Alittle advice

I need some advice and would appreciate if it came with out a lecture this time. I somehow got very large flies in the apartment(the size of bees) and there were about 20-30 of them last time I was able to count. I don't know the true count because Tom likes to kill them so I wasn't sure how many he killed. I noticed them one night in the bathroom and the a few of the ones I was able to kill had blood in them. I haven't had any bites on me which leads to one other thing they were biting. I was wondering what kind of things I should be watching for now that I know it has to be Tom that was getting bitten. I check him several times a day and he has yet to develop any bumps or fevor or anything. In fact he seems fine, and I was able to get rid of the flies from what I can tell.

I went out and got some bug killer that was safe to use in home and it did the job very well I just hope I got them all. Another question is how safe was it to use that stuff around Tom because this place is very small so even though he wasn't around I'm sure the fumes still got around to where he was. I washed ever surface I sprayed with water and made sure to pick up most of the files(a few are m.i.a.). So what could this stuff do to him? I read the back of the bottle and it didn't say anything about being bad for cats but I want to be sure.

IMO no chemicals like that are safe, they're made to kill something after all. Breathing that in (and yes, for you too), can't be good. It does sound like you tried your best to clean up afterwards though.


I'm not really sure what flies can carry. But what's done is done and animals and people have dealt with biting flies for centuries - obviously it didn't cause serious damage to the species. If anything seems wrong, seek vet care of course.
Do you know how the flies are getting in? Your best bet would be to prevent it from happening again - new screens on the windows, be more careful about opening doors, etc.

Okay, do you have any garbage long overdue for the garbage truck at your place? Meat, fruit?

Screens intact? Do you have a dog besides Tom, or do your neighbors have one and the pooper scoupper is not getting a great deal of usage?

Okay, that being the lecture part for which you asked, maybe you have black flies which are a big nuisance during July in various places and I think that you live in MI where they would be. Here is the link:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_fly

I don't have a dog but a few of the tennents around here do and they NEVER pick up after there dogs so I think thats the problem. There are no holes in my screens and I only leave the door open enough for me to get in and out other than that it stays shut(I'm afraid of Tom getting out). I took out the trash today and yes it was WAY over due to get taken out so I think that might be a part of the problem also... . Tom seems fine now but I am really worried about him because I don't want him getting sick.

I've squashed flies already, and their insides are red. I think that is what they are. I wan't bitten. Outdoors, I use a natural fly trap called rid max. It is great. Hopefully, you got yours. Sometimes those big ones winter over, but I don't have clue about yours. If they are getting in, you need to find out how.
I wouldn't have a problem, cause Pansy and Spike eat them alive.

Originally Posted by algebrapro18

I don't have a dog but a few of the tennents around here do and they NEVER pick up after there dogs so I think thats the problem. There are no holes in my screens and I only leave the door open enough for me to get in and out other than that it stays shut(I'm afraid of Tom getting out). I took out the trash today and yes it was WAY over due to get taken out so I think that might be a part of the problem also...

. Tom seems fine now but I am really worried about him because I don't want him getting sick.

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Really, look at the black flies link.

IMO I would NEVER use chemical sprays around pets. They can cause problems. And even though some cans don't, most of them have pictures and warnings to say not suitable to use around pets. What I used todo with flies was an electric zapper put it out of reach and it'd just kill them.

In my view if those chemicals are bad for children they're bad for pets too.

While they're pretty gross, fly strips actually work amazing well. Just don't let one get stuck on your cat!

Originally Posted by mrblanche

While they're pretty gross, fly strips actually work amazing well. Just don't let one get stuck on your cat!

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We used to live on a horse ranch and had a huge problem with flies. The fly strips worked really well. One day my husband came home from work and found Spud had one stuck to his chest (?), and the poor cat had knocked over the wasrebasket in the laundry room, and had dry sheets, lint, and paper towels stuck to him. Poor kitty!

Did they look like large house flies?? If so they are most likely stable flies. The UW extension entomologist was on WI public radio about a week ago and talked about these.
What would work is what people mentioned above the fly strips. You should be able to buy them at a farm and fleet kind of store or a hardware store may carry them too.
I just bought some at Fleet Farm last week-they come in a 4 pk for about $1.25. You pull the thumbtack out which has a little loop and slowly pull out. This stuff is very sticky!!!
I hang in my garage up on the ceiling. They work fairly well. You can get fly traps that are bait based but trust me you don't one of those in a house-they are for barn/outdoor use as they are really smelly-bad smell.
I would also check to see how well the screens fit on your windows or if there are any openings around the edges of windows or doors.
You can get a long lasting spray that you could use on the outside of your door-I use Hot Spot Flying Insect Plus. I live in farm country in NE Wisconsin and even though the closet farm is about 1/8 mile away-thats not too far for flies. Plus with the rain we've had its fly breeding weather! This should stop any from coming in for outside. It drys almost instantly and as long as the door is shut when you do this your cat should be ok.
You could call your vet to see what they recommend.
Hope this helps.

Oh and buy a flyswatter!!

Don't worry I have a fly swatter, its called a book or my shoe. Both work very well...lol.

If you buy those sticky fly tapes -hang them where you won't hit them with your head as I remember you are a bit tall!!

Fly strips are the best way to go IMO. We get flies (and other flying critters) in the house during summer, mainly because we're the doormen for our 4 dogs. We got a zapper that is on the corner of the porch and that has helped some, but still a few manage to get in. And once one gets in and has a place to lay eggs (ie, garbage) then it's on. I'm guilty for that too so don't feel bad. Our aircon went out last summer, and in 2 days I had maggots crawling around and out of my trash in the kitchen! Those suckers don't take long.

Sounds like you got most of them. And, I've gotten a few with the fly swatter and they do bleed. I don't think that means they've bitten something because I've never found any bites on anything.

Just watch Tom. I'm sure he will be ok, even with the bug spray. Just keep an eye on him.

I have killed literally thousands, maybe millions of flies over the years with ridmax fly traps. My neighbors are pigs with two dogs, and they never pick up the crap unless I report them to the twp.
I hve significantly reduced the fly population with these traps, no smell or chemicals. those of you promoting those gross fly strips, take heed.
http://www.ridmax.com/

The fly strips are good advice. There are also some other things you can do.

1. If you don't have one, get a covered garbage can. Like another poster said, once the flies lay their eggs, the problem never ends. If you recycle, make sure you have a covered can for that too. Take the garbage out often, and certainly don't let it overflow. Don't throw away any food items in an uncovered garbage can.

2. Don't leave food/wrappers/dirty dishes laying around. The smell of food, or worse, aging food will draw them.

3. Scoop the litterbox at least daily, and make sure to dispose of the "scoopings" in a closed bag.


I'm not making any comments about the state of your house. I'm just saying that these are some tips to help.