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How to catch houseflies?

The weather has finally warmed up here and now there plenty of super annoying houseflies. They’re way to fast to swat and have an annoying habit of landing on you.

I’ve tried Google’s suggestion of water/vinegar and a bit of dish soap in a bottle, but they don’t seem to go for it at all.

I’m up for trying anything, please make suggestions!

Edit: Thank you to all for your suggestions. So far I’ve tried the idea of spraying them with surface cleaner which appears to work well

Pacattack57 ,

Not sure what kind of beasts you have but some apple cider vinegar and dish soap works like a charm for me. Definitely need to find the source though. Usually it’s some old fruit that got left out somewhere.

13esq OP ,

The apple cider vinegar gets fruit flies but the house flies just aren’t interested.

techwithjake ,

I bought a couple of these for around the house. https://a.co/d/5vjsVs3 Works very well but mostly at night.

Also to make sure you regularly do the dishes, take out trash and clean up any food sources for the flies. After using the above and doing the above, mine went from insanity to maybe 1 or 2 around the house in about a week or two.

hactar42 ,

I have a BUG-A-SALT that attached a laser sight on. It can take out a fly from a few feet away. And it makes it fun.

themadcodger ,
@themadcodger@kbin.earth avatar

After watching their promotional video with a French Swedish Chef blasting flies on sweets while doing a dance I'm sold.

Stovetop ,

Seems kinda messy to be shooting salt all over your living space, though.

AdNecrias ,

At least its salt, quite inert, not sugar

dubyakay ,

Well, you can lick it right up after and get your extra post-workout sodium and protein.

hactar42 ,

It’s really just a small pinch of salt that comes out

AdNecrias ,

I wonder how that fares against cockroaches…

brognak ,

Not great against hard shelled insects in general. It doesn’t phase Junebugs unless you catch them right and they lose some legs but that feels cruel even for stinkbugs.

EchoCT ,

They have a high power one for those bastards.

kirkoman ,

fellow bug-a-salt owner here. can confirm this works great and makes it fun.

now tell me amore bout this laser sight?

hactar42 ,

Here you go a.co/d/51vzubP

CptEnder ,

They got an EOTECH Holo attachment?

shalafi ,

Just attach a short picatinny rail!

shalafi ,

LOL, that’s way fancier than the one that came with mine. Kids broke it, but you got me thinking on rolling my own.

shalafi ,

Maybe I can’t shoot for shit, but the laser is a must for me. YMMV, but I aim a little ahead of the bastards from about 6-8". I nail about 9 of 10 if I’m careful.

shinigamiookamiryuu ,

Invest in venus flytraps. They’re very loyal pets.

yngmnwntr ,

But have some special needs most people don’t know of! They are native to Virginia, they are not tropical plants. Therefore part of their life cycle is a yearly dormancy period due to snow. Put your venus flytrap OUTSIDE in the winter folks! Also I’m told you should only use distilled water. And don’t touch the mouths and cause them to close without feeding.

shinigamiookamiryuu ,

What happens during years it doesn’t snow in Virginia? Do they just die?

Mesophar ,

In addition, be sure to supplement their diet with the occasional human leg

Appoxo ,
@Appoxo@lemmy.dbzer0.com avatar

I just water them with longer standing but still hard water. It’s very happy.

Appoxo ,
@Appoxo@lemmy.dbzer0.com avatar

I slap them mid air when they are slower and with a towel when they fly more erratic and quick.
Satisfying and I get to feed my fly trap

HowMany ,

Fly strips work. They work even better after catching a few flies (I guess misery loves company!). They’re cheap too.

The vinegar thing is for fruit flies or gnats - it doesn’t really work on typical house flies.

Or… you could use a fly gun. … : D

CptEnder ,

Warning about those hanging fly traps. I used them and somehow the glue got aerosolized and spread to every surface of my apartment. I never no idea how this happened but everything I own was covered in brown sticky dots. It was a mother fucker to clean.

multifariace ,

I open a window and they fly to it. Then I shut them out.

HowMany ,

Play wildly upbeat frantic fly punk music and when they’re all worn out from shaking their little fly asses - nab 'em.

Vex_Detrause ,

If you want to catch then when they land you can slowly approach them with both hands like you’re gonna clap. They will try to avoid one hand and fly to the other hand and you can catch it.

Fan works. Bubble maker like the one on weddings can discourage fly and mosquitoes.

I use rubber band like on a rubber band pistols to shoot them when they land.

Let the friendly lizard and spiders stay around the house. They will help you get rid of them.

mannycalavera ,
@mannycalavera@feddit.uk avatar

Get a used spray bottle, one that you can adjust the spray to be narrow or wide angled by screwing unscrewing the cap. Set it to wide angled. Fill the bottle with some water and cleaning solution. Something you wouldn’t mind being sprayed about. Surface cleaner is a good bet because you probably already have that around the house to clean with.

Creep up on a fly with this diluted concoction and let rip. It might try and fly away but the wide angled spray plus the slight stickiness of the solution will hamper it’s efforts. Watch as it falls to the floor and writhes about in agony as it desperately tries to breathe (flies breathe through their skin which is now clogged with cleaning solution). It’s wings will be useless now too as they’ll be weighed down by the solution.

Finally with some tissues mop up and squash the little shit. For the first several flies leave them where you let them die as a warning to other flies in the area. After a couple of days you can clean up the bodies.

You’re welcome 🤗.

otherbarry ,

Agreed, though I’ve found that usually dousing a fly in water (via spray bottle) is enough to surprise them & get them to drop. Once they’ve fallen it takes them a bit to dry themselves & get airborne again, that’s usually enough time to swat it and finish the job.

That works well if you just have one or a few flies - if you’ve got a ton of them fly paper is going to work much better.

mannycalavera ,
@mannycalavera@feddit.uk avatar

Oh yeah fair point. Depends how sadistic you want to get mwahahaha! 😈

But also after swatting the fly it’s nice to give the area a quick clean anyway.

Electric_Druid ,

![](lemmy.world/…/dc735abb-8b9f-4bdd-ae43-a88f6558590…

Bro is committing war crimes on these mfs

BradleyUffner ,

My cats take care of most of them.

kambusha ,

Toy salt shotgun. Start hunting.

Edit: just saw another comment recommended the one i used to have. Bug-a-salt. It was the only thing that worked when we had something like 200 flies in a tiny 3-bed apt.

Nomecks ,

I have a Bug A Salt Home and Garden edition and I love it. I’m in a dry climate though, so the salt doesn’t clump up. Mileage may vary if you’re in a humid place.

tottenham28 ,

https://lemmy.world/pictrs/image/ea4525b9-8744-4c93-88fb-521952fe5dff.webp

MrFappy ,

These things are garbage.

KittenBiscuits ,

I find it useful when the fly won’t land, I can usually swat it in midair. It’s also my backup weapon when I go to spray hornets nests.

LarkinDePark ,

No. You may be using them wrong. You don’t swipe like a tennis racket. It creates a cushion of air that pushes the fly away, you need to go slower, but not too slow. Once you get the knack you’re swear by them.

Though they’re much better for mosquitos than houseflies.

bluespin ,

I have one that takes d cell batteries and works great. Have used others that barely function, though

MentalEdge ,
@MentalEdge@sopuli.xyz avatar

Don’t know about that specific one, but my family has been using this type of “zapping racket” for decades. The ones we got are very effective and have been working that whole time.

VelvetStorm ,

If you want to swat them, you need to move your hand slowly at first. They seem to not notice or care if you move slowly and don’t cast a shadow over them as that will frighten them. I use these same techniques for macrophotography, and it works, but you have to be patient.

I could also recommend getting good at snaping towels. Once you get good at it and you can judge distances, you can hit flies mid-flight.

Or if you just want to buy something and have 50ish bucks to spend you can get this

www.bugasalt.com/pages/shop-collections#threefive

HootinNHollerin ,

I roast em with a blow torch

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