Electric Fly zapper - anybody use one?
Discussion
Got two of the racket types (upstairs/downstairs) they work well, but there is a knack to it. Swinging it around like a racket you stand little chance, you need to get them when they are on a surface or if flying swing from underneath the buggers. They need a good zap until they start smoking to kill them though.
We also have sticky glass things as we're out in the country, lots of flys this time of year so they catch a few who end up on the windows.
We also have sticky glass things as we're out in the country, lots of flys this time of year so they catch a few who end up on the windows.
georgezippy said:
I have similar, a high glass roof lantern in a single story extension. When the tennis racket of death won't reach, we use natures solution. We allow a couple of massive spiders to live up there, they never come down as dinner comes to them, we sit and watch them exterminate the annoying little t
ts. Better than telly! The children have even given the spiders names. 
ts. Better than telly! The children have even given the spiders names. I think SWMBO would veto that idea, though of course we can't reach the spiders either!
georgezippy said:
I have similar, a high glass roof lantern in a single story extension.
Same situation here. The first summer we were quite taken aback by how many flies it ended up attracting (and trapping). My Dad rather unhelpfully reminded us 'well, you did say you wanted to bring the outside in'!Our solution has actually been really quite effective - I get the Dyson hand-held out every evening and with a couple carboard tubes (from wrapping paper I think?) attached to the front just hoover them all up off the glass. It is quite easy to get every last one, big or small it doesn't matter, including the smarter ones that go and buzz around in the corner to try and escape but that just concentrates them in one spot for even easier pickings. It feels like fishing in barrel it's that easy, such that now I even open the front door and let them out there rather than leaving them to die inside the Dyson. Of course, I take each and every fly's name and if I ever catch one again having flown around to the back of the house there'll be trouble.
Edited by tux850 on Thursday 27th June 13:13
Brum_Brum said:
C n C said:
Is there any option to prevent the flies coming in in the first place?
We often got flies in our kitchen extension due to having the window or door open.
Several years ago, I fitted a fly screen door to the kitchen door, and we were able to leave the door open for ventilation, but it completely stopped the flies from coming in. They also do screens for windows. We bought it from Streme UK
Obviously not as interactive as chasing them around with an electrified tennis racket, but it completely solved the problem.
Problematic as we have bi-folds on the extension which is the root cause of it all I guess, any nice weather and they are always open to some degree...We often got flies in our kitchen extension due to having the window or door open.
Several years ago, I fitted a fly screen door to the kitchen door, and we were able to leave the door open for ventilation, but it completely stopped the flies from coming in. They also do screens for windows. We bought it from Streme UK
Obviously not as interactive as chasing them around with an electrified tennis racket, but it completely solved the problem.
I have gone for one of the standalone units to see how it goes .
It's bloody annoying. We paid for bifolds and can't even use them properly or leave them open.
tux850 said:
Our solution has actually been really quite effective - I get the Dyson hand-held out every evening and with a couple carboard tubes (from wrapping paper I think?) attached to the front just hoover them all up off the glass. It is quite easy to get every last one, big or small it doesn't matter, including the smarter ones that go and buzz around in the corner to try and escape but that just concentrates them in one spot for even easier pickings. It feels like fishing in barrel it's that easy, such that now I even open the front door and let them out there rather than leaving them to die inside the Dyson. Of course, I take each and every fly's name and if I ever catch one again having flown around to the back of the house there'll be trouble.
Be very careful with that!When we were suffering with the flies coming into the house via the bifolds we used to hoover up all the flies from the windows with out Dyson V8 handheld, and it worked great.... but after a while I then noticed that the flies were getting squashed/liquefied inside to a certain extent as they spun around with the rest of the dust and debris. This then led to the moisture from the squashed flies getting into the motor and destroying it.
Dysons are only for picking up perfectly dry items, which flies are not.
tux850 said:
georgezippy said:
I have similar, a high glass roof lantern in a single story extension.
Same situation here. The first summer we were quite taken aback by how many flies it ended up attracting (and trapping). My Dad rather unhelpfully reminded us 'well, you did say you wanted to bring the outside in'!Our solution has actually been really quite effective - I get the Dyson hand-held out every evening and with a couple carboard tubes (from wrapping paper I think?) attached to the front just hoover them all up off the glass. It is quite easy to get every last one, big or small it doesn't matter, including the smarter ones that go and buzz around in the corner to try and escape but that just concentrates them in one spot for even easier pickings. It feels like fishing in barrel it's that easy, such that now I even open the front door and let them out there rather than leaving them to die inside the Dyson. Of course, I take each and every fly's name and if I ever catch one again having flown around to the back of the house there'll be trouble.
Edited by tux850 on Thursday 27th June 13:13
EmBe said:
Blown2CV said:
it's like lots of things really... we've never had it hot enough to need air con, never had it snowy enough to need snow ploughs, never had enough creatures to need to have bug screens or take heed about things like ticks, never had to worry about venomous spiders etc but these things are all changing with climate.
Hyperbole much?Aircon has only really just come down to a pricepoint where it's viable for the ~2 weeks a year we have enough heat to warrant it
We still do have snowploughs, at least here in Yorkshire
We had flyscreens in the 70s, horrible plastic strips of multicoloured plastic hanging at every door - now we have bifolds and they don't work. There are fewer insects now than there were in living memory as pesticides and intensive farming is reducing numbers year on year.
Ticks have always been a thing, I remember having them removed from legs every summer as a kid
And have we had a sudden explosion in venomous spider species I don't know about?
Climate has little if anything to do with any of those.
honestly i didn't think what i said would rile anyone. Clearly I was meaning those things have all become significantly more common, or more incongruous or more in the public consciousness, or whatever. Yes venomous spiders exist in some parts of the south coast. We can also have decent vinyards in the UK now too. Whoop de doo.
Bug-a-salt here. it's bloody great. Gets the seal of approval from the wife as it's good on slugs too!
The aim is slightly different depending on how close you are. I have the laser sight so the kids can use it easier too :-)
Usually set up for one gun length away from the end of the barrel
The aim is slightly different depending on how close you are. I have the laser sight so the kids can use it easier too :-)
Usually set up for one gun length away from the end of the barrel
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