Flies on tarped wood pile.

[Mr.M2]

I hate flies! My wife laughs at me while I chase them around the house with the electric tennis racket type of fly swatter.
That being said; Any idea what draws flies to a wood pile covered with a tarp?
There is some moisture in the pile and some standing water in the divets of the tarp.
My guess is the moisture drawing them.
I have a large very dry pile on the porch and they are not interested in it at all.
I uncovered the pile to help dry it out and removed the water which puddled.
I'll see if that makes a difference.


Anyone else have a problem like this?

 

[billb3]

I hate flies! My wife laughs at me while I chase them around the house with the electric tennis racket type of fly swatter.

Put your clothes back on ?



any carcasses in the pile to attract them (the flies) ?

 

[dj2cohen]

I would be willing to bet it is the heat of the tarp. In the sun, a tarp tends to heat up faster, than say the ground next to it.

 

[raybonz]

I hate flies! My wife laughs at me while I chase them around the house with the electric tennis racket type of fly swatter.
That being said; Any idea what draws flies to a wood pile covered with a tarp?
There is some moisture in the pile and some standing water in the divets of the tarp.
My guess is the moisture drawing them.
I have a large very dry pile on the porch and they are not interested in it at all.
I uncovered the pile to help dry it out and removed the water which puddled.
I'll see if that makes a difference.


Anyone else have a problem like this?

Probably just the piss oak gettin' em excited :bug:

Ray

 

[RedRanger]

In a month or so fly`s wont be your major concern-rather it will be the West Nilers. You know those mosquitoes that carry that deadly virus. Really nowadays ya just don`t want "standing water" anywhere on your property.

 

[JustWood]

Sugar content in green wood.

 

[drizler]

I just gotta know, Do those electric flyswatters really work?

 

[savageactor7]

I was told fly's will hibernate in the bark that's why after a few moderate days they will appear....but I dunno for sure. Mostly everything I know about wood handling was passed on by the old timers that told me how to do things right...knowledge centers like this forum are a new thing.

Now when I'm making production cutting and splitting there's a lot of fly's and bee's sucking up the sap but that's no bother cause it keeps them off me...and after awhile they go away.

Edit to add if you want to get rid of flys just put a couple caps of clorox in a tank sprayer and hose the pile down.

 

[Jay H]

I just gotta know, Do those electric flyswatters really work?

Yup! I think the ones I've seen use 2 9-volt batteries and they do sting when you try it on yourself, as everybody does.

I've used it before, it does't always kill them but it stuns them enough for you to swat it with a magazine.



Jay

 

[dj2cohen]

Sugar content in green wood.

Good point. Hadn't thought about that one.

 

[bbc557ci]

I have a fly shooter. It's like a kids dart gun but has a 3 in. diameter plastic screen type thingy on the end of the dart intead of a rubber suction cup. Actually kind of fun to shoot the little buggers with it. No batteries needed either.

Yep, we're easily entertained out here in the country LOL

 

[colebrookman]

I'll swap your flies which are outside for my Asian ladybug beetles which are inside and today is sunny so they are racing around my windows. They do this all winter when the sun is out. We vacuum but they are like Houdini and hide everywhere there is a smalll crack. The lab ate one but never again. They have no enemies. They say they're from sandstone and grey caves and my house is grey so they make themselves at home. At least the don't eat or bite.

 

[billb3]

My house is all white and it was covered for a whole weekend with those ladybugs that Fall.
They must hibernate in the walls, find their way in rather than out by mistake in the Spring.
I'll have ladybugs every Winter.

Luckily I don't hardly ever get those big black flies that some get.

 

[Mr.M2]

Thanks for the info.

The electric bug zappers work well on the beetles too.
If you get a bug stuck in the wire mesh and hold the button down they'll cook.
:grrr:
We've got so many beetles you have to cover your head and run from the car to the house.
Those beetles stink to high hell too.

They weren't too bad this last fall luckily.

 

[drizler]

I'll swap your flies which are outside for my Asian ladybug beetles which are inside and today is sunny so they are racing around my windows. They do this all winter when the sun is out. We vacuum but they are like Houdini and hide everywhere there is a smalll crack. The lab ate one but never again. They have no enemies. They say they're from sandstone and grey caves and my house is grey so they make themselves at home. At least the don't eat or bite.

Are they the little dull brown ladybugs that stink to high heaven? We get them up here too. Dont think they can't bite. I let one walk around on my hand once and the ungrateful little chit really chomped down on me. Hurt like hell more like a big spider bite. They sure do swarm by the thousands and love those sunny winter days to start walking around. Our cats leave them very much alone due to the stink.

 

[colebrookman]

yup them's the ones. They seem to come in many colors but all have the lady bug shape with dots on top. We've never had any bite , yet, but they do stink and if you squash one they leave a nice mark on you wall so we have to vacuum. Stories are some attics have them 2or 3' deep but I've never seen it that bad. We do see the sunny side on white houses completely covered on fall days.

 

[michaelthomas]

I have just cut, split, and stacked about 2 cord of sugar maple and MY GOD DO I HAVE FLIES! I go out to admire my wood and it is like walking up to a rotting LLama carcass when the flies swarm off the wood. I have never had this many flies but I have also never had so much sugar maple. They are also all over my maple stumps, so I can assume it is the sap that they are after. I sure hope that I am not feeding them enough to make a bumper crop of nice healthy flies this year. I have another 9 cord to cut split and stack

 

[woodzilla]

sugar maple and honey locust are the worst in my stacks. Can't do much bout that...but, in the house. Well my weapon of choice is a plain old rubber band. Everyone doubts it will work, but I have yet to see anyone not stunned by it. Happy hunting