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Green Building Bible, Fourth Edition
Green Building Bible, fourth edition (both books)
These two books are the perfect starting place to help you get to grips with one of the most vitally important aspects of our society - our homes and living environment.

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  1.  
    Does anybody have ideas for prevention/treatment or cure for nuisance flies emerging into cottages? Its an old barn - open plan - flies probably entering from under slates/insulation. Happens when heating is turned on. Any views would be appreciated.
    Regards,
    Bully.
    • CommentAuthortony
    • CommentTimeNov 1st 2011
     
    sort out the air tightness and sealing
    • CommentAuthorJoiner
    • CommentTimeNov 1st 2011
     
    They could be breeding "up there" somewhere. We had two seasons of the damn things back in the 80s and had to get the local pest-control guy in to fumigate the loft space.

    Used to get them in the old workshop. Every morning was a nightmare. Open the velux and the things swarmed out like something out of the 'Green Mile'. Bought fumigation candles and left the place overnight, returning next day to a carpet of the things EVERYWHERE. Went on like that for about three weeks, then one morning - nothing. It was like that scene in the film 'The Battle of Britain' when the Luftwaffe stop coming over and everybody' s tensed-up, waiting for something that isn't going to happen.
  2.  
    Thanks Tony. The answer seems to be straightforward! Unfortunately, these old barns tend to move and cracks emerge easily. However, any advice regarding arming myself for the “Battle of Britain”? – expanding foam, mastic etc . In another thread, someone has mentioned an airtightness test. How do i do this and with what?

    Joiner - glad to know that i am not alone in being attacked from the skies. It gets ridiculous when henry the hoover fills up in one session.
  3.  
    I wonder if there is scope for combining this thread with the DIY leak-testing one? I love the idea of thousands of startled flies being ejected under pressure. On a less flippant note I do sympathise having had to abandon a loft recently after sharing it for a very brief time with ?1000-3,000 flies. Horrible.
    •  
      CommentAuthorDamonHD
    • CommentTimeNov 1st 2011
     
    It should be possible to buy spiders to order!

    Rgds

    Damon
    •  
      CommentAuthorSteamyTea
    • CommentTimeNov 1st 2011
     
    Posted By: Nick ParsonsOn a less flippant note I do sympathise having had to abandon a loft recently after sharing it for a very brief time with ?1000-3,000 flies. Horrible.

    Is that where the body is hidden?

    Beautiful South 'Woman in the Wall'
    http://www.musicsonglyrics.com/woman-in-the-wall-lyrics-the-beautiful-south.html
    • CommentAuthorJeff B
    • CommentTimeNov 1st 2011
     
    Bull.at.gate: This type of fly is a "cluster fly". We have the same problem. Apparently they hatch out in the grass and will return to the same location year after year to "overwinter". They will find their way into the loft through the tiniest of cracks. One school of thought is to leave them alone and after hibernating for the winter they will leave in the spring! This is what we have done for the last 3 years but this autumn we have gone on the offensive.

    I have put mastic in as many of the gaps around the chimney as I can reach, which is where they seem to congregate looking for a way in. However there are still gaps under the ridge tiles that I cannot reach without a roof ladder. I intend to make one for next year.

    We then invested in a gadget called FliTrap which is a special container into which you put a foul smelling material (smells like rotten fish meal) suspended in water. Apparently the flies cannot resist the smell and once they enter the container they cannot escape and drown. It can be placed up to 30 metres away from the area you are trying to protect. This gadget has caught a few flies but unfortunately I think we got it too late to be much use. I should have got it about a month ago when there were hundreds of flies about.

    We opened the trapdoor into the attic nearest the chimney and emptied a whole aerosol of fly killer in there. I also sprayed one of these long lasting insecticides onto the rafters etc. This disturbed the flies and we had literally hundreds coming out through the trapdoor and heading straight for the open Velux window; that is, those that made it – most dropped dead before they got that far! We do have some smoke bombs but decided not to use them as they only kill this year’s infestation and will mean hundreds of corpses in the attic. I think the secret is to prevent them getting in in the first place, so I am hoping the FliTrap will do the business next autumn!

    Now the weather has turned a bit cooler and wetter there are hardly any flies around so that is probably it for this season. Hopefully this post will give you some ideas of how to tackle your infestation.
  4.  
    Jeff B - thanks for the information. I think anything is worth a try. As Tony mentions, sealing the place must be first priority. Apologies to all forumites for raising a thread not directly regarded as a green building. The website is very informative from flies, badgers, bats and hotels with $100 in the states!:smile:
    • CommentAuthorJoiner
    • CommentTimeNov 2nd 2011 edited
     
    And don't bother with those small battery-powered fly-killers with the blue light and which buzz when a fly hits them. It has a container on the bottom to catch all the dead flies.

    Just to be sure, I bought two of them and one weekend placed them just in front of the areas they seemed to head for, leaving them on overnight so that the light was in direct line of flight towards where the rooflight was. Checked them on the Monday and when I removed the container a single fly flew out.

    When I took them back to the shop the owner just gave me a very long look and advised me to give them more time. When I returned after a week he just gave me my money back.
    •  
      CommentAuthorJSHarris
    • CommentTimeNov 2nd 2011
     
    <blockquote><cite>Posted By: Joiner</cite>And don't bother with those small battery-powered fly-killers with the blue light and which buzz when a fly hits them. It has a container on the bottom to catch all the dead flies.

    Just to be sure, I bought two of them and one weekend placed them just in front of the areas they seemed to head for, leaving them on overnight so that the light was in direct line of flight towards where the rooflight was. Checked them on the Monday and when I removed the container a single fly flew out.

    When I took them back to the shop the owner just gave me a very long look and advised me to give them more time. When I returned after a week he just gave me my money back.</blockquote>

    I had a very similar experience with one of these - totally useless bit of kit. The tennis racquet-like zapper, on the other hand, is a superb tool. Not only does it do the job well, but it gives satisfying feedback to the user in use.............
  5.  
    Yes, they are a type of "cluster fly" which over winter in the roof/loft. You'll never seal them out but you could use a residual contact insecticide but then it's always going to be on all the surfaces etc. I leave them as they stay in the loft in winter and fly off in the spring. I try not to go up there in the winter!:neutral:
    • CommentAuthorsimmo
    • CommentTimeNov 3rd 2011
     
    I have worked in pest control for 24 years so know a bit about these things, and know that houses that get them are prone to get them year after year. This is because they leave a pheromone on the outer walls which attracts others.

    There are several species of cluster fly, the most common being Pollenia rudis. The larave are parasitic on earthworms, pupating in the soil and emerging as adults in late summer. These adults then look for somewhere to over-winter; hence your loft. They typically arrive late afternoon in late summer and autumn, and typically land on walls catching the evening sun. they then walk up the walls and into cracks and crevices on the building structure. There they hibernate. On warmer winter days, or when the heating is on they find their way into the building and collect on the window sills, where they are generally very sluggish and dopey.

    They are not there to feed, so nasty smelling things won't attract them. They are however very strongly attracted to UV light (which is why they collect around windows) and UV fly traps can be very effective at 'mopping them up' when a property is afflicted by large numbers of them.

    This obviously won't prevent them coming in. Stopping them coming in is almost impossible; sealing up every tiny gap in eaves, tiles, window frames etc is all but impossible.

    Unlike many flies they are not a public health risk. Apart from being a nuisance they are not really a concern, though when you get thousands of them it can be a big concern! The main problem they present is that large numbers of them dying in the loft provides a food source for more damaging insect pests like clothes moths and carpet beetles.

    The earlier response that residual insecticides sprayed onto the loft structure will kill them is correct, but why bother, they will be going out in spring anyway. Also, you may well disturb bats in the process; a criminal offence.

    All in all, they are a nuisance, but they are one that I think you may have to live with; just make sure your vacuum cleaner works well; you'll be needing it!!!
  6.  
    simmo - many thanks. Your summary is pretty thorough and clear in understanding what happens. Sadly, there seems to be no obvious miracle cure. I agree heat and light is a factor in awakening them from their hibernation.
    • CommentAuthorseascape
    • CommentTimeNov 4th 2011
     
    I have noticed a small infestation of them in my old conservatory this year - never happened in 11 years previously. I wonder if it's because I stopped mowing the lawn around it to encourage wildlife - more earthworms/grass to breed? Think I will go back to mowing.
    • CommentAuthorpmusgrove
    • CommentTimeNov 4th 2011
     
    The only problem with the bug zappers is that they use electricity - lots of it. Mine is nominally 30W which is what the bulb takes. After my elec went up by 5kWh a day I had a good look around to see what had changed and then noticed the spikes each time a fly hit the bucket. It may only take a few moments for them to be zapped but that moment seems to use a lot of juice.
    • CommentAuthorcrusoe
    • CommentTimeNov 4th 2011
     
    Joiner - how DID you say that with a straight face? Gad mon, put a smiley in there - I was cackling!! :bigsmile:
    • CommentAuthorJoiner
    • CommentTimeNov 4th 2011
     
    Serious subject, crusoe, this! :crazy:
    • CommentAuthorcrusoe
    • CommentTimeNov 5th 2011
     
    Clearly....yet nobody is 'flying' off the handle yet...unless you count the electric tennis-racket brigade. Have more fun with a Wii I would have thought. Killing insects on the GBF, whatever next? :wink:
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