I was visiting a friend the other day, I noticed she had tons of flies in her kitchen on the window and door screens. There isn't any food or such sitting out and the pet food is covered or in the refrig. I've never seen anything like it, a couple of other people said they're having fly problems also. What's going on and how to get rid of them.

She doesn't live in Amityville, by any chance?

No she has a beautiful historic home on the North side.

I read something about putting a ziplock bag with water and 4 to 5 pennies in it tacked somewhere by the door helps with fly problems.

we have the same problem, and folks at my husband's work said its common in summer. We just moved here, so folks like to give us a big rash about things, i.e. about how cold its going to be etc. so we take everything at face value. But its pretty bad. We have tried several home remedies we read on the internet but to no avail. Being from the Caribbean, where houses are open, we are used to keeping our doors open but we have had to shut ourselves in. We also never leave food out, or dishes in the sink-- something years in the tropics taught us (but there its cockroaches and tree rats you worry about). If you find something let me know- i'm off to buy that weird sticky fly paper today - will definitely do nothing to improve the look of my house to have dead flies hanging from yellow sticky paper everywhere- but its all I can think to do.

we tried the ziplock bags and they did nothing.

I used to live a few miles from Amityville, not that many flies there either. Only when the tide went out and had a breeze out of the south

I ate at a cafe in Hanna Wyoming that did the zip lock bag full of water with some penny's. It did nothing.

I recommend parathyroids.

I have a friend that has a pair of Skinks (small, harmless lizards) that he lets roam free sometimes and a little row of fly trap plants by the windowsill in the kitchen... no joke. No insects live long enough to bother the people.

Seems to trade one problem for another if you ask me. /shrug/

I was talking about a friend yesterday but today I find I have the same problem. We've lived here for 20 years and I have always hated the bugs but this fly thing is awful. Where ever there is light there are many, many flies. Never have had this problem, I do have fly strips up. Seem mostly in kitchen and living room. I hate it walking around with a fly swatter. Going to buy some fly eating plants.

I tried the ziploc bag and it worked perfectly! I filled it half full of water and added six pennies. Hung it by the back door. The flies kept a solid 4 foot away from my door. Went out today and hung a couple more where the flies are gathering. It's important to hang them where the sun will hit the bags. Flies stay away because of all their eyes and the reflection from the sun on the bags irritates them.

My neice had an outdoor meal the other night and the flies were terrible. We told her about the pennies and water and she put up 2 bags and it helped tremendously! Also, there is a product called Tempo that you mix with water and spray. You could spray around your doors and house outside, or inside and it cuts down on them, also spiders and any other kind of bugs. It lasts a long time also. It is safe to use inside. If you can't find it around town, you can get it online.

I remember some stuff when I was a kid in that country for flies. It was a bright blue powder dad would put it in a watermelon rind and set it up on a building. the next day the large melon rind would be brim full of dead flies. what ever it was is probably illegal now anyway, so it probably doesn't matter what it was. However I am curious to know if anyone remembers it. I think the reason for it being on the top of a building, was it was bad poison and he didn't want anything but flies to be able to get to it.

[This message has been edited by Lorin Dixson (7/15/2013)]

When I was growing up we used Golden Marlin like you are saying, put it in watermelon rind. But it was yellow. We had the blue stuff too but can't remember what it was!

Apparently that's "Golden MaLRin":

Amazon.com: Golden Malrin Fly Bait

Interesting that the URL for it uses "Golden-MaRLin".

Bayer QuickBayt seems to be a similar product:

QCSupply.com: Bayer QuickBayt Fly Bait

The blue Lorin refers to could be a dye to discourage human consumption. Apparently Borax poisons use blue dye for this reason. That QuickBayt product contains bittering agents to discourage consumption as well.

Also there was a product called "Blue Streak" that has apparently been discontinued:

epestsolutions.com: Blue Streak Fly Bait

It's the Devil, I tells ya!

Wendy is right. Martin Luther threw an ink well at a fly in the Castle at Wartburg claiming it was the devil trying to distract him. One year it's flies. The next years its the millers

Betty, please don't talk about the millers. One year I spent hours trying to rid my mom's porch of them. There were hundreds. Blech!

Elizabeth Emilsson wrote:

Martin Luther threw an ink well at a fly in the Castle at Wartburg claiming it was the devil trying to distract him.

And thus was born the Big Stinky.

Oh Richard, That is truly a groaner.