Housefly infestation in basement


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Old 07-17-18, 06:48 AM
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Housefly infestation in basement

For the past three days I've killed about 210 houseflies in my basement. Since Saturday they have been coming out of nowhere. I'll see one on my TV and swat it. Then another 2 or 3 will show up. I kill them. A few seconds later another will show up (rinse and repeat). From 9:00AM to about 9:00PM I would have accumulated about 70 kills. (They don't come out at night). I'm just curious as to why this is happening. I don't have any entry points in my house nor is there any food for them to lay their eggs on.

The only thing I can think of is the kitchen sink upstairs leaks into the basement. Sometimes there will be big puddles of water near the basement drain. Could this be where they are coming from? It doesn't make sense that water would spawn houseflies does it?
 
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Old 07-17-18, 07:58 AM
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nor is there any food for them to lay their eggs
It's there somewhere, flys do not lay eggs in water!


Maggots do best in an environment of decay. Rotting animal or plant matter suit the larvae, especially if there is an element of fecal matter in the mix. Dead animal corpses make an excellent environment for larvae, which is why you’ll often see maggots ‟emerge” from a dead animal.
 
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Old 07-17-18, 08:10 AM
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Dead mouse in the wall?
You will have to find out what crack the adult flies are emerging from.

Or maybe the dead mouse is in the middle of the floor, concealed by your belongings stacked up and stored there.

Also try this: Get some old fashioned flypaper to hang up here and there. Will "do your flyswatting for you 24/7".
 
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Old 07-17-18, 02:45 PM
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I also suspect you or a neighbor has put out some poison for mice or rats and one has died somewhere within your house. Unfortunately the flies you see are also laying eggs and the cycle will continue until the critter is completely consumed.

Double check any places where you may have left something that needed to go in the frig or freezer. Been there done that. It should end in time but finding the cause will help prevent it from happening again.

Bud
 
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Old 07-17-18, 03:13 PM
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If the flies are a shiny, metallic color then that would indicate that there is decomposing animal/bird/meat nearby. In any case it's always good to get a proper ID when dealing with flies as their habits, feeding, breeding behaviors vary significantly between the species. Knowing these factors is how fly problems are diagnosed and attacked.
 
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Old 07-18-18, 07:09 AM
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They don't have a shiny metallic color. They are green. The last couple of days the infestation has been getting a little more manageable. I killed 70 each on Saturday, Sunday and Monday but "only" about 30 yesterday.
 
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Old 07-18-18, 07:18 AM
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Picture

Here is how they look
 
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Old 07-18-18, 10:50 AM
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Not promoting this particular pest service, but this page has good info on it. Search for "green bottle flies" and similar searches to find more info.

I'm leaning towards thinking that there is a dead animal/bird causing this.

Check clothes dryer vent/bathroom vent/stove vent on exterior of house to see if a bird or bird nest is present. Check soffits, attic, etc for dead birds/nests.

https://www.orkin.com/flies/bottle-f...en-bottle-fly/
 
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Old 07-18-18, 02:57 PM
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Is it a masonry house? I ask because in the early morning, I've often found various sorts of insects congregating on the cool north facing walls of our old farmhouse, they seem to be drawn by dew on stone (likely salt) and they stay through early morning. I occasionally leave a flyswatter out specifically because the horse-flies (small green eyed) and the "mule-flies" (big brown %!@%!$#) seem to be slower moving in early morning.

Could be flies attracted to water. I've been a realtor for many years, and flies will find there way into damp basements if you leave a basement bilco door open around dusk, or if a basement window is open just a little or has a torn screen.
 

Last edited by Hal_S; 07-18-18 at 03:34 PM.
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Old 07-19-18, 12:59 AM
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Get one of these zappers https://www.amazon.com/Hoont-Electri...70_&dpSrc=srch , plug it up in your basement, turn off the lights and wait.

Flies were getting into our home through the garage. We set up one of these up in our garage and the flies population dropped to near zero overnight. The zapper sounded like fireworks on the 4th of July, with the zapping.

Good luck!
 
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Old 07-19-18, 04:19 AM
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I'll second the recommendation for fly paper. Cheap, easy, works 24/7. Not a cure for the root cause of the problem, but sure beats a fly swatter. Steve
 
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Old 07-19-18, 06:14 AM
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OK I'll try those suggestions. See I have a big TV in my basement and I turn off all the lights and wait for them to land on the TV screen and then smack them with my swatter. I tell you after a while my TV is covered in fly gore. The problem is you do that from 9:00AM to about 9:00PM it gets kinda old. So I'll try the paper and the maybe the zapper too.
 
 

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