Help with getting rid of Deer flys

rekees4300 · Jul 11, 2012

Re: Make sure to use the correct Tanglefoot product (i.e., Tangle-Trap)

UmbrellaGirl said:
Please be aware that the Tanglefoot company makes several different products for different purposes. Yes, they have one specifically for trees. That is not the one you want to use on a deer fly trap. You need to specifically use their Tangle-Trap Sticky Coating. I use the canned kind, not the spray. Tangle-Trap has no color and no odor. It is simply sticky.

Try it, you'll like it!!!!

UmbrellaGirl I ordered the wrong product ... DUH :embarrassed: Thanks for clarifying.

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rswyan · Jul 12, 2012

Re: Make sure to use the correct Tanglefoot product (i.e., Tangle-Trap)

We used to have deer flies really, really bad .... any time you'd walk into the woods you'd get nailed.

For some reason they haven't been bad at all lately (last year or two .... or three ?) .... in fact, I don't think I've bitten yet this year. I do get buzzed every now and then .... but they give up and don't seem to hang around.

I do have 4 bird feeders hanging off the back deck .... during the day it's like Grand Central Station and quite noisy anywhere around the house - I could probably hang 2 or 3 more to accommodate all the feathered visitors ....

And we do have a bunch of Chimney Swifts (a dozen ?) nesting in our chimney - they have been doing so for the last few years (3 or 4 anyways, if not more) .... and they feed on the wing ....

So there may be something to the bird aspect that Tollster raises ....

General Lee · Jul 12, 2012

Not only are they attracted to the movement but the highest part of the movement. Thats why they are always at your head, animals ears, etc. When I'm lucky enough to just have a few buzzing around me, I stop and hold my hand up, wait for them to land on the hand and SMACK them with the other. Dealing with hundreds swarming you it wouldn't be effective unless you had nothing else to do but smack flies off your hand

And the little suckers get you in the shaded spots. Along the tree lines, in the woods or tree covered driveway. Hit the middle of the yard or field and they disappear.

cschulz · Jul 12, 2012

General Lee said:
Not only are they attracted to the movement but the highest part of the movement. Thats why they are always at your head, animals ears, etc. When I'm lucky enough to just have a few buzzing around me, I stop and hold my hand up, wait for them to land on the hand and SMACK them with the other. Dealing with hundreds swarming you it wouldn't be effective unless you had nothing else to do but smack flies off your hand

And the little suckers get you in the shaded spots. Along the tree lines, in the woods or tree covered driveway. Hit the middle of the yard or field and they disappear.

All so very true. Sons a Bitchs!!!

Pete Judd · Jul 12, 2012

When we bought this property 25+ years ago, we had a heck of a problem with the deer flys, but we opened up a flyway for the birds, and put up bat houses and birdhouses, and the problem went away in about 2 years. I still put up bird houses around the place, and add a bat house a year or so, but have no flying bug problems. Just give the birds a good home, and they seem to take care of the problem, as well as get fat on them.

rswyan · Jul 13, 2012

Pete Judd said:
When we bought this property 25+ years ago, we had a heck of a problem with the deer flys, but we opened up a flyway for the birds, and put up bat houses and birdhouses, and the problem went away in about 2 years. I still put up bird houses around the place, and add a bat house a year or so, but have no flying bug problems. Just give the birds a good home, and they seem to take care of the problem, as well as get fat on them.

Interesting .... seems there is something to having plenty of little feathered friends around ....

I haven't put up any bird houses yet (although I do have both a bluebird house and bat roost sitting out in the garage) .... we do have a fair amount of dead standing timber on our and adjoining property .... I make it a point to leave it up for the critters if it's in an area where it doesn't pose a hazard ....

I've noticed that the mosquito population seems way down this year as well .... though I imagine that is largely due to the lack of rain and general dryness ....

Looks like our chimney swift chicks may be starting to fledge .... had to rescue one that got cornfused and stuck in the garage last night .....

MossflowerWoods · Jul 15, 2012

Pete Judd said:
When we bought this property 25+ years ago, we had a heck of a problem with the deer flys, but we opened up a flyway for the birds, and put up bat houses and birdhouses, and the problem went away in about 2 years. I still put up bird houses around the place, and add a bat house a year or so, but have no flying bug problems. Just give the birds a good home, and they seem to take care of the problem, as well as get fat on them.

Pete,

What is a "flyway" and what kind of bird houses do I build?

I LOVE this solution!

Thanks in advance...
David

MossflowerWoods · Jul 15, 2012

Duplicate post.

Thanks in advance...
David

Pete Judd · Jul 15, 2012

Mossflower, when we bought, our property was mostly Alder, Cedar Bog, and blackberrys. Clearing a flight path for the birds, down the center about 20 yards wide was the first thing we did. It brought the birds in to prey on the flying bugs, but still left good nesting ground on each side. I added bird houses as we expanded that out from the center. The bird houses are just simple ones made from fir with cedar roofs, with either a 1 1/4 or 1 1/2 inch hole in the front. Don't even paint them. The bat house plans are also found on the net, and I build them out of western cedar fence boards (cheap), and just hang on the south side of trees about 12-16 feet up. At dusk, it is great to watch all the bats flying around, and eating everything that they can find before expanding out to find more prey. Spent many an eve, sitting in the back yard watching them eating all the mosseys, instead of them eating me. As I type this I am looking out my office window, I can see at least a half a dozen birds gathering bugs to take back to their young in a row of fir I planted 20+years ago. That double row, planted very close together that now is full of nests. The chirping, is great to listen to, and wakes us up in the morning.