Flies in the Ivy
I have window boxes with ivy in my ground floor windows and they seem to be attracting TONS of flies. Anyone know why and have any advice to get rid of them?
I have window boxes with ivy in my ground floor windows and they seem to be attracting TONS of flies. Anyone know why and have any advice to get rid of them?
Hi,
I have the same problem. It’s an insane amount of full size flies congregating on a trellis and bannister. They are full size.
I have tried making a bowl of sugar and vinegar and caught some. I sprayed it with a strong smelling natural cleaner, like dr. brommers.
Next, I’m making the alcohol and dish soap spray. Should I add water to it? I need lots of spray for the area that I’m covering.
I’ll try the sand next.
As soon as my husband gets back in town the ivy is coming down. It’s disgusting out there. I feel like flies are all over me when I come back inside!
Any more tips are appreciated. The problem must be solved!
test
This happened with some of my houseplants too. I used a spray made of mostly water with just a little dish soap and a little rubbing alcohol. Lightly spray the leaves. It may take one application or it could take 3-4, but it’s a nice non-toxic way to get rid of flies. It worked great for me.
I will try all the above suggestions and let you know. The flies are big, not gnats, and the window boxes have drainage but with all the rain this summer, the soil may have become waterlogged and the drainage might not have been sufficient. Thank you for all these ideas. I’ll get back to you!!
Are the flies small (i.e. fungus gnats)? Do your windowboxes have drainage holes, and are they draining sufficiently? With all the rain, it’s possible the soil is not drying out. Try laying raw potato slices on the soil surface. After 4 hours or so, lift and examine for larvae (then discard). As above, buy clean, fine sand and cover the soil surface to a depth of 1/2-1″. If problem continues, remove the plants, wash the roots very carefully, and repot in sterilized potting medium (not soil).
Try Snappy’s suggestion from a week ago – spread a 2 inch layer of sand on top of the soil.
This is the only thing I’ve ever heard of that’s supposedly good for fly control (outside of those ugly fly strips):
http://tinyurl.com/ltnvxl
But, it also sounds like the above product may simply be trading in one pest for another. If you wind up trying this out, update us and let us know if it worked for you.
No, it’s not cats, Dave. They’re in the ground floor windows but are at least 3-4 feet off the ground. And I’ve never seen cats on the street. The only thing I can think of is that fly eggs are in the soil…but how to get rid of them, I do not know.
Could cats be using them????