Hello,
For the past week my 8 year old plum tree has been covered in flies. I am at my wits end because droves of them are flying into my house.
At first I sprayed the flies in the house with Raid housepest spray, but when it did not have much affect on them I realized that they were not the usual black houseflies. A quick walk around my rural garden soon came up with the source.
A few days ago I sprayed the tree with a general insecticide but it has not made any difference at all.
I really do hope someone can help me with this, I have searched the internet and cannot find any information on this pest.
Regards and thanks in advance,
Eileen.

No promises, but I use liquid Sevin as a spray. It gets almost everything
that has bothered my garden. Don't use it on blooming plants because it
will also kill your pollinators.

Dwayne

"Eileen" wrote in message
...

Hello,
For the past week my 8 year old plum tree has been covered in flies. I
am at my wits end because droves of them are flying into my house.
At first I sprayed the flies in the house with Raid housepest spray,
but when it did not have much affect on them I realized that they were
not the usual black houseflies. A quick walk around my rural garden
soon came up with the source.
A few days ago I sprayed the tree with a general insecticide but it has
not made any difference at all.
I really do hope someone can help me with this, I have searched the
internet and cannot find any information on this pest.
Regards and thanks in advance,
Eileen.




--
Eileen

Thank you Dwayne. I'm off to search for a bottle of Sevin now before I die from heat exhaustion! The flies are so bad I cannot open my downstairs windows.

Eileen.

Eileen wrote:

Thank you Dwayne. I'm off to search for a bottle of Sevin now before I
die from heat exhaustion! The flies are so bad I cannot open my
downstairs windows.

Eileen.


Before you rush out, check the following web site on Sevin:

http://www.bayercropscienceus.com/products/view:sevin/

It does not mention flies on it's list of targets. Not to say that Sevin won't
work,
but I would try and identify the fly first and try and get a pesticide perhaps
more
effective for the job. Take a few dead flies to your Garden Center or Extension

Center to identify it and get advice on the best pesticide for the job.

Sherwin

Thank you all for your replies.


I have attached a photo taken yesterday of the pests.

Eileen wrote:


Thank you all for your replies.


I have attached a photo taken yesterday of the pests.


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That is a bluebottle.

These flies deposit their eggs in manure, decaying garbage or dead
animals. The only effective way to eliminate them is to find where
they are laying eggs. If the plum has fruits, open a few up and see
if they are infesting them (especially ones on the ground).

Otherwise, sniff (literally) around the area. You might discover a
dead possum or raccoon hidden in weeds, or you might find a
particularly fetid pile of garbage.

I once experienced an infestation of these and houseflies of epic
proportions. I was living in the country, and a neighbor was making
extra money by selling his topsoil. After he removed the best of it,
he got a bright idea and allowed a dairy to dump truckloads of whey
onto the subsoil as a soil amendment. Within a week, I literally
could not open a door without a hundred of these flies entering the
house. I've slogged through manure in a barnyard and been pestered by
flies, but never experienced anything as extreme as this.

The flies are attracted to the smell of carrion, so one way to reduce
their numbers slightly is to make a "big stinky" trap. Find a
widemouthed gallon jug, and make a funnel of window screening to sit
in the mouth of it. Clip the bottom of the cone so it is open only
about 1/2" to 3/4" Then take a golf ball sized clump of raw hamburger
and drop it in the bottle. Add water to about 1/2 way up the side of
the hamburger ball. Place the cone on top and secure it with duct
tape. Hang the bottle under the tree and away from the house -
otherwise 1. you won't be able to stand the smell once it starts to
work, and 2. animals will try to get to the meat in the bottle as it
first starts to stink.

Flies will be attracted to the rotting meat and enter through the
funnel, and not be able to escape. Their bodies will add to the
stench. Trust me, it'll be bad, but it will significantly reduce the
numbers of flies.

Use flypaper (hardware store item) to stop more of them. Hang some in
your tree, put some by your doors and windows.

All this is only stopgap. You must find the eggs and eliminate the
source if you want real relief. If the plum tree is harboring them
and creating a breeding ground, I would remove it.