How to keep the summer swarm of flies from entering ranch sliders?

Forums › Home Workshop DIY › How to keep the summer swarm of flies from entering ranch sliders?

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148 posts

Master Geek

#3173192 18-Dec-2023 17:27

I signed up just to answer your question, check out https://www.flyscreens.co.nz/.

We live rural and get plagues of flies but not one gets past the chain screen.

They get noisy in the wind when the door is closed so we tie them up.

Ours were about $650 for a 2.1 x 1.5 m doorway, but that includes a powder coated headrail to match the doors, pricey but worth it in summer.

There other online options such as Aliexpress etc.

panther2

374 posts

Ultimate Geek

#3173212 18-Dec-2023 19:34

timmmay:
https://www.exceed.co.nz/solutions/retractable-insect-fly-screens

We got fly screen doors. Turned out that most of summer it's warm enough outside that opening then doesn't help much. Better off keeping doors closed and using air con. If it's cooler outside for you these can help. Cost us about $3k for one double width and one regular door.

Had a exceed retractable screen installed on our back door its amazing. Was about 900 all up

raytaylor

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#3173527 19-Dec-2023 22:16

1) My grandmother had a thing hung above the door which was made of strips of colored plastic

Like this Link

They look ugly, but also every dairy had one too when i was growing up.

And they work damn well.

I have tried the modern magnetic fly screens and stuff but they always break and are annoying to use.

I also have flatmates that dont care. One is the type that will turn the heat pump on for cool air -and- open the windows to, as he puts it, "let out the hot air" allowing flies to come inside lol.

2) So I have also bought the fly traps from Mitre 10. It seems this year they are only selling a smaller model which is annoying - i prefer never to empty them - too yucky.

The bait that they come with i find isnt good enough - you really have to put in a couple of tablespoons of catfood into the mix.
Also dont use boiling water from the kettle - the hot water will melt the plastic they are made of.
You put them outside and they start working after about a week.

3) We have a proper blue light zapper but i dont find it works well. Its not one of those cost optimized ones from aliexpress where the light is just a purple LED. Its an old proper one but i know they definitley dont work for mosquitos. Havent noticed it working much with flies either. I think moths really like them.

4) Spray ripcord around the house - I sprayed ripcord all over the house about 3 weeks ago. Yet to notice anything.
I put it into a pump sprayer and sprayed under the eves and around the window frames, mostly concentrating on surfaces that dont get wet when it rains.

5) Tell stoner flatmate to clean up.
This can be the hardest one. He likes to leave his coffee mugs and other stuff around his chair outside. I am sure this is what attracts them.

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MikeAqua

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Uber Geek

#3173767 20-Dec-2023 15:25

We had the pleated retractable screens from exceed in Nelson and they were excellent.

Mike

Old Grey Geek

149 posts

Master Geek

#3173775 20-Dec-2023 16:02

Ripcord is your friend here. Just spray all the frames of your exterior doors.

I do this once a year at the beginning of summer

Shindig

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#3173915 21-Dec-2023 06:12

Interested in this RipCord product.

As you say, simply spray around all the door frames? What about ranch sliders, just spray the outside of those.

Do the flies not go near it and thus won't travel passed it?

The little things make the biggest difference.

Bung

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#3173917 21-Dec-2023 06:22

Ripcord won't stop a fly coming in an open door but it kills the flies that land on treated surfaces while waiting.

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gehenna

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#3173957 21-Dec-2023 09:14

Open doors are the issue at my place. We have french doors onto the deck which basically means half the wall is open. So blowflys come divebombing through and hit the window on the other side of the room before they know they're inside. Stopping them getting in at all will be the win for me, rather than them landing on frames etc and then hoping

Old Grey Geek

149 posts

Master Geek

#3174075 21-Dec-2023 14:47

I imagine that they sense it somehow. It seems to work to some extent though.

I got the idea from a guy with a firm called Fly Busters.

TeaLeaf

6325 posts

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#3177117 2-Jan-2024 14:44

Had a exceed retractable screen installed on our back door its amazing. Was about 900 all up

How big was your screen? and how do they work with the sliding glass doors there?

One of my most well informed questions, cheers all.

panther2

374 posts

Ultimate Geek

#3177138 2-Jan-2024 16:14

TeaLeaf:

Had a exceed retractable screen installed on our back door its amazing. Was about 900 all up

How big was your screen? and how do they work with the sliding glass doors there?

One of my most well informed questions, cheers all.

It's just a normal door but they work well with alumiumin frames when he showed us samples

I'd get some quotes and maybe look at screensrus too

Shindig

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#3183819 19-Jan-2024 09:29

How bad are the flies just lately?! Seems to be getting worst, so a bottle of RipCord it is...

The little things make the biggest difference.

jonathan18

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#3183827 19-Jan-2024 09:53

This bad?!

Kinda reminds me of the fly cemetery slice!

Flies' cemetery or flies' graveyard - Christina's Cucina

I've been amazed at how many these traps have caught (and they've continued to work for weeks); between a couple of these traps and spraying ripcord the number of flies inside the house has been a lot lower than last summer. That said, it was frustrating to watch the effectiveness of Ripcord drop quickly over just the first few days after spraying.

Gurezaemon

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#3183848 19-Jan-2024 10:20

jonathan18:

This bad?!

Kinda reminds me of the fly cemetery slice!

I've been amazed at how many these traps have caught (and they've continued to work for weeks); between a couple of these traps and spraying ripcord the number of flies inside the house has been a lot lower than last summer. That said, it was frustrating to watch the effectiveness of Ripcord drop quickly over just the first few days after spraying.

Could someone please provide a link to the fly trap part of this, or that in the larger bottle posted by Bung a while ago? I'm happy to cobble together larger tanks, etc.

We're in Northland, fronting on to a farm, and given the current rain the flies are having a go at our place in what I would term 'meat wave' attacks.

We need something farm sized to handle the current influx. Attaching fly screens is not feasible at this point...

Any help/input appreciated!

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jonathan18

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#3183942 19-Jan-2024 13:09

Gurezaemon:

Could someone please provide a link to the fly trap part of this, or that in the larger bottle posted by Bung a while ago? I'm happy to cobble together larger tanks, etc.

We're in Northland, fronting on to a farm, and given the current rain the flies are having a go at our place in what I would term 'meat wave' attacks.

We need something farm sized to handle the current influx. Attaching fly screens is not feasible at this point...

Any help/input appreciated!

@Gurezaemon - I came across this larger trap when I was looking at them, though this includes the container as well:

https://www.pestrol.co.nz/buy-online/predator-outdoor-fly-trap-extra-large/ - it's 24x23x36cm

Don't recall coming across any that just had the trap component.

In the end, I decided to go with two of these small ones from Bunnings and also some additional bait (3 pack for just under $10); I'm not sure if having more or a large one like that above would improve the numbers killed, but it could be worth it if it meant fewer of these f__kers...

The packaging says they last three weeks; ours have been out for a month and yet the pile of flies continues to grow. When the liquid level drops I just add more water - at this point I'm wondering if the decaying dead flies are what's attracting the live ones!

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