Grow Your Own Magazine

Hello,
For the past week my 8 year old plum tree has been covered in flies. I am at my wits end because droves of them are flying into my house.
At first I sprayed the flies in the house with Raid housepest spray, but when it did not have much affect on them I realized that they were not the usual black houseflies. A quick walk around my rural garden soon came up with the source.
A few days ago I sprayed the tree with a general insecticide but it has not made any difference at all.
I really do hope someone can help me with this, I have searched the internet and cannot find any information on this pest.
Regards and thanks in advance,
Eileen.

Hi Eileen, if you have a digital camera maybe you could post a photo on here of the flies. Are they very similar to house flies? I had a similar problem in my garden a few weeks ago with swarms of large bluebottle-like flies in one area of the garden mostly on the euonymus & around the courgettes & thought maybe there was something dead in the garden somewhere but couldn't find anything. They appeared for a few days when it was very warm & humid & then completely disappeared so maybe this will happen with yours. Sorry I can't offer a solution, no-one had any ideas when I posted my fly problem either. I would suggest though that you spray with an organic 2 in 1 pest control (Vitax do one) rather than a general insecticide which will leave residues on your plums (not very healthy!).

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Into every life a little rain must fall.

Hello Sue,

Thank you so much for your reply. Like yourself I thought there might be something lying dead in the garden and was relieved that I did not find anything during my search!

Yes they are just like houseflies. We usually get a short lived attack of bluebottles in August, it will just be my luck to get rid of the flies and then suffer the next onslaught.

I will attempt to upload a photo tomorrow.

Hmmm, that's interesting, as I had a mad fly attack about 3 weeks ago. It lasted for about 2 weeks where there were flies everywhere - mainly around my shed and on the back wall but they came in the house too.

I could only think that it was the change in the weather that had brought them all out as like you.... I thought there was something dead, but in fact there was nothing to be found.

Thank you for your replies.

Here is a photo taken yesterday.

Eileen.

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Have you tried the red top fly trap. It costs £9.99 and attracts the female fly. We usually put one up every year and it gets full off flies. The number is 01246 264646 and the company is Interhatch.

Eileen that looks like a Green Bottle.

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Worldor, thank you, I will certainly order one of these fly traps. Even if they don't help this fly attack, hopefully it will catch others.

Lesley Jay, I have just checked out the Green Bottle via Google Image and your right, it does look like the fly on the image I posted.

Now I'm off to find out which insecticide will be effective against them...does anyone have any suggestions now that hopefully we have identified it?

Eileen.

Today I've got loads of these in my garden too.

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Caroline



http://goodlifeallotment.blogspot.com

Liquid Nicotine heated over a candle will kill them .... mind you it will kill you as well (I was Joking before you all write in)

How about getting a venus fly trap or one of the pitcher plants much more fun watching them being eaten alive

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ntg

Never be afraid to try something new.
Remember that a lone amateur built the Ark.
A large group of professionals built the Titanic

http://grief-encounters.blogspot.com/

I would have the fattest most well fed Venus fly trap ever...but you know I must be the fastest fly swatter on the draw by now. Four in a row is my record.

Worldor,

Thanks for your top tip for the red top!

The trap has been hanging in the tree for about 10 weeks now and as you can see from the photo it's a real flies cemetry....and they're still queuing to fly in.

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