Creepy Crawlies! (KAF)

I've never used one, but I think getting out for the night is a super good idea.

Joyce

Lady bugs are generally a beneficial insect, so I'm not sure you'd want to kill them all off. Are they in your home? I also don't think that foggers are generally for flies. If you have a fly problem, it might be that something inside is attracting them and until you get rid or whatever that is, they'll just keep coming back. I guess I've just never known anyone to use a fogger for flying insects but more for fleas or cockroaches. I'd say it can't hurt, but if you're going to go thru the inconvenience and cost of packing up and staying in a hotel, then I'd make sure this is going to work in the long run.

AT one time I had to use tons of them.  pre-Frontline/Advantage we had a terrible flea problem here. 

fogging is a TON of work.  Far more than just leaving for the night.  You have to open all the cupboards/etc.  You have to put all your food in heavy plastic, you have to either strip the cupboards of all glassware/pots/pans/silver and put THAT in plastic or wash it all before it's used.

You have to also open all your closets, drawers, etc. -- because any sort of larvae can be in there.  So you get home and you have to wipe down everything and anything.

With flies you have to be careful because they can come in "in" stuff -- and they can go thru screens and stuff in certain stages.  At times down here in Florida there are tiny tiny white flies that literally come right under the door.

Ladybugs help keep other pests out -- I wouldn't want to kill them (in fact I've been known to go down 7 floors in an elevator and go outside to take one out of the building). 

what kind of flies? if you mean house flies then dont bother. just clean out any food stuff and wipe everything down.. dont bother with fly paper.. its disgusting and rather useless. we deal with flies pretty regular here, especially if i happen to be nursing an animal on the front porch. but the green anoles, alligator lizards, skinks, spiders, and other predators are taking up residence on my porch - which i think is the coolest thing in the world. i saw a skink the size of a rat the other day. he/she has been living here since the day we moved in. i dont want to risk poisoning it. once the animal is off the porch the flies vacate and so do the predators.

we bombed out house a few times (before moving where we are now) we had fleas really really bad when we first moved in. as soon as we opened the door we woke them all up and we were swarmed. at the time we only had a cat and two kittens but the fleas were at plague proportions... after the fleas were killed off we had another problem.... moths. no not the kind that fly around the night light. THESE little b*stards came in with a big bag of wild bird seed. and they TOOK OVER my pantry. they had little larva things that they laid inside any kind of grain product. brand new canisters of oatmeal were ruined. containers of rice were ruined, corn meal, flour, cereal, dog food, cat food, baby cereal...... there was no end to it. many things had to be thrown out and wiped off before we could bomb the house AGAIN. i had to go through each box of food and make sure there were no bits of webbing, eggs, or moths.

as for the ladybugs.. are they TRUE ladybugs or the asian invaders? i guess it doesnt really matter since they do the same job and are virtually the same - according to www.whatsthatbug.com - but i find they like to bite when they land on you... nothing eats them either.... they like to swarm up inside the house for winter too. not sure how to kill them.... we just sweep them out when they try to come in. 

 

Thanks for all the responses…

 

Cakana-  Yes they are inside and outside our home.… and there are a TON of them.  We live in a new construction home, we moved in early Jan, and we have been dealing with the flies since then.  Even in negative temps we had flies inside and outside.  The builder has been in our home, checked for holes, cleaned out our vents, and they even ripped open a wall near where they were coming from to see if there was anything dead in the walls (yuck ).  Nothing can be found everyone is baffled, they want to reseal everything and then have us bomb, the basement, attic, garage and living areas.

 

Callie- I know its going to be a ton of work, and frankly that’s why I’m dreading it.  Cleaning everything afterward is going to be an absolute nightmare.  I don’t even know how to go about cleaning afterward.  The fogger they recommended is supposed to be a no mess fogger, and supposedly leaves no residue.  But what about my, couch and carpet afterward?  Won’t they absorb something from the fogger?  I’m so worried about the animals.  They will come with us to the hotel, I’m just worried about getting all the “leftover” stuff up so they are not harmed. 

 

Dum-  I think they are house flies… as far as I can tell, and we also have these large mosquito like bugs.  As for the lady bugs, I think they are the Asian invader type, they bite!  I know lady bugs are good… but we have so many it feels like they are trying to take over!  At first I would try to put them outside, but there are just too many.  One afternoon, we counted 30 on one window, my vacuum is working overtime sucking the little things up   …. They have to go!!!

 

I have always used Raid Foggers. It's a blue rectangular box with three foggers that run around $10 per box. They are true foggers, not the spray that gets everywhere on everything. We live in Florida where bugs are a huge potential problem, but these things really work. I do it on a Saturday when the dogs go to the groomer and we are out of the house for several hours. It's been a while since I've used them (as I said, they really work), but I think you have to be out of the house for at least 4 hours and then it's okay to return. There is no odor or residue - nothing. You have to turn off the a/c, open all cabinets and drawers, etc. the usual stuff, but the fog gets everywhere. I have never had a bug problem. I don't know what stores you have in your area, but I get mine at Wal Mart, Target or Home Depot and put on in each room and a couple in the garage. Good luck!!!

Never had to bomb or use any foggers, so I am afraid I can't offer any advice on that.  One thing I would be curious with all the lady bugs hanging around is if you checked the plants around your house.  I've only seen drove of lady bugs when they were either all in a hide away to hibernate through winter, or they had found a infestation of aphids.  I would just be curious to see if some of the plants near your house did indeed have a swarm of their food source encouraging them to hang out.  You also mentioned having large mosquito like bugs and I'm wondering if those might be Aphidoletes aphidimyza which is an insect that feeds on aphids during the larva stage.  Thus adults often locate aphid infestations to lay their eggs.  Once again that would point to an aphid infestation and explain the high numbers of beneficial insects hanging out around your house.

 Although the last thing you might want around your home is more insects, their are a host of beneficial insects you could introduce into your garden/yard around the house to help control the outside population of flies and help stop another repopulation of unwanted house guests after you get rid of the ones currently making a home out of your house.
 

kaf

Cakana-  Yes they are inside and outside our home.… and there are a TON of them.  We live in a new construction home, we moved in early Jan, and we have been dealing with the flies since then.  Even in negative temps we had flies inside and outside.  The builder has been in our home, checked for holes, cleaned out our vents, and they even ripped open a wall near where they were coming from to see if there was anything dead in the walls (yuck ).  Nothing can be found everyone is baffled, they want to reseal everything and then have us bomb, the basement, attic, garage and living areas.

Sounds odd and I think rather than waste time and money, I'd have a professional exterminator check it out. They can use things that we can't and if it's a problem related to the construction, then the builder should foot the bill. Ugh, I hate flies so I can't imagine what you've been dealing with but I hope you can get it resolved.

i dont know of any practical way of getting rid of those asian beetles. you cant treat your house because they come from outside to get in. they do the same job as a lady bug though..... which is ok and all.... but they're invaders and dont belong here plus they bite and it hurts!

the only way i know of keeping them at bay is to just not leave doors open longer than needed - dash in and out as fast as you can! - dont open windows that have holes in the screen, and if you see them inside smashum!!