Installing Indoor Cat Tree

[Couperman]

Has anyone got any effective ways of controlling flies?

I have seen fly traps on the internet that claim to trap up to 20,000

 

I am a bit concerned that when the weather warms up a bit they may be a nuisance. There are quite a few in the garden today but I think that maybe down to the three decomposing birds (starlings) helpfully left at the end of the garden by next doors killing machine cat who thinks he lives with us.

 

The run doesn't smell at all, other than that nice horsey bedding smell. We use a wood chip bedding called Easy Bed+ as we couldn't find any Hemcore stuff locally.

 

I don't want to upset the bloke who lives across the road and four doors down, he is already beside himself with worrying about the impending rat plague we are about to unleash on him, without the prospect of a swarm of flies only 500 yards from his house!

We are expecting a visit from the council any day.

I should never have told him we were getting chooks, but he is that nosey he would have known before us anyway

 

Kev.

[ali-s]

Last year I didn't get bothered much by flies near the Eglu or run even on the very hot days. I poo picked every day and emptied the droppings day 3 times a week.

 

The year before I bought a Red Top flytrap and hung it in a nearby tree. I think the flies were attracted to my garden because of the smell it emits Thousand of flies drowned in the putrified liquid. The smell got worse as the dead flies decayed If the wind was blowing in the right direction the smell drifted into the house. I didn't get any flies near the Eglu but the tree and surrounding area (including my neighbours patio) was mass of buzzing Bluebottle flies.

 

Citronella oil is apparentely good at keeping away flies from the Eglu although I have never tried it and I am not sure how you would apply it .

[Couperman]

Thanks Alison,

 

I thought as much about the fly trap things, I guess they are more suited to smallholdings etc where you can place the trap out of the way and attract the flies away from where you don't want them. I certainly don't want to be attracting more as our garden is quite small.

 

I think the problem is more do with next door's cat's antics I have just found another two dead starlings in the slightly overgrown 'natures' part of the garden.

 

I think I will go and strim the grass really short because I think it is providing good cover for him to do his killing.

 

Kev

[Guest]

Sorry to hear about your neighbor having a problem with your girls. I have noticed a lot of flies around my Eglu, its near the end of my garden and close to the neighboring fence. Its nearest the bungalow behind us - which I think doesn't officially exist (if you look at the council planning pages, they show all the properties and that isn't there) so I'm not sure they can complain.

 

Mind you they have a stable the other side, I guess the horse manure attracts even more flies than my girls.

 

You may well be right about the rotting starlings being the major cause of the problem.

[Jaime]

I use Citronella... the best I have found is at...

 

http://www.neph-aromatics.co.uk/special_offers.htm

 

Its only £3.95 including postage for a big bottle.

 

I just put a few drips on the roosing bars once I've cleaned everything out and sometimes drip a few drips in the poo trays.

 

The smell is strong at first but the chooks dont mind and it definitely works.

[Couperman]

I think it was mainly the Starling cemetary. Once I gave them a dignified send off (in the wheely bin) the flies mysteriously disappeared. There was still a few about but no more than normal.

 

I will try the bottled citro stuff though thanks for that Jaime.

 

I think my nosey neighbour just likes to stir it a bit as he thinks he owns the street. He evens comments on how well I cut my grass!!

 

I just don't understand why people are so negative when they hear you are getting chucks

 

Kev.

[Guest]

Hi Couperman,

 

I notice that you live in Teesside.....so probably not too far from me as I live in Middlesbrough. I got my Hemcore from here - it's just off the High Street in Stokesley:

 

Armstrong Richardson & Co

Levenside

Stokesley

North Yorkshire

TS9 5BH

[Motherhen3]

,

Hi,

 

Thanks for the link to purchase Citronella - already using the oils with great success.....and it smells great. The link to Neph Aromatics is cheaper than buying from Holland and Barrett in the High Street. Have just ordered additional bottle from them, now don't have to be so mean with first dearer purchase.

[KTee]

,

Hi,

 

Thanks for the link to purchase Citronella - already using the oils with great success.....and it smells great. The link to Neph Aromatics is cheaper than buying from Holland and Barrett in the High Street. Have just ordered additional bottle from them, now don't have to be so mean with first dearer purchase.

Hi

 

Quite a surprise to see another "Freshly Laid Egg" in sunny Sale!

 

I just tried to order some Citronella from the Neph site but got tangled in the Paypal web. Looks as if it's Holland and Barratt for me, at least it's only 10 minutes away.

[Egluntyne]

Couperman....if this neighbour sees a rat he is going to have quite a job proving that it lives in your garden. Even if he sees it hopping over your wall it could just be passing through....they don't tend to carry their name and address in their pockets.

 

Tell him that we are supposed to be never more than 30 feet from a rat.

 

I had a rat tunnelling under one of my Eglu's.

 

I tried to use humane methods (Eradirat) but to no avail.

 

I then tried traps and he could remove the food with out activating them, whereas if a rose petal dropped on them they snapped shut so viciously that they would have taken a finger off.

 

When I put several bait stations with proper poison around the place, he was gone within a week.

 

So if you do get rats, put poison down and say nothing. If he comes round accusing you.....act daft.

[Gallina]

I would strongly recommend putting something impenetrable under the Eglu if you want to avoid rats: paving slabs or strong mesh. The mesh or slabs must extend quite a way beyond the Eglu, as the rats are very smart and can start their tunnels a foot away.

 

I had a rats' nest under my Eglu (very warm and cosy): but it is no longer possible for rats to burrow under it, and they seem to have gone away.

 

As for flies, they follow the poo. Emptying the poo tray daily in summer makes a big difference, and the flies stay in the compost heap.

[Egluntyne]

As for flies, they follow the poo. Emptying the poo tray daily in summer makes a big difference, and the flies stay in the compost heap.

 

If you cover the poo with a bit of earth it will help prevent flies...and improve your compost heap too.

 

If you put food waste on your compost heap I would do the same. The it will mask the delicious aroma from rats and flies.

[zircon]

I have noticed quite a few flies around and was a bit concerned as next door have chickens and rabbits. I honestly thought that the rabbits were the problem and have soaked some rags with citronella oil (the burning oil as an emergency measure) the flies were much less obvious by the house over the weekend so I will try some by the eglu and greenhouse as a further experiment, I have also tried another tip from this site about jeyes fluid to keep foxes away as my 2 babies are in a home made run and prefer to keep foxes away from them at all costs so will try anything, plus I quite like next doors rabbits and have seen a fox run past the eglu to try to get the rabbits. So I had a very fragrant garden this weekend as mint was also planted around the eglu.

Then my son popped around to neigbours on other side to retrieve a ball and their cat has killed a pigeon and they have left it on the patio for days.......

[Couperman]

How do you apply the Citronella? We bought some from Holland & Barret, Do you dilute it and lash it around the place or add a few strategically placed neat drops say in the droppings trays and run?

 

As far as the rat situation goes, I think they would need to be Superats to get into the run as it sits on flagstones with a Horsey bedding lining.

They would also need to be quite hard as we have more cats than people in the area, not sure if all cats would fancy taking on a rat though

 

I will try the place in Stokesly thanks for that Chorlton.

We are in Redcar by the way.

 

Kev.

[Jaime]

How do you apply the Citronella?

 

I drip a couple of drips in the poo tray and a few more onto the cleaned roosting bars. My theory is that eventually it will soak into the wood and the smell would deter flies longer.

 

You can put drips into a spray with water and use as a disinfectant however I dont know how successful that would be - Tea tree is probably better for that.