Not amused: attack of the killer flies!

[Richard M]

http://www.richardm.co.uk/images/forums_etc/wtf.jpg

I'm seriously considering moving out from my new flat down the bay.
I got home from work at 10, opened the window for about 15 mins and a SWARM of flies/gnats and other things came in without me realizing, there must be at least 50 of them.
They're all over my bed, all over the ceiling and are flying into my monitor - highly annoying I think you'll agree.

The only problem is, I can't use fly spray, it's banned in the whole building because it'll damage the paint.
I have an insect repellant thingy but it does nothing for hours.

Also, I can't use nets or anything because the windows are just like two huge doors with blinds on them.
To make matters worse, my computers are running at >45.C system temp and it's unbearably hot.

If I didn't have to be in work at 8:30 I'd find a bloody hotel room.

So a bit of advice, if you're thinking of how lovely it would be to live in a nice waterfront apartment then you're wrong!

[Russ]

Would anyone actually find out if you'd used flyspray?

[Richard M]

Not sure, depends if the paint bubbles or whatever.
Then I can kiss goodbye to my deposit.

[punky]

I have the same problem with my room. It is west facing, with double glazing, and has the hot water heater in the cupboard, it can really roast in here. I have my window open most of the winter too. It isn't too bad If I have the light on and window open, and the curtains closed, it does reduce the amount of air coming in, but it stops 95% of the insects too. I think they just fly in, hit the curtain and fly back out.

It is a shame you can't cover it with a bed sheet or something. Do they inspect the apartment? I'm sure if you pinned a sheet up, you could cover up the pin marks when you leave (I doubt they'd even notice).

[Paul M]

Um, how exactly does flyspray affect paint

[Richard M]

It has warnings on the cans, I checked before when I almost got to the limit of my temper with it.
It's got the "should I stay or should I go" stage now though.

[danielf]

Originally Posted by Richard M

Not sure, depends if the paint bubbles or whatever.
Then I can kiss goodbye to my deposit.

As you mention deposit, it sounds like you're renting? If so, I'd consider getting more pictures showing it is your flat that is infested, and then take it up with the landlord (as some sort of netting appears to be called for).

[greencreeper]

My mate moved into a flat and he told me he had problems with flies - looked like a house fly. I went and looked and I've never seen anything like it - bedroom was full of them, dead and alive. All over the window frame and window and clogged in the window air vent. I used an organophosphate (er, probably banned but we'll gloss over that) to kill them but the next day it was the same again. Neither we nor the landlord could find anything dead that was attracting them. Rather ominously the bedroom door had marks where a large bolt had been fitted on the outside to lock someone or something in. We figured that in the past the flies must have had food and/or somewhere to lay their eggs and were somehow remembering. Scary I have one of those things they have in chip shops. My problem is moths - the little brown ones They go for my earholes as I sit here typing, or they land on the monitor and frighten me half to death.

[Richard M]

That's not a bad idea, I'll mail them now with that pic and a couple more.

[Steve H]

Ohh Rich, exactly the same as my house yesterday.. except we had about an extra 200!

Brother had left his room light on, and his big window wide open, along with his curtains. Anyway, my littlest brother walked in at half 10ish, and screamed his way downstairs! I went up to have a look, and there was hundreds of the buggers, all over his white wall, and some on his bed sheets. A few had moved to the hallway, luckily non in my room.

Wish I had took pictures, it was horrible.. we were infested. Luckily we can use fly spray.. went to work with it until a couldn't breathe.. locked the door, and left it til morning, Dead

Brother had to sleep on the sofa though!

[Paul M]

Originally Posted by Richard M

It has warnings on the cans, I checked before when I almost got to the limit of my temper with it.
It's got the "should I stay or should I go" stage now though.

Well I have a can of RAID in front of me (I use the Ant & Cockroach killer as it's kills flys/wasps etc very quickly) and there is no mention of it damaging paint. The only mention of anything even remotely close is don't spray it directly onto surfaces (that are used for food). It also kills fish.

[Richard M]

Hmm... there is a 24 hr Asda around the corner...

[danielf]

Originally Posted by Steve H

Ohh Rich, exactly the same as my house yesterday.. except we had about an extra 200!

Brother had left his room light on, and his big window wide open, along with his curtains. Anyway, my littlest brother walked in at half 10ish, and screamed his way downstairs! I went up to have a look, and there was hundreds of the buggers, all over his white wall, and some on his bed sheets. A few had moved to the hallway, luckily non in my room.

Wish I had took pictures, it was horrible.. we were infested. Luckily we can use fly spray.. went to work with it until a couldn't breathe.. locked the door, and left it til morning, Dead

Brother had to sleep on the sofa though!

I remember spending a night in the 'bedroom' of an old caravan, a couple of years ago. Somehow, an ants colony had settled into the roof of the caravan, and it being a hot morning they had decided it was flying time, but had gone inside, rather than outside. We woke up to a room filled with a swarm of flying ants. Not nice, first thing in the morning...

[Steve H]

Originally Posted by danielf

I remember spending a night in the 'bedroom' of an old caravan, a couple of years ago. Somehow, an ants colony had settled into the roof of the caravan, and it being a hot morning they had decided it was flying time, but had gone inside, rather than outside. We woke up to a room filled with a swarm of flying ants. Not nice, first thing in the morning...

Now ant's are one thing I can't stand. Was at tennis the other week, and whilst waiting for a court, sat on the grass. Felt something on my leg, looked down and had loads of the buggers crawling all over me, gave me a real life experiance of ants in yer pants!

Anyway, I'l try not to take this off topic... Can't you just spray them with water or something rich? Drown the buggers

[Richard M]

Originally Posted by Steve H

Drown the buggers

Don't take this the wrong way but these flats cost between £100,000 and £250,000.
I've gotta be careful what I spray around.