annoying black flies

[jackie j]

I found loads of flies in my window and on inspection found one of my Pumpkins had rotted, gutted that I hadnt used it first but I am saving them for my grandson for halloween, dont want to use them till I know at least one will survive or I will be going out to buy him one.

[vikkib]

i'm glad i'm not the only one with the problem, i was starting to think i was a mucky cow!!! i've got quite a few house plants, i'm wondering if they are coming from there - eeck i might have to banish them out of the house!!

Me too... I was starting to get a wee bit paranoid too!

They seem to be eminating from the chilli plants I've got on the window sill in the lounge.

*off to find fly papers*

[organic]

If they are fruit flies they are most likely after something wet and sugary. When I used to be a bartender they were a sure sign someone hadn't cleaned their station properly, the sweet liquids (and eventually - sticky residue) left were heaven for the things. We had to take the shelving units apart and deep clean the whole place on a fairly regular basis to avoid having loads of the things flying around.

It led to the expression "wet is dirty" in one place. When you clean up (especially where food and drink is involved, most of it has some sort of sugar in it) get as much of it up as you can and dry up again after cleaning. Make sure you get into any nooks and crannies too.

Don't bother with gallons of disinfectant though. That stuff's unnecessary at the best of times and since the thing attracting the flies is sugar (spilled drinks, bits of food rotting down and so on) no amount of bacteria-killing* cleaning products are going to help. Just clean up and dry up.



* I still can't understand the obsession with anti-bacterial cleaners. We're not meant to live in sterility - it's just not healthy!

[Two_Sheds]

I've got lots of fungus gnats on my chillies now that I've brought them indoors. I'm cutting down on the watering, and only watering from the bottom (to keep the compost drier).

I also have some fruit/vinegar flies floating around today: I just racked some blackcurrant wine and the boogers appeared from nowhere (I wrap my kitchen scraps in newspaper, so they aren't in the caddy, and I don't have a fruit bowl)

[lizzylemon]

Mine are fruit flies - little bug*ers. Drive me nuts.

Fridge has been rammed all summer cause they're after my fruit but I hate cold fruit - ruins the flavour. Yep they love bread too - seems to be anything sweet.

The colder weather should deter them.

[Alice]

They're probably fungus gnats and they come out of the compost your plants are in.
Sprinkling chillie powder on the srface of the compost is said to do for them.

[Stacey Steve]

We get them and they have this death wish as they seem to plunge themselves into our wine glasses and into the opened bottles.

A good bodied wine?

[quark1]

Oh yes - I have them also - have yet to find the source (oooh 'eck!).

I do find for those highly irritating moments when you glance down at your glass of red and see a couple of the little beasties afloat or hanging in the side that the best solution is to use a cover from one of those fancy packs of crisps which come in tubes - you know the ones I mean - which you can also use as can covers.

Used one yesterday - guess what - forgot today and there's a couple of 'floaters' to be rid of!

[Rocketron]

Oh yes - I have them also - have yet to find the source (oooh 'eck!).

I do find for those highly irritating moments when you glance down at your glass of red and see a couple of the little beasties afloat or hanging in the side that the best solution is to use a cover from one of those fancy packs of crisps which come in tubes - you know the ones I mean - which you can also use as can covers.

Used one yesterday - guess what - forgot today and there's a couple of 'floaters' to be rid of!

The origin of Spanish Tapas. something to cover your drink to keep off flies.