..but it has to be dark and the only way out has to be lighted...

 

Flies and gnats get pesty before a storm. Are these regular flies or fruit flies? Sometimes you can bring the larvae home from the store and not know it.

The dishwasher liquid in water should help. We use that for Miller moths. You can also use Apple Cider Vinegar.

If it gets cold enough and the flies are in a semi torpor in the AM, vacuum them up.

 

I googled about a bit last night, if you get scented detergent, try a fruity one. They're drawn to sweet smells by all accounts so the jar thing might yield better results.

 

I see the source of MoodyBlues' frustration. Since she is an avid *nix user, she has no Windows that the Bugs can use to get in. This entire thread must be her Report about the issue.....

 

http://science.howstuffworks.com/zoology/insects-arachnids/water-bags-repel-flies.htm

hanging a baggie filled with water (and some say to add a penny or two) will repel flies. Supposedly it has something to do with the refraction of light through the bag.

 

That's what we usually do in China. Bugs hate cold.

 

Check this out View attachment 57757
I put that fly paper up on wednesday because the last one was full *puke*
We live quite high up and in a street full of resteraunts and its a heatwave so we need the windows open but the flies are terrible man

 

Hmmm...what's for lunch mate?