where have all the flies gone?

[glenis]

whenever i used to sit and eat in the garden i used to have flies buzzing around ,you open a window or the back door and you always got a big fat bluebottle flying in ,i remember my nan had fly paper up to catch them ,nowadays it's wasps ,you sit in the garden-wasps,you open a window-wasps,back door-wasps,so where have they gone?or is it just me?

[smudge]

I read in the Daily Mail last week that the flies have been overtaken by wasps this year! I don't know what's worse, flies poo all over the bbq food & wasps sting, you can't win!

[Doolallygirl]

I heard the big horse flies were gonna be big this season! The little blighters nip you on your face or neck too, so they aren't as harmless as your usual bluebottle. But I know what you mean, there does seem to be a sudden depletion in the last ten years or so of flies. Not that I'm complaining!

[rinkytink]

There is a bit of a Wasp plague going on at the moment. Check out this link:

WASP STORY

[Sam172]

easy way to get rid of wasps - finish off a jar of jam or marmalade (don't was it out). puncture some holes in the top with a reasonable sized nail (enough for a wasp to crawl in with) They can't get out because they need to fly out. Voila, a cost effective wasp catcher. Though in saying that there seems to be a distinct lack of wasps, flies and anything BUT hoverflies...there were thousands of the beggars around here recently. Thats good old East Anglia for you :D

[smudge]

Thanks Sam172. We're a bit paranoid about wasps now, as last year my husband was stung on the mouth & was rushed to hospital with a very bad reaction. His lip & tongue swelled up to a massive size! He was even placed on a heart monitor & a drip, which worried me sick! We aways use lots of citrus candles, but the wasps keep coming back. I did spray the inside of our parasol with a citrus spray can & it did help, but I shall try your jam jar method the next time we eat out in the garden. Cheers.

[jonesandson]

I've used five glass dome traps as a zone defence around my garden to protect the children play area and it has worked really well against wasp and flies. I have been topping up with bait lure to keep the attraction at it's peak and hundreds of flying pests have met their death. Very good product range www.trapawasp.co.uk