East Dulwich fly invasion?

[siouzie14]

Hi Sue, You are not alone. I've had a similar fly problem over the past week with a biblical invasion of flies in my house near Herne Hill. I have only lived in the house for 18 months and we didn't have this problem this time last year. We have had about 40 or more flies since Tuesday and I spent several days swatting, spraying and using sticky fly papers. The sprays are most effective. I believe them to be cluster flies. They seem to like congregating in the bathroom near the window and also near windows in the hallway and stairs. My brief investigations suggest they are coming in from the outside near the front door where I have also now sprayed which seemed to reduce their number. The flies are dozy at times and sometimes just stay still on windows and walls so easy to swat. I found a large number of dead flies by my bathroom window on two days.

Causes? Don't know. Possibly a dead animal but more likely that last year a large number of fly eggs were left in the wall and door crevices and they have now all hatched/come to maturity, and are attracted by the warmer interiors during this spell of cold weather.

Looking at internet, Rentokil describes them as as "Cluster flies are commonly found in quiet, undisturbed parts of your home, such as attics and wall voids. They require warm places to hibernate over winter.

You may see a large group of cluster flies around a window, as they are attracted to the light on sunny winter days."

I have got the fly numbers down to about two in the hall. I will continue my spraying and swatting but if there is no improvement after say, another 10 days, I may seek pest control advice.

[Sue]

Crikey, it sounds like you have had more than me.

The most I've had at a time is four, mostly they are in ones or twos.

The worst moment has been when I came to the bottom of a mug of hot chocolate and had what I thought was an undissolved lump of chocolate in my mouth, when it didn't dissolve I spat it out and saw it had wings :( :( :(

Bleurgh.

I have no idea at what stage it got into the mug :(

That was the point when I thought I may have to get in a pest controller ...... haven't yet though.

Oh and one night I went to bed and there was one on my pillow :(

I've had the house around twenty five years and never had this problem before, but someone I know who lives in Sussex said he once had a house and had them every Spring, presumably when they came out of hibernation.

ETA: Yes, mine also tend to be on windows, though not always, and yes mostly very still and dozy though the occasional one flies around the room.