Man-eating flies

That would be horse flies, deer flies, gad flies, and etc. With our pools we've created the perfect breeding habitat for them. At our place, we have a bog under the pool deck from all the water the dogs drag out and, because it's always shaded, it never dries. It's very hot and humid here in eastern Pennsylvania and the bugs thrive. There's a new horse farm on the other side of the hill, separated from us by a very large corn field. You'd think the flies would have plenty of blood to suck from the horses but nooooo . . . they come over here to pester us and the dogs, too.

They fly right during the hottest part of the day which is when we swim, of course. I do my house chores and the yard and garden chores and then take the old dogs in the pool for their daily exercise. Now we have these huge deer flies and their just slightly smaller cousins, the horse flies, and boy howdy! they can take a chunk out of you!

What do you folks to to either control them or protect yourselves?

Badminton rackets. At least you can get rid of some of them that way.

what happened to the .22 plan , dead eye :D

Shuttlecock? We don't need no steenkin shuttlecocks!

I get the smaller housefly that gnaws the heck out of your leg, especially when I sit by my canal to fish.

.22 is a little risky in the city. Badminton racquet may still be a little big on the holes for houseflys...any other suggestions?

Do flystrips or poison baits "attract" them away from humans?

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Originally Posted by Poolsean

Shuttlecock? We don't need no steenkin shuttlecocks!

I get the smaller housefly that gnaws the heck out of your leg, especially when I sit by my canal to fish.

.22 is a little risky in the city. Badminton racquet may still be a little big on the holes for houseflys...any other suggestions?

Do flystrips or poison baits "attract" them away from humans?

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We raise cattle, and the traps/poison barely make a dent in the flies. If you have a covered area, you can try the tape strips.

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Originally Posted by Phillbo

what happened to the .22 plan , dead eye :D

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That was for the Japanese beetles. These deer flies are too smart for .22 shot. They'd catch them with their mandibles and spit them right back at me.

I kinda like the badminton racket idea. It's bad form to smack your husband in the head with a sandal. Those plastic kiddie rackets look just like oversized fly swatters and could actually do the trick.

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Originally Posted by AnnaK

I kinda like the badminton racket idea. It's bad form to smack your husband in the head with a sandal. Those plastic kiddie rackets look just like oversized fly swatters and could actually do the trick.

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If you lose your temper and smack him, you can just tell them at the hospital that you were playing badminton and his head got in the way.

And they'll admire my incredible reach. He's about a foot and a half taller than I :)

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Originally Posted by AnnaK

It's bad form to smack your husband in the head with a sandal. .

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I need to remind my girlfriend of that fact :D

That really doesn't apply to boyfriend/girlfriend situations, Phillbo. Keep in mind, you're still in training. Any tool that gets the job done is valid.

:eek: :eek:

Fogging works. Check this site:

http://www.dynafog.com/home.html

I have had the Trailblazer for a few years now.

http://www.dynafog.com/foggers/pje/t...azer/index.htm

I use a permethrin insecticide mixed in diesel fuel as the carrier for fogging. Odor goes away real quick and it doesn't take care of all the pests because they are everywhere in the grass, bushes, and woods, but it does reduce their annoyance.
Got the chems from this place
http://www.doyourownpestcontrol.com/
and I see they have changed their website. I got enough of the stuff to last me years but the chems weren't cheap. The fogger I found on Ebay. There are all kinds of foggers out there so something may be right for you.
Al

That DIY Pest Control site is an excellent resource, Al. Thanks for posting it.

Your fogger is impressive. I think I'll go with a pump sprayer and some chemical warfare around the pool in the always wet areasand at least try to control their breeding habitat.