Hi Hilda, what kind of flies? Are they fungus gnats or fruit flies? Are they coming from house plant soil, or from some other place?

I had a fungus gnat problem a few years back with my indoor plants, and I did some research online, and got rid of them fairly quickly and easily.

Assuming that you have the issue with indoor plants as well, here is a two step process:

1) Let the soil dry out completely
2) The next time you water, add a tablespoon of dish washing soap to one gallon of water (not anti bacterial, just regular soap. Then use this water to completely soak the soil in the pot.

The gnats/fruit flies will be gone in days. I would repeat the soap water rinse a couple of times.

Another option is to take a deep dish and fill it up with vinegar and put a drop of dish washing soap in it, leave this dish near the problem area. The gnats/flies will be attracted to the vinegar smell and sink into the dish and perish.

Good luck.

Thank you, daffodil33 ~

They are regular flies not fungus gnats/fruit flies.

Big!

(sigh!)

Houseflies in winter isn't too odd, I get them sometimes too. It's not that they are hiding really, they are just not hatched out yet, and sometimes a few days of warmer winter weather can bring them out.

Not really much you can do about them as far as I can tell- even when I swear I've swatted them all out before closing up the house when it gets cold, sometimes a couple of them show up anyway. Just kill them like you would flies in the summer.

They may be cluster flies which look like house flies but their wings are more "swept back". They often come out inside houses during a warm winter spell. They're very prevalent here in VT and I think someone once introduced a bill naming them the state bird - LOL.

I get them in the attic, they lay eggs behind the siding and somehow when the weather gets warmer they hatch and get into the attic. Squirejohn, that's what I get, cluster flies.

Thank you, everyone!

Cluster flies for sure. Such a horror.

Received a catalog showing a photo of them and a trap to place in attic windows.

Hoping they never come back!

~ Hilda