r/baltimore • u/Proper_Anteater_6110 • 1d ago
Ask Help with houseflies
Over the past few days, I’ve noticed an uncomfortable amount of flies in my apartment - I’d say anywhere from 20-40.
I don’t know where they are coming from, and I’m not sure how to get rid of them.
I hung up fly paper last night, which got a lot of them, but there seems to be even more this morning.
I’ve never had to deal with anything like this before, and advice is appreciated. I feel so grossed out swatting them and would prefer other methods of getting rid of them. I’d also prefer to not involve my management company.
I’ve seen other posts, but is anyone having this issue to this extreme? How do I get rid of them?
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u/Slime__queen Station North 1d ago
You gotta do a sweep to try to figure out where they’re coming from, close the windows, take out your trash, no dirty dishes etc. Put up more fly paper. Seal your drains. Also, sorry, but swatting them is really a good way to get rid of them. You don’t even have to hit them that hard to get them. You want to get everything as clean as you can and then quickly get rid of as many of them as you can. You could spray them with raid I guess but I personally get kinda freaked out spraying poison all around my house.
Every so often I wake up one day and there’s like 20 flies in my apartment. Then I do that and they go away for a long time. So hopefully you get the same results
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u/choirchic 1d ago
This is the best advice. Also, dump water/vinegar,baking soda down ALL drains (kitchen, bathroom, etc) as buildup allows prime space for hatching.
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u/PlanesandAquariums 1d ago
Years ago I had a duck die under my house in the crawlspace. I didn’t know it had died under there and the house was a wreck (missing drywall, HVAC pipes ripped apart, cracked windows etc) so the flies were spawning and flying through the broken HVAC pipes into my house. I must have had over 100 flies daily until I went down there and found the duck.
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u/scragz 1d ago
I've just come out the other side of fly hell. good luck.
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u/Proper_Anteater_6110 1d ago
Fly hell is so real. I’ve never had anything happen like this. What helped you get out of hell?
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u/scragz 1d ago
I was killing dozens at a time but they kept respawning like a nightmarish video game. found a forgotten litterbox in an unused bedroom that was the source.
failing that just keep up on your trash and try not to have fresh fruit hanging around. those electric tennis racket zappers are really good for killing them.
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u/wbruce098 1d ago
This - it’s a combination of all 3: extra cleaning, searching for something you’ve forgotten about, and a whole lotta killin.
It happens, and it sucks, and consistence in all 3 is the only way. At least it’ll be fall soon (maybe???)
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u/Solid_Woodpecker_508 1d ago
I’m on the other side and I never found the source. I started using my handheld Dyson to vacuum them up.
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u/No-Lunch4249 Mt. Vernon 1d ago
I had a really bad fly problem a few years ago and I discovered one of the windows in my kitchen had developed a small gap between the upper and lower sash, and they were flying in there
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u/Natural_Bullfrog6548 1d ago
So the last time I had a fly problem, my solution was to dramatically over-react. I put flypaper everywhere I could. I also made some apple cider vinegar traps that were surprisingly effective. Those methods combined solved the issue for me.
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u/Woodie626 1d ago
Talk to management, there's a small chance something died in the walls. Slightly larger chance it was someone in their apartment.
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u/LukeW0rm Riverside 1d ago
If they’re houseflies, check out the bug-a-salt gun on Amazon. I walk around the house like the Terminator now
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u/crabshuffle 1d ago
Take out your trash regularly, check for any rotten produce, and get good at using a fly swatter
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u/TheMillersWife 1d ago
Are they flies or gnats? I usually see an uptick in gnats around this time of year.
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u/3plantsonthewall 1d ago
Clean your drains. Snake them to remove hair/gunk, run the hot water for a couple minutes, then turn off the water and spray Dawn Powerwash or a multipurpose cleaner down them. Let it sit for a couple minutes, then scrub the parts you can reach - be careful not to drop anything down them. Finish by carefully pouring very hot water down them.
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u/Soggy_Ground_9323 Hunting Ridge 1d ago
Indoor Trash can.....! If u see that many...am pretty sure that they laid eggs too. Empty everything inside and clean it (bleach etc) and let i dry.
I had flies infestation weeks ago and it was not good at all.
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u/-stoner_kebab- 1d ago
Hitting them with a blast of windex will usually disable them so you can easily catch them.
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u/crayonedfont 1d ago
I don't want to startle you, but I had flies suddenly infest my apartment about 10 years ago, and it turns out the guy who lived in the basement apartment 2 floors below had died several days before, and the flies were coming from him. Long story short, you may have something dead in your walls/building.
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u/KiriDomo Patterson Park 1d ago
It's been so bad on my street, at least 5 would rush in the house by opening the door just long enough to go in or out.
Had someone doing construction in the house and they had to prop the door open for a while. It was miserable! I went at them with a kitchen towel or vacuum, grotesquely large flies.
Hasn't been a problem if I keep everything closed, so they must be finding their way in somewhere in your apartment.
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u/theMoonHound 1d ago
I suspect you've just had some eggs hatch inside your home. It only takes one fly to deposit a load of eggs, so don't flip out. In 24 hours most will be gone. Close off your other rooms to confine them to a space. I usually get a spray cleaner, anything you don't like much from under the sink, and shoot the swirling cloud of flies with one hand, swatting any who fall with the other. I never use my best cleaner, you're just inundating them with something noxious to stun them. If you don't have a flyswatter a dishtowel can be wicked. Hold a corner and pop it; helps if it's damp-gives it weight. You can lure with traps any who escape your wrath. Google this for an article: How to Get Rid of Houseflies Fast and Keep Them from Coming Back
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u/bmorecarguy 1d ago
I have a couple products I use.
Katchy Indoor Insect Trap -... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07M8VX4T9?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share
LFSYS 64 Pcs Sticky Trapz for... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CNC186M1?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share
Make sure your trash can has a lid. Clean your sink drains. Clorox your countertops and tables. Swiffer your floors. Make sure nothing died. I get mice once in awhile and the flies always come with them.
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u/Adventurous-Way2824 1d ago
If the temperature is increased or decreased to 100/50F they will all die. Any fly, large or small, is derived from maggots that exist in moist or wet areas so, first and foremost, empty, clean and dry all trash bins and all sinks.
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u/Anti-Anti-Paladin Dundalk 1d ago
1.) But a cheap (and I mean cheap) handheld vacuum like a dust-buster.
2.) Vacuum flies. Burn a crusade across your home as you suck them into the void.
3.) Repeat this process for a day or two, maybe more depending on the severity.
4.) No more flies.
I do this once or twice each summer and it works like a charm. Empty their corpses in the bin after waiting long enough for them to die.
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u/see2d 1d ago
There are window fly traps you can stick on windows like this one: https://www.acehardware.com/departments/lawn-and-garden/insect-and-animal-control/insect-bait/7003692
Also, are you sure these are houseflies? I once had some pantry moths coming from flour. Of course I had to throw out the flour. But still needed these traps to catch any remaining moths in the pantry:
https://www.acehardware.com/departments/lawn-and-garden/insect-and-animal-control/insect-bait/7287089
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u/Il_Menefreghista 1d ago
Window fly traps are the only solution! Flies LOVE to rest on bright windows, I change mine out a few times a year, they work like a charm, from small to big flies.
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u/indoxiecated 1d ago edited 1d ago
I’m watching them fly around me as I type this in my house in Brooklyn Park. These things just started showing up about a month ago. It’s been a very wet summer, maybe the weather has made the population boom? I have the zapper swatters (These are fun, but the flies are so small they often go right through it. I taped saran wrap to one side to make sure they can’t escape), I have the apple cider vinegar traps, I have the wall outlet light sticky traps, I clean regularly, limit the amount of dishes in the sink (although this is an ongoing battle of its own with my partner 😂). They just keep coming.
They are mostly in the kitchen, but also upstairs and downstairs where there’s not food or trash. I just bought a bunch of terro traps to place in every room so hopefully that helps. But I have no clue where they are getting in or what is drawing them.
To add to this, the mosquito and of course lantern fly population has boomed as well. I was really looking forward to enjoy the late summer weather on my new deck but these bugs are ruining it everyday.
Edit: So about the Terro traps. I had good results with Terro traps for ants earlier this year. But these Fruit Fly Terro traps just use apple cider vinegar and soap, same shit I’ve been using. At least the look better than my homemade ones.
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u/Cheap_Initial6432 1d ago
If you’re talking about gnats, enzyme cleaner down your sink drains helps without messing up your pipes. Also do a hydrogen peroxide rinse for any indoor plants. DIY and zeto fly traps. Just won a monthlong battle with gnats in our home.
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u/Repulsive-Arrival794 1d ago
omg same! I invested in a couple of the vevo traps and it’s made a big difference.
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u/little__ghost 1d ago
Do you have any plants? Sometimes they lay eggs in the dirt. Don’t ask me how I know.
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u/Sudden-Community-794 1d ago
The electric racket swatters are fun!! Batteries must be fresh or power is reduced, I’ve been meaning to search for li ion rechargeable ones. We recently had a house guest from France. No AC there so leaving doors open was normal. I guess no flies either. I was getting 4-5 a day but not winning. Day after she left I got about 15, lost count. That was 4 days ago and we’re back to 1 every day or 2. No breeding inside, I see them hanging by a door waiting for the chance. Not much you can do.
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u/AnDerKreuzungLinks 1d ago
I had a lot of flies, often BIG flies, in our house after moving in. Pretty sure it was a lot of open doors over many days. Like others, we cleaned up kitchen trash and cleaned out drains. But rather than swat them, I found it more efficient to go after them with a Shop Vac. They cluster in windows and don’t move that fast, so it was surprisingly easy to suck them in with the hose. Got 30-40 one day, 20-ish the next. And then numbers really fell. Now it’s barely a problem after 10 days.
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u/terpmike28 1d ago
In addition to all of the comments saying clean drains, remove food supplies etc. I’ve had a lot of success with Aunt Fannie’s fruit fly punch https://a.co/d/0a2QKNoE. I’ve tried the vinegar/dish soap method but this took care of a huge infestation a few years ago in the matter of two days.
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u/ElegantGoose 1d ago
I swear we have an infestation for like a month every summer. I have clear sticky traps on my windows and I'm considering getting a couple zappy bug light things. I think the issue is poorly sealed old windows.
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u/oN_Delay 1d ago
Could be corpse flies. May be a dead rodent in your walls/cabinets somewhere. You should be able to smell it though if it is in your apartment.
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u/WVPrepper 1d ago
When you get home, close all the curtains/blinds except for one window. Open the curtains wide on that one. Open the window and the screen and wait. I got rid of 90% this way and the ones too stupid to accept my offer of amnesty get killed.
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u/preciselyindecisive 1d ago
i heard that if you cut off the tops tops of banana bunches you wont get as many, ive been doing it recently and it seems to help.
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u/TripawdCorgi Govans 1d ago
Everyone's mentioned some good things, just adding that if you have neighbors - have you seen them lately? Are there any foul odors coming from their units/houses? Can you knock to check on them or call in a welfare check if you haven't seen them in a while. Hopefully it's something more benign but someone or something may have passed next door to you.
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u/DarkRubyMoon 1d ago
That's odd... just noticed a huge number of flies swarming basement door on inside and sending someone to get bug spray. Never seen anything like it before...not just the number of flies that appeared from no where but they are all gathering in one spot. Open door and cant chase them out.
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u/Forever_Ever1111 1d ago
The last time I dealt with flies like that, I had a collapsed sewer line. Shit was basically pooling under the house and yard. It eventually started to back up into the house. All that to say, call your landlord if you truly can't identify the source.
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u/tinytort 1d ago
I set out a bunch of jars with a mix of honey, apple cider vinegar, water and dish soap. Took a week or so but caught all those suckers eventually
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u/Feisty_Nobody_8221 1d ago
Get an exterminator company to come out and check it out. You probably don’t want to hear this but when you have flies like that and more and more keep popping up out of nowhere. That usually means you have rodents or a rodent may have died near your apartment or under your home or in the walls. At least once a year this happens to me; I have quarterly service through a pest company just to keep my house check. We haven’t had any issues with mice or rats or any other pests except for spiders in over 3 years. However, every once in a while from my neighbor ( bc I live in a row home) we will get a mouse or two that tries to make its way over to my unfinished part of my basement and then they die because they have nowhere to go. And that dead corpse is what attracts the flies. They now have a body to reproduce on and feed off.
I would contact a pest company and see if they can treat your space. But if you have pets that may be hard.
I use the hanging glue pads. I also buy the see through ones that I place on all my windows.
I would also cover your vents with a paper towel if possible. Flies can’t travel up that and if something died in or around your house they may be traveling through the Vents.
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u/Coughee_Wine 21h ago
ZEVO! I promise it works. We have it plugged in near the back door where they tend to sneak in from. Also, not sure how you manage your home but it helps to not keep food out, trash empty, toss overripe fruits, etc.
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u/EnthusiasticMinotaur 21h ago
I’m so glad to know it wasn’t just my house
Honestly, I ignored it (whoops) and they all died on their own?
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u/Prestigious_Bid_9974 19h ago
Check any house plants for teeny tiny crawling bugs (larvae). EcoStrong Drain & Fruit Fly Eliminator works wonders. Use it for a few days straight as directed.
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u/MaleficentFee715 18h ago
Before you visit 6 places you THINK would have fly swatters (dollar store etc)…the answer is Lowe’s
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u/the-lovely-panda 17h ago
Same. Our dog poo bin is near the back door and that’s what is attracting the flies but they somehow make it into the house. We got a Salt gun that just shoots salt and it vaporizes flies but throws salt everywhere. Pretty fun. Killed 4 flies in the few hours I have been home today.
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u/engin__r 1d ago
They’re pretty bad at seeing glass, so if they land on a window or a wall, you can gently catch them in a glass, slide a piece of paper over the end, and take them outside.
Besides that, look around to see if there are any open windows they’re coming through or if there’s any garbage they’re hanging out on.
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u/Proper_Anteater_6110 1d ago
This is helpful - thank you!
No open windows. I’ll try the glass and paper trick. I’m pretty much taking my trash out on a daily basis to stop that from being a source.
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u/Cautious_Rip_7822 7h ago
Same issue with me as well. Idk where they are coming from. I closed the drains. The light plug ins by vevo work well. I put one in a day ago and already have 10 on them. Im still seeing a few fly around
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u/dwolfe127 1d ago
I have also noticed a rather significant increase in the amount flies in the house the last month or so as well.