prolly aimed at the aussies :) though the summers over thus fly numbers are dying down, but anyways for the next couple of months + in preperation for next summer. anyone got any ideas to keep flys away from the monitor (which like ceiling lamp sdes) seem to attach flies (must be the light emitted, though the hang around lamps even during the day so I dont know). Flyspray is effective for about an hour, though Ild prefer not to use that of course. Any other ideas?, plants perhaps that repel flys

Nuke them from orbit. It's the only way to be sure.

Spiders, though you aussies have some real nasty buggers, but seriously don't be so quick to kill harmless house spiders, best flycatchers :)

clean up your shit? one should find that cleanliness leads to flyliless.

I gotta say that I don't have a significant fly problem around my computer... Perhaps it's all the rotting carcasses you have lying around?

Leave a light on in another room and surface spray around the lights. Those hapless fools will fly right into your trap.

Quote: Original post by Codeka
Perhaps it's all the rotting carcasses you have lying around?

Probably bit rot from dead code. That tends to attract bugs. [grin]

I kind of know what you mean. In michigan in the summer we get these little nats that can go through the fine screen windows. Once in a while I'll have one get through and he'll buzz and run into my laptop. I just go into another room and turn on the light and turn off the lights in my room.

Either that or buy a flamethrower. (Hey maybe he's one of those people that follows online help. We could have an interesting follow-up story. "This just in man lights house on fire yelling 'the flies are after me' more at 11").

Quote: Original post by Fruny
Nuke them from orbit. It's the only way to be sure.

Seconded. heh. Fumigating your house a bit extreme though.

Quote: Original post by Fruny

Quote: Original post by Codeka
Perhaps it's all the rotting carcasses you have lying around?

Probably bit rot from dead code. That tends to attract bugs. [grin]

RED CARD

U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE FARMERS' BULLETIN No. 1408 THE HOUSE FLY[1] AND HOW TO SUPPRESS IT. (1938)

Quote:
The presence of flies is an indication of uncleanliness, insanitary
conditions, and improper disposal of substances in which they breed.
They are not only annoying; they are actually dangerous to health,
because they may carry disease germs to exposed foods.
...
The eggs (figs. 4, 5) are laid upon horse manure. This substance seems
to be its favorite larval food. It will breed also in human excrement,
and because of this habit it is very dangerous to the health of human
beings, carrying as it does the germs of intestinal diseases, such as
typhoid fever and cholera, from the excreta to food supplies. It has
also been found to breed freely in hog manure, in considerable numbers
in chicken dung, and to some extent in cow manure. Indeed, it will lay
its eggs on a great variety of decaying vegetable and animal materials,
but of the flies that infest dwelling houses, both in cities and on
farms, a vast proportion come from horse manure.

It often happens, however, that this fly is very abundant in localities
where little or no horse manure is found, and in such cases it breeds in
other manure, such as chicken manure in backyard poultry lots, or in
slops or fermenting vegetable material, such as spent hops, moist bran,
ensilage, or rotting potatoes. Accumulations of organic material on the
dumping grounds of towns and cities often produce flies in great
numbers.
...
The body of the house fly is covered thickly with hairs and bristles of
varying lengths, and this is especially true of the legs. Thus, when it
crawls over infected material it readily becomes loaded with germs, and
subsequent visits to human foods result in their contamination. Even
more dangerous than the transference of germs on the legs and body of
the fly is the fact that bacteria are found in greater numbers and live
longer in its alimentary canal. These germs are voided, not only in the
excrement of the fly, but also in small droplets of regurgitated matter
which have been called "vomit spots." When we realize that flies
frequent and feed upon the most filthy substances (it may be the excreta
of typhoid or dysentery patients or the discharges of one suffering from
tuberculosis), and that subsequently they may contaminate human foods
with their feet or excreta or vomit spots, the necessity and importance
of house-fly control is clear.
...
In the consideration of these measures we have not touched upon the
remedies for house flies breeding in human excrement. On account of the
danger of the carriage of typhoid fever, the dropping of human excrement
in the open in cities or towns, either in vacant lots or in dark
alleyways, should be made a misdemeanor, and the same care should be
taken by the sanitary authorities to remove or cover up such depositions
as is taken in the removal of the bodies of dead animals. For modern
methods of sewage disposal adapted for farm use one should consult
Department of Agriculture Department Bulletin No. 57. In the absence of
modern methods of sewage disposal, absolutely sanitary privies are prime
necessities, whether in towns or on farms. Directions for building and
caring for such privies will be found in Farmers' Bulletin 463 and in
Yearbook Separate 712, "Sewage Disposal on the Farm." The box privy is
always a nuisance from many points of view, and is undoubtedly dangerous
as a breeder of flies which may carry the germs of intestinal diseases.
The dry-earth treatment of privies is unsatisfactory. No box privy
should be permitted to exist unless it is thoroughly and regularly
treated with some effective larvicide. Since the fecal matter in such
privies is seldom used for fertilizing purposes it may well be treated
liberally with borax. The powdered borax may be scattered two or three
times a week over the exposed surface so as to whiten it.
...
Antifly crusades have been very numerous in recent years, and some have
been noteworthy both in methods and in results. However, it will not be
amiss here to emphasize the importance of concerted, organized effort on
the part of whole communities, not only cities, but suburban and rural
neighborhoods as well. By the most painstaking care one may prevent all
fly breeding on his premises, but it will avail him little if his
neighbors are not equally careful. Some sort of cooperation is
necessary. One of the first and most important elements in any antifly
crusade is a vigorous and continued educational campaign. It has been
the experience of those who have undertaken such crusades that people
generally regard the fly as a somewhat harmless nuisance and that the
first work of the campaign was to bring the people to a realization of
the dangers from flies and the possibility of getting rid of them. In
the educational campaign every possible means of publicity can be
employed, including newspapers, lectures, moving pictures, posters,
handbills, cartoons, instruction in schools, etc.

The antifly crusade is a matter of public interest and should be
supported by the community as a whole and engineered by the health
officers. But health officers can do little toward the necessary work of
inspection and elimination without funds, and therefore the support of
the campaign must manifest itself in increased appropriations for
public-health work. Very often it is lack of funds which prevents the
health officers from taking the initiative in the antifly crusades, and
there must necessarily be much agitation and education before they can
profitably take up the work. Right here lies a field for civic
associations, women's clubs, boards of trade, etc., to exercise their
best energy, initiative, and leadership.

Are there euphemisms for fly excrement? I've heard it termed "fly spec", but slang varies from place to place so that term may mean something else to other people. The above text calls it "vomit spots".