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Our uninsulated and unventilated attic has one dormer with windows. On any warm day, hundreds of flys are buzzing on the window, with thousands on the floor. If I open the window, they mostly fly out. The whole attic is clean except around the window.
The attic floor has fiberglass insulation between the joists, so the ceiling of the second floor is insulated.
We have lived here several years, and this has been happening since we moved in. We vacuum them up, but in a few weeks the floor is covered again. If we use insect spray, they all fall down dead, but the next day they are back.
Any ideas?. Thanks
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Is this year round?
Some flys swarm while mating in the spring. Block off where they're coming in.
You really should have ventilation in the attic. Is this an old house?
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(03-09-2024, 10:07 PM)Petertaylor Wrote: Our uninsulated and unventilated attic has one dormer with windows. On any warm day, hundreds of flys are buzzing on the window, with thousands on the floor. If I open the window, they mostly fly out. The whole attic is clean except around the window.
The attic floor has fiberglass insulation between the joists, so the ceiling of the second floor is insulated.
We have lived here several years, and this has been happening since we moved in. We vacuum them up, but in a few weeks the floor is covered again. If we use insect spray, they all fall down dead, but the next day they are back.
Any ideas?. Thanks
Well, if it's any consolation, you're not alone.
Our shop building has an unheated/uninsulated loft. Built in 2005, it has a ventilated ridge running the length. We have always had the fly problem around the four windows up there. Pic:
I've tried fly strips, bug bombs, etc. All to no avail. The area is just a storage area, and I sweep it during my spring cleaning. Since there's nothing up there that can be really damaged, I consider the fly bodies a nuisance, and so I haven't been really aggressive about taking care of it. The fly carcasses have just become a "fact of life" up there.
The pic reminds it's near time for the annual cleaning, including the windows.
Ray
(formerly "WxMan")
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(03-10-2024, 09:47 AM)Snipe Hunter Wrote: Is this year round?
Some flys swarm while mating in the spring. Block off where they're coming in.
You really should have ventilation in the attic. Is this an old house?
Neal, the house is 100+ years old. The roof is ten years old. From underneath looking up, it can be seen where roof two vents used to be, but are now cover over with plywood. No ridge vent. Who knows what the homeowner was thinking.
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(03-10-2024, 10:58 AM)R Clark Wrote: Well, if it's any consolation, you're not alone.
Our shop building has an unheated/uninsulated loft. Built in 2005, it has a ventilated ridge running the length. We have always had the fly problem around the four windows up there. Pic:
I've tried fly strips, bug bombs, etc. All to no avail. The area is just a storage area, and I sweep it during my spring cleaning. Since there's nothing up there that can be really damaged, I consider the fly bodies a nuisance, and so I haven't been really aggressive about taking care of it. The fly carcasses have just become a "fact of life" up there.
The pic reminds it's near time for the annual cleaning, including the windows.
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Ray, your photo is the exact image of our attic! The flys on the floor and how dirty they make the windows.
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(03-10-2024, 05:20 PM)Petertaylor Wrote: Neal, the house is 100+ years old. The roof is ten years old. From underneath looking up, it can be seen where roof two vents used to be, but are now cover over with plywood. No ridge vent. Who knows what the homeowner was thinking.
I see this in old houses quite a bit. Most houses 100 years ago had gable vents which were either later enclosed or covered later. An unvented attic will void the warranty on any asphalt shingle. Some shingle manufacturers even require 2 venting sources, ideally soffit vents and a ridge vent but some older houses didn't have soffits so gable vents are better than nothing.
A Cobra ridge vent will keep most bugs out.
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Regular black house flies are a nuisance, but not harmful. Bottle or carrion flies are much prettier, but indicate a dead animal up there.
Matt
If trees could scream, would we be so cavalier about cutting them down? We might, if they screamed all the time, for no good reason.
-Jack Handy
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(03-12-2024, 05:56 AM)EatenByLimestone Wrote: Regular black house flies are a nuisance, but not harmful. Bottle or carrion flies are much prettier, but indicate a dead animal up there.
In my case, I think they're just the black house flies. I don't smell anything dead over in the shop building. There has been no sign of a large mouse infestation since I got them under control a couple months after we moved in. No droppings, "no mousy" smell, no shredded material for nests.
It's just a minor nuisance; not worth the time or expense to try to eradicate.
Ray
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My moms pole barn has the same issue...mine does not.
I blame it on the lack of a "j" channel on the wall side of the soffit.
I put a 1/2" "j" channel up first, installed the soffit into it, then the channel for the siding.
Hers has the soffit, then a "j" for the siding.
I have no flies....
Ed
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