# Houseflies



## Rick (Aug 6, 2010)

Man these things are annoying! When a bluebottle flies gets out they normally just fly behind the blinds to the window. Houseflies like to land on me and just annoy me in general. Sitting here and this fly is getting on my last nerve. Oh, there he is on the rim of my glass again............ &lt;_&lt;


----------



## hibiscusmile (Aug 6, 2010)

Yea, and if u have a boo boo, they constantly land on it, I scrape my elbows all the time on doorways, (always have something in my arms, I am really not that fat)  and they continually land on them and just try to get them off with your hands full, which mine always are.


----------



## LauraMG (Aug 6, 2010)

They are rather torturous annoyances! I've began catching them with a little fishnet I have for my goldfish, and the ones that I can't seem to catch always hang out on my computer screen or my arm or my TV just to rub it in that I can't catch them!




And I just caught one off my coffee table. I will take great pleasure watching my orchid devour this one....


----------



## more_rayne (Aug 6, 2010)

Rick said:


> Man these things are annoying! When a bluebottle flies gets out they normally just fly behind the blinds to the window. Houseflies like to land on me and just annoy me in general. Sitting here and this fly is getting on my last nerve. Oh, there he is on the rim of my glass again............ &lt;_&lt;


I'd call that a blessing. I wish I had more flies in the house. Catching them is simple and my mantids get a nice snack.


----------



## Ghostie (Aug 6, 2010)

I'm experimenting with different ways on how to keep mine alive longer in their tubs. I'm trying "Water crystals" right now and no container for their food so they access it easier and cannot drown in a drop of water.

Just figured out how to stop them from releasing while I feed them to my mantises too finally.

Next I get to try blue bottles  

I kinda like the houseflies when there is hundreds of them in a deli cup and I can laugh at them. I don't like them when they escape into my room though and must use the bug destroyer.

I get a good laugh out of it but it doesn't always work 100% so it does give them a slight/fair chance! It would seem the grate in the projectile is rather large and flexible so you need to be somewhat close.


----------



## ismart (Aug 6, 2010)

House flies can really be a nuisance! &lt;_&lt; I use a butterfly net to catch the escapees. They usually don't stay free for long. As puishment, they are not put back with the other flies. Instead they are fed off to whomever will eat them. :devil:


----------



## more_rayne (Aug 6, 2010)

Flies around my house get swatted out of the air and eaten by my cat, he'll attack anything that flies. Gotta close the door when I take out my adult mantids incase they take flight.


----------



## Rick (Aug 6, 2010)

more_rayne said:


> I'd call that a blessing. I wish I had more flies in the house. Catching them is simple and my mantids get a nice snack.


These are not wild flies. They are flies that escaped during mantis feeding time.


----------



## LauraMG (Aug 6, 2010)

On this topic, I just would like to share this.

So, my boyfriend decided he'd watched me catch enough escapees and wild flies that he thought he could be a ninja



and catch one. I watched him chase it around my apartment for about 15 minutes until he finally gave up. I took the net and caught it first try! I feel like Mr. Miyagi!


----------



## more_rayne (Aug 6, 2010)

I use a clear plastic cup, move slowly and put cup over fly. If startled, they'll fly straight up into the cup making capture even easier.


----------



## Rick (Aug 6, 2010)

more_rayne said:


> I use a clear plastic cup, move slowly and put cup over fly. If startled, they'll fly straight up into the cup making capture even easier.


Good method. I try to squash em.


----------



## lancaster1313 (Aug 6, 2010)

The fly swatter, tried and true method. :lol: If you whack them while in mid flight, they may only be stunned, and useful for feeding. My daughter has a blast catching them gently, with her fingers, and then putting them into feeding ports. :lol:


----------



## hibiscusmile (Aug 6, 2010)

sometimes I just put the mantis house by the fly and let them catch it!


----------



## Ghostie (Aug 8, 2010)

You guys wouldn't believe me if I had it on video.

I had one of the mantids I caught from the wild out while cleaning it's cage today. I was playing with it for a while and it seems to like me very much. I had it on my thumb when all the sudden a fly came out of nowhere and landed on my thumb! I watched as the mantis straight whacked the fly without even touching me and ate him up right on my thumb. It was like a whole slice of nature just happened right there on my thumb and I had nothing to do with it. lol.

Seriously I thought I had killed all of this morning's flies already but that one came out of nowhere and landed on my thumb in front of the wrong mantis! haha That was awesome. Couldn't have been any better unless I had it on video.

I got a picture after the mantis already had the fly, but what does that prove. lol

Just put a mantis on your thumb and stick it out in the air. He'll do the rest!


----------



## Ghostie (Aug 13, 2010)

Here's one my mom sent me. How to catch your flies alive!

(this is not me or anyone I know in the video, she just found this on youtube)


----------

