Flies, Flies, FLIES!!

[knifebld]

I second what Stan said...just keep everything clean, make sure that the smoker does not have any sauce or meat residue on the outside.

I also found that when I get lazy and don't clean my grates within 24 hours, I get more flies hanging around even if the smoker is closed up. I do still get flies, but not enough to be a major bother...plus my dogs love to catch and eat them...so that's a big help! LOL

 

[paulh1966]

Hanging the ziploc bag with water does work. I also use an outdoor bug spray 2 to 3 times a year around the whole outside of the house.

 

[wade]

 
Butcher shops have those UV light zappers.

They seem to work very well.

If you have kids, buy a few of those insect zappers which look like a tennis racket, kids love to run around vaporizing flies and mosquittoes. They are $3.00 to $6.00 each on ebay.

The UV fly zappers work well but you have to place them in a dark corner so the flies are drawn to them.

The insect zappers are great too - forget the kids - they are fun for adults too 

 

[sqwib]

Zappers are no good they kill more beneficial insects such as ladybugs plus many folks put them in the area they don't want these pests and guess what, it draws them in.

Another problem I have seen is folks sitting by a bug zapper or cooking by one and once the flies get zapped they are spewed everywhere and flies carry all kinds of nasty bacteria.

I researched this years ago, its better to use environmentally safe methods I use a fan if there's a mosquito problem.

If you are convinced on using a bug zapper, place it away from you

A bug zapper is a popular outdoor appliance which may be installed by a homeowner in an attempt to control the annoyance of flying insects.  Its name comes from the characteristic “zap” sound emitted when an insect is electrocuted by the device.  Around the yard of a home, they are primarily used to kill mosquitoes, which infect skin with an itchy bump, and can transmit the deadly diseases and viruses.

Bug Zapper

Bug zappers operate by luring flying insects with an ultraviolet light into an electrical current which electrocutes and kills them instantly.  Flower patterns that tend to attract insects are better revealed in ultraviolet light, and so many flying insects that feed on flowers will be drawn to the bug zapper.  However, they will come into contact with the wire mesh of the unit before the UV light, which completes the electrical circuit and disintegrates the insect.

Depending on location and placement, bug zappers can kill many thousands of flying insects per night.

Despite their widespread use, various studies question the effectiveness and safety of bug zappers.  One of two main concerns is that mosquitoes and other biting insects are typically more attracted to the carbon dioxide (CO2) and water vapor in the breath of humans and animals than to the UV light.  Therefore, they typically kill large numbers of harmless and/or beneficial insects, and ultimately fail to reduce the types of insects that prompted the purchase of a bug zapper in the first place.

A second concern raised by the numerous studies conducted on bug zappers addresses the side effect of the process:  The electrocuted insects are blasted into a fine mist that contains miniscule insect parts, as well as some surviving bacteria and viruses.  This mist can be spread up to 7 feet from the device, contaminating the air surrounding the zapper with potentially dangerous organisms commonly carried by flies.  For this reason and for simply hygiene purposes, a bug zapper should never be placed near a food preparation area, in a hospital, or around any other sterile environment to prevent the potential spread of disease.

Children should not be allowed to play beneath an operating bug zapper to avoid the risk of coming into contact with these potentially dangerous organisms.  There are some bug zapper models that contain a tray which catches insect debris, resulting in less of a health risk.  However, the tray will not catch any of the mist that falls beyond its reach.

 

[dcarch]

 
Zappers are no good they kill more beneficial insects such as ladybugs plus many folks put them in the area they don't want these pests and guess what, it draws them in.

Another problem I have seen is folks sitting by a bug zapper or cooking by one and once the flies get zapped they are spewed everywhere and flies carry all kinds of nasty bacteria.

I researched this years ago, its better to use environmentally safe methods I use a fan if there's a mosquito problem.

If you are convinced on using a bug zapper, place it away from you

A bug zapper is a popular outdoor appliance which may be installed by a homeowner in an attempt to control the annoyance of flying insects.  Its name comes from the characteristic “zap” sound emitted when an insect is electrocuted by the device.  Around the yard of a home, they are primarily used to kill mosquitoes, which infect skin with an itchy bump, and can transmit the deadly diseases and viruses.

Bug Zapper

Bug zappers operate by luring flying insects with an ultraviolet light into an electrical current which electrocutes and kills them instantly.  Flower patterns that tend to attract insects are better revealed in ultraviolet light, and so many flying insects that feed on flowers will be drawn to the bug zapper.  However, they will come into contact with the wire mesh of the unit before the UV light, which completes the electrical circuit and disintegrates the insect.

Depending on location and placement, bug zappers can kill many thousands of flying insects per night.

Despite their widespread use, various studies question the effectiveness and safety of bug zappers.  One of two main concerns is that mosquitoes and other biting insects are typically more attracted to the carbon dioxide (CO2) and water vapor in the breath of humans and animals than to the UV light.  Therefore, they typically kill large numbers of harmless and/or beneficial insects, and ultimately fail to reduce the types of insects that prompted the purchase of a bug zapper in the first place.

A second concern raised by the numerous studies conducted on bug zappers addresses the side effect of the process:  The electrocuted insects are blasted into a fine mist that contains miniscule insect parts, as well as some surviving bacteria and viruses.  This mist can be spread up to 7 feet from the device, contaminating the air surrounding the zapper with potentially dangerous organisms commonly carried by flies.  For this reason and for simply hygiene purposes, a bug zapper should never be placed near a food preparation area, in a hospital, or around any other sterile environment to prevent the potential spread of disease.

Children should not be allowed to play beneath an operating bug zapper to avoid the risk of coming into contact with these potentially dangerous organisms.  There are some bug zapper models that contain a tray which catches insect debris, resulting in less of a health risk.  However, the tray will not catch any of the mist that falls beyond its reach.

Very good information. Thanks.

The other thing to considered, is the source of the information, their typical appraoch to issues such as this, and to incorporate the suggestions they provide in a way that is relevant to your situation.

These are the agencies, sources who also tell you never to flash your toilet because air borne water droplet will contaminate your whole house. You know that they don't want you to wash your chicken in you kitchen. And they recently started to make it illegal to put cheese on wooden boards, which they soon retracted.

dcarch 

Off-topic:

Saw a show yesterday. A famous chef was making chicken. He marinated the chicken parts bare handed. Then he was all over the kitchen and other food. Never washed his hands.

They should fire that chef.

 

[pops6927]

I bought a cheap plastic stand up fan that oscillates and put it next to my back door and set it on HIGH blowing across the door entrance, keeps the flies from coming in.  Cuts down the flies entering into the house dramatically.  Clean it once a month (remove and spray off the front and back grates with the hose) and it works great!   Paid about $16 for it, on it's third year now!  Smokehouse discharges from the back out into the yard and doesn't draw any flies.

 

[sqwib]

 
Very good information. Thanks.

The other thing to considered, is the source of the information, their typical appraoch to issues such as this, and to incorporate the suggestions they provide in a way that is relevant to your situation.

Agreed, but I try to err on the side of caution and also know first hand the negative impact these have on the environment.

I always tell folks to put in a bathouse if its practical, especially for mosquitoes. I purchased one but have never put it up, also Lady bug houses are great in the garden. I don't want to stray too far off topic but felt it was relevant.

These are the agencies, sources who also tell you never to flash your toilet because air borne water droplet will contaminate your whole house. You know that they don't want you to wash your chicken in you kitchen. And they recently started to make it illegal to put cheese on wooden boards, which they soon retracted.

dcarch 

Off-topic:

Saw a show yesterday. A famous chef was making chicken. He marinated the chicken parts bare handed. Then he was all over the kitchen and other food. Never washed his hands. Agreed, the producers should be reprimanded as well. I installed a touch 2.0 just for the simple reason of washing during food prep.I just leave on the faucet and place a sponge in the sink with soap and when prepping just hit it with my forearm.

View media item 337419

 

[sqwib]

One more

This article was published originally on 6/14/1996

Byline: 

by Donald Lewis, Department of Entomology

Insect electrocuter light traps, also known "bug zappers" have been extensively marketed for the past several years with claims they can provide relief from the annoyance of biting mosquitoes and other pests in your back yard. Their effectiveness has been widely doubted and a few studies have shown they are very poor at killing mosquito females (the sex that bites).

Now comes another study indicating black light traps are not only useless for mosquito, they are potentially harmful to the environment (and not just to the sensitive ears of neighbors trying to sleep next door). Results of a survey of insects caught in an electrocuter black light trap in Newark, Delaware indicate that nearly all of the insects caught are either harmless or beneficial. Pests, and especially biting pests, do not end up in the traps.

According to an article by Timothy Frick and Douglas Tallamy of the University of Delaware published in Entomological News [107(2): 77-82] only 31 insects out of 13,789 trapped and counted (0.22%) in a suburban setting over the course of an entire summer were biting flies. "Biting flies" includes both female mosquitoes and biting gnats.

The largest number of insects (6,670 = 48.4%) were harmless, nonbiting aquatic insects from nearby rivers and streams. These insects, of course, are a vital part of the aquatic food chain and are valuable "fish food." Another important group unfortunately caught in the traps were predators and parasites, that is, biological control organisms such as ground beetles and parasitic wasps that help keep insect pest populations naturally low. Predators and parasites accounted for 13.5% of the insects caught (1,868).

So how good are bug zappers? This study would indicate they are worst than worthless because of the large number of harmless and beneficial insects they kill. Extrapolations calculated by the authors indicate that 4 million bug zappers (4 years worth of approximated sales in the U.S.) operating for 40 nights each summer, would destroy in excess of 71 billion nontarget insects each year. And the number of mosquitoes would still be the same as before. It is clear you should save your money!

This article originally appeared in the June 14, 1996 issue, p. 97.

Year of Publication: 

1996

Issue: 

IC-475(15) -- June 14, 1996

by Donald Lewis, Department of Entomology

 

[chef willie]

I discovered this by accident. I'd put scrambled egg out for the cat....it drew a slew of flies. Went to Home Depot and got sticky strips...4 for $1.00 I think. Paper plate, 2 gooey eggs, strip just placed on the plate surrounding the eggs and VOILA...withing minutes was catching plenty. End of the day toss the whole thing in a market plastic baggie and trash it. I figure every fly I catch a few thousand won't hatch.....gross looking but effective. This was the second days catch, so fewer, but wanted to show my son for camping trips.....Willie

fly.jpg

• chef willie
• Aug 28, 2014

 

[sqwib]

 
I discovered this by accident. I'd put scrambled egg out for the cat....it drew a slew of flies. Went to Home Depot and got sticky strips...4 for $1.00 I think. Paper plate, 2 gooey eggs, strip just placed on the plate surrounding the eggs and VOILA...withing minutes was catching plenty. End of the day toss the whole thing in a market plastic baggie and trash it. I figure every fly I catch a few thousand won't hatch.....gross looking but effective. This was the second days catch, so fewer, but wanted to show my son for camping trips.....Willie

fly.jpg

• chef willie
• Aug 28, 2014

I'd hit that... looks good to me, thanks for sharing your Q-view.

Uh... Wait, wrong forum!

 

[wade]

 
Insect electrocuter light traps, also known "bug zappers" have been extensively marketed for the past several years with claims they can provide relief from the annoyance of biting mosquitoes and other pests in your back yard. Their effectiveness has been widely doubted and a few studies have shown they are very poor at killing mosquito females (the sex that bites).

Now comes another study indicating black light traps are not only useless for mosquito, they are potentially harmful to the environment (and not just to the sensitive ears of neighbors trying to sleep next door). Results of a survey of insects caught in an electrocuter black light trap in Newark, Delaware indicate that nearly all of the insects caught are either harmless or beneficial. Pests, and especially biting pests, do not end up in the traps.

According to an article by Timothy Frick and Douglas Tallamy of the University of Delaware published in Entomological News [107(2): 77-82] only 31 insects out of 13,789 trapped and counted (0.22%) in a suburban setting over the course of an entire summer were biting flies. "Biting flies" includes both female mosquitoes and biting gnats.

The largest number of insects (6,670 = 48.4%) were harmless, nonbiting aquatic insects from nearby rivers and streams. These insects, of course, are a vital part of the aquatic food chain and are valuable "fish food." Another important group unfortunately caught in the traps were predators and parasites, that is, biological control organisms such as ground beetles and parasitic wasps that help keep insect pest populations naturally low. Predators and parasites accounted for 13.5% of the insects caught (1,868).

So how good are bug zappers? This study would indicate they are worst than worthless because of the large number of harmless and beneficial insects they kill. Extrapolations calculated by the authors indicate that 4 million bug zappers (4 years worth of approximated sales in the U.S.) operating for 40 nights each summer, would destroy in excess of 71 billion nontarget insects each year. And the number of mosquitoes would still be the same as before. It is clear you should save your money!

On the surface the figures quoted look convincing however they maybe need to be considered as part of a larger perspective. I think most zappers are used for general higenic pest control in kitchens - which includes more than just "biting flies". Of the 13,789 insects trapped, probably 13,788 were potential bacteria contaminators (one may have wiped its feet on the way in !). This would make the conclusions drawn very different.

It also talks about the 6,670 harmless insects that it also killed. As massacre or genocide surely! Just think of all those starving fish in the river! ...Well maybe not when compared to the 10 billion that were in the immediate vicinity outside over the same period of time that were not killed.

When I was at school as part of my Math course I was required to read a book called "How to lie with statistics". No it wasn't a reference book on how to defraud, but it did show how by looking at the same statistics from different viewpoints you can usually manage to get them to support almost any point of view.

Great article though SQWIB. Thanks for sharing

 

[jdftwrth]

The only problem i have with the bug zappers is that I seem to remember reading some place that the insect that gets zapped explodes when it makes contact with the zapper and the remains could scatter in a circle from 5 to 10 feet in diameter. The net effect would be that you could have all sorts if bacteria flying into places or on things that you may not like such as your hair, open containers, food, utensils, near by surfaces and so on.

JD

 

[wade]

 
The only problem i have with the bug zappers is that I seem to remember reading some place that the insect that gets zapped explodes when it makes contact with the zapper and the remains could scatter in a circle from 5 to 10 feet in diameter. The net effect would be that you could have all sorts if bacteria flying into places or on things that you may not like such as your hair, open containers, food, utensils, near by surfaces and so on.

JD

It may be different in the USA as your bugs are usually bigger than ours, but the advice from our Food Standards Agency in the UK is that the potential food contamination distance from the zapper is 1m (3 feet).

 

[smoked g]

Cleanliness definitely helps.

We can still get the fly strips at our local Wally-World.

I have also used the fly traps which are also available at Wally-World.

The problem with these two is that they are more passive and the traps seemed to draw more lies into the area.

When I have a fly problem I use a home-made spray to deter them from the area.  It won’t work as long as the strips or traps but it will work long enough to repel the flies and just in case they get bad while we are outside I keep a little extra mixed and ready to kill them with:

In a hose-end sprayer like you would use for Miracle-Gro, use some of this mixture:

1 cup lemon scented dish soap

1 cup mint flavored mouthwash

The scent of the lemon and mint will help keep the flies and other insects away.  Want to kill those same insects?  Add 2 cups of tobacco juice and it will not only kill flies but also bees, yellow jackets, wasps and spiders. [Tobacco juice is made with a three-finger pinch of chewing tobacco steeped in a cup of water overnight.  Drain off liquid and use.] 

 

[sqwib]

 
Insect electrocuter light traps, also known "bug zappers" have been extensively marketed for the past several years with claims they can provide relief from the annoyance of biting mosquitoes and other pests in your back yard. Their effectiveness has been widely doubted and a few studies have shown they are very poor at killing mosquito females (the sex that bites).

Now comes another study indicating black light traps are not only useless for mosquito, they are potentially harmful to the environment (and not just to the sensitive ears of neighbors trying to sleep next door). Results of a survey of insects caught in an electrocuter black light trap in Newark, Delaware indicate that nearly all of the insects caught are either harmless or beneficial. Pests, and especially biting pests, do not end up in the traps.

According to an article by Timothy Frick and Douglas Tallamy of the University of Delaware published in Entomological News [107(2): 77-82] only 31 insects out of 13,789 trapped and counted (0.22%) in a suburban setting over the course of an entire summer were biting flies. "Biting flies" includes both female mosquitoes and biting gnats.

The largest number of insects (6,670 = 48.4%) were harmless, nonbiting aquatic insects from nearby rivers and streams. These insects, of course, are a vital part of the aquatic food chain and are valuable "fish food." Another important group unfortunately caught in the traps were predators and parasites, that is, biological control organisms such as ground beetles and parasitic wasps that help keep insect pest populations naturally low. Predators and parasites accounted for 13.5% of the insects caught (1,868).

So how good are bug zappers? This study would indicate they are worst than worthless because of the large number of harmless and beneficial insects they kill. Extrapolations calculated by the authors indicate that 4 million bug zappers (4 years worth of approximated sales in the U.S.) operating for 40 nights each summer, would destroy in excess of 71 billion nontarget insects each year. And the number of mosquitoes would still be the same as before. It is clear you should save your money!

On the surface the figures quoted look convincing however they maybe need to be considered as part of a larger perspective. I think most zappers are used for general higenic pest control in kitchens - which includes more than just "biting flies". Of the 13,789 insects trapped, probably 13,788 were potential bacteria contaminators (one may have wiped its feet on the way in !). This would make the conclusions drawn very different.

It also talks about the 6,670 harmless insects that it also killed. As massacre or genocide surely! Just think of all those starving fish in the river! ...Well maybe not when compared to the 10 billion that were in the immediate vicinity outside over the same period of time that were not killed.

When I was at school as part of my Math course I was required to read a book called "How to lie with statistics". No it wasn't a reference book on how to defraud, but it did show how by looking at the same statistics from different viewpoints you can usually manage to get them to support almost any point of view.

Great article though SQWIB. Thanks for sharing

No problem, I found it a bit outdated but was trying to make a general point, The testing was done in a suburban setting, not sure where you got the most zappers are used for general higenic pest control in kitchens, however the article does need to be dissected for a general point and I will not get into a debate over it, because that's not the point I am trying to make.

I did not write the article  and I understand statistics, you can make numbers work any way you want, my point is and let me be very clear on this.

• do you want bugs exploding all over the place near your guests or where you cook, weather they are nutritious, carry bacteria, viruses or not. (post #24)

• These zappers suck for mosquitoes and flies, period, whether they kill good insects or not, the fact remains they suck. I have been down this road a few times. The UV zappers are supposed to work fairly good at dusk as the flies are attracted to the UV light as Wade pointed out in post#23, but this is a moot point in the daylight hours.There is absolutely no benefit to this device, they actually attract the bugs, wouldn't you want to repel them!   The best solution I have found for most pests is air circulation, or a simple device like flypaper for flies as Chefwillie has done, but air circulation is immediate !

But as I said before, if you do go this route put it away from you and your guests.   If these worked just ok, I would say give it a shot, but they do not, just do a bit of research on these if you plan on purchasing one.

Here's a link to some homemade FlyTraps, Mods can delete if they need to.

 

[dcarch]

“Look here, waiter, quick,” called out a gentleman in a restaurant. 
“What is it, sir?” 
“Here is a fly in my soup!” 
“So I see. It seems to be quite cooked.” 
“Well, by Thunder, I want you to understand that I consider it an outrage.” 
“I am sorry, sir, are  you are a vegetarian?”. 

Also,

“The Fly” with  Jeff Goldblum. If you have not seen this movie, go get it. Very good.

dcarch :-)

 

[sqwib]

 
“Look here, waiter, quick,” called out a gentleman in a restaurant. 
“What is it, sir?” 
“Here is a fly in my soup!” 
“So I see. It seems to be quite cooked.” 
“Well, by Thunder, I want you to understand that I consider it an outrage.” 
“I am sorry, sir, are  you are a vegetarian?”. 

Also,

“The Fly” with  Jeff Goldblum. If you have not seen this movie, go get it. Very good.

dcarch :-)

Great movie. did you ever see the 50's version.

 

[ristau5741]

I light up a smoke, um, er, a cigar I mean, that keep's 'em away from me at least. Wife don't bitch because I smell like a smoker, wood smoker that is....

 

[wade]

 
Great movie. did you ever see the 50's version.

Yes, the 50's version was great. I remember seeing it when I was in my young teens. OMG - I didn't sleep at all well for quite some time after watching it.

 

[padronman]

 
I light up a smoke, um, er, a cigar I mean, that keep's 'em away from me at least. Wife don't bitch because I smell like a smoker, wood smoker that is....

My cigars keep the wife away too!!!   BONUS!!!!