yes definitly house flies. do know kitchen moths. they're dreadful!

Seriously! I was shocked that there is nothing in place to stop bugs from flying in.

As soon as the days got warmer, I got this net from Migros Do It Yourself, 14.90, installed it myself with some velcro. Haven't had any flies or bees inside so far.

http://www.doit-garden-migros.ch/g3....oduct/6311.239

Did you ever wonder why everyone has geraniums in the windows?
They keep flies away. Or that's the word on the street.

kinky answer.....but works especially well if your friends are parasites

Really? Hadn't thought about it, although I had looked at "bio" planting suggestions of plants to plant next to other plants to help with bugs in the garden.

So, looking it up for purpose of pre-shopping tomorrow, with this thread in mind, here is a list of "fly repellent plants."

I'd had basil, rosemary and mint in mind already anyhow, so this is good. Our main source of insect madness is from the terrace doors being almost forever open, the other windows (in interest of keeping cat inside) are only ever "cracked" open. So, lining the balcony railing with some good herbs as well as some flowers should help. (Probably still going to look for some string curtains as well though.)

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The Joys of Opticianry

that's what "they" say. i've also read that geranium oil is a good natural repellant you can use on your skin.

i can't say for sure. i never had particular bug problems until we moved out in to the country and the house had screens.

i tried to look it up and it seems they are not in the geranium family at all. but are "mistakenly called geraniums". i think we all calls these geraniums though, no?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Pelargon.jpg

ETA: The ones I'm talking about seem to be called scented geraniums in English. Anywho, you know the ones I'm talking about! they are the ones we see in the windows all over CH.

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The gecko is your friend.

Then I should let them in thru the terrace door when flies infest our place again. I'll make sure that the fridge is closed and all crisps are well hidden though

In France you can buy a spray that you spray around every window frame each 4 weeks and it deters the flies. We used to literally get thousands but now virtually nothing. Cattle nearby is not a reason to get flies, on the contrary it attracts them thereby taking them away from you.In France it is sold in Gamm Vert and all the smaller village folk swear by it.

Just use a bog standard fly swatter. Cheap, simple and has the side benefit of helping your Squash/Tennis skills.

With practise you can even get the barstewards in mid air.

I agree. I stalk the house with the fly swatter and the kids follow with the handheld vac to dispose of my victims.

ditto. sometimes the little beggars are just stunned and can be seen flying around inside the hand vac. yuck.

Not to mention other halves

Back on topic - flies are unavoidable in the summer especially when the weather gets hotter and everyone leaves their windows open.

If you are one of those who likes to keep your windows open, your best bet is to get one of those fly screens like Nil suggested. Avoid leaving any food out in the open too - and yes, get one of them fly swatters. Great fun!

It's true! They must arrive in there, see all their dead buddies and think "Oh shit!"

More probably they think "Oh lunch".

Advice today in Migros magazine. Take a plastic 1 litre bottle and cut off top third- place bits of apple or other fruit in bottom and a bit of water, then place top third down into the bottle. Flies will go down into bottle but won't be able to fly out. You could have several of course. Aanother tip is to buy long zipped clear plastic bags and place a few copper coins and water in the bottom- then pin up to the top of window or door. No idea how it works- but it does.

Yes, the Migros idea really does work. In my teens I used to work in a restaurant here is the summer time, on the terrace they would hang two or three of these contraptions from a large tree that offered the terrace shade. They sometimes would just put a couple of spoonfulls of jam, add warm water and hang. It worked really well, and as the filling was sweet, it also attracted a lot of wasps and bees!

As for the copper coins...does anyone living here actually have any pennies kept in a jar??

It doesn't seem to work here - I've so far caught 1 in my apple bottle

I have plenty of English copper coins as we go to UK every few months- must go and get the bags!

Landi sell a bottle system with a stinking mixture attractive to flies. It is delivered as a sealed bottle with a dry powder. Add warm water and place outside away from your doors and windows. As it smells disgusting bees are not attracted to it. Flies go inside and die. At end of summer the plastic bottle, about 200 ml, is full of bodies. SFr 7.90

A friend of mine lives near 3 dairy farms, this trap really does work!

http://www.landi.ch/Laden/deu/sortim...80&ArtNr=24200

Fliegenfalle Outdoor AGRARO Fly Trap http://www.landi.ch/scripts/sortimen...200&size=small

.

Last night, one of those giant ugly black spiders was perched on the wall above my youngest kid's bed so before any easily-freaked-out, prone-to-nightmares kid saw it, I grabbed the trusty dustbuster and zoomed the hairy beast straight off the wall. Appears he survived the dyson trademarked cyclone technology and is now happily living in the machine feasting on the dead flies.

Just hoping he can't find his way out of there again.