3007 Fly repellent suggestions

Here is link to past posts on Fly problems, there is a specific thread called Flies.......if you just scroll down the posts I have found. I like the bags of vinegar idea! :eek:

[url]http://www.italymag.co.uk/forums/search.php?searchid=98324[/url]

I'm dull enought to repeat my advice.........Vitamin B complex. Keeps off mozzie AND stops hang-overs.

The only draw-back?

Flourescent yellow wee................but I can put up with that ;)

[QUOTE=Karen]With the warmer weather on the way - I just wondered if anyone has any suggestions regarding flies. We live in the countryside and have farms nearby - this unfortunately means that when the weather warms up we are completely invaded by flies.:( This makes eating outside pure hell - are there any plants or creepers or suchlike that would act as a repellent to the flies ? We try burning those citrus things you can buy, and incense sticks but it doesnt help. We could buy one of those ultra blue lights that kind of frazzles them - but not sure if it would just attract a few thousand more ? Any suggestions very gratefully received

Karen[/QUOTE]

Hi Karen

I have the same problem (to a lesser degree - no farms nearby) in Spain. On the advice of Spanish neighbours I was told to grow big pots of basil and parsely and put them on window sills and your outside table. Seems to work.

[QUOTE=trullomartinafranca]Here is link to past posts on Fly problems, there is a specific thread called Flies.......if you just scroll down the posts I have found. I like the bags of vinegar idea! :eek:

[URL="http://www.italymag.co.uk/forums/search.php?searchid=97781&pp=25"]http://www.italymag.co.uk/forums/search.php?searchid=97781&pp=25[/URL][/QUOTE]

couldn't get the link to work.

Neither could I - must have been 'archived'

[At least thats what they say in my office when something goes missing]

Nah.. nuffin worng wiv dat link.. tis Trulli.. shes a dislecksyifickle an cant count and Dave aint tort her to cut and payste wallpayper proper. :D

Aliena can paint by numbers.. 1.. 2.. 4.. 11..

[url]http://www.italymag.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=1533&referrerid=1047[/url]
[url]http://www.italymag.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=983&referrerid=1047[/url]
[url]http://www.italymag.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=283&referrerid=1047[/url]

:) :)

Glytches!

[URL="http://www.italymag.co.uk/forums/search.php?searchid=98324"]http://www.italymag.co.uk/forums/search.php?searchid=98324[/URL]

and I haven't edited the original honest.;)

And if it doesn't work this time I'll sue Dave! :mad:

I'd stay away from lawyers for the moment Trulli.. 'cus with that link.. you'd have to sue yourself! :D

:) :)

Well it works for me and I have a very good lawyer, he's Italian. ;)

Ok, sussed it, it doesn't like search links only thread links, I think or somink! :confused:

The best ones always are.. 'cus they lead everyone round in circles.. just like that link! ;)

:) :)

Bit like flies round a big pile of.......;)

Stones? Have they moved? We are gonna get shot.. again. :D

:) :)

[QUOTE=Karen]With the warmer weather on the way - I just wondered if anyone has any suggestions regarding flies. We live in the countryside and have farms nearby - this unfortunately means that when the weather warms up we are completely invaded by flies.:( This makes eating outside pure hell - are there any plants or creepers or suchlike that would act as a repellent to the flies ? We try burning those citrus things you can buy, and incense sticks but it doesnt help. We could buy one of those ultra blue lights that kind of frazzles them - but not sure if it would just attract a few thousand more ? Any suggestions very gratefully received

Karen[/QUOTE]

Bay leaves repel flies - used this last summer as we had a fly problem - only drawback is the leaves have to be fresh and that can be hard to secure in sufficient quantities (we had bunches at each door and in the windows - neighbours must have thought there was some religious significance to them...).

Thank you all for your replies - now just have to decide which one to try first :) I liked the bags of vinegar - that surely must repel even the most determined flies !
Karen

I just bought some venus fly trap seeds from jungleseeds.com,

go for the Basil - every Summer I put a basil plant on the window ledge and despite liviing in semi rural area (sheep but no cows) the flies never make it indoors. Apparently geraniums under the windows keep the flies. mossies etc away - certainly seems to do for us

...or two.

But not just an average, run-of-the-mill mallard. What you want is [URL="http://journeytoforever.org/farm_poultry.html"]Muscovy ducks[/URL].

As the article I've linked to there explains, Muscovys (sometimes called Barbary ducks) are a very odd sort of duck: they don't need a pond, they prefer to roost in trees and, most importantly in this context, they specialise in eating flying critters.

I've not been able to find it, but I read years ago a cute story by someone who kept Muscovys because they had a riding stable and a horrendous fly problem. Apparently it was normal for them to find ducks perched on the walls of the horse stalls snapping flies out of the air as they zoomed past.

They're also real characters, don't require much care, produce tasty eggs and are good to eat.

Matter of opinion, of course, but I think they sound a bit more interesting than a wilting pot of basilico or a bag of vinegar.

Al

What a brill website, I wonder if this breed of duck can be found in Italy,when bird flu panic has gone I am hoping to get some chickens, and would love to have ducks as well, If anyone knows where to find them!! thanks

[QUOTE=herealready], I wonder if this breed of duck can be found in Italy,[/QUOTE]

I've tried in the dictionary, altavista & google, and wordreference.com, but I can't seem to find the tranlsation for Muscovy Duck. In my very old dictionary it gives 'anatra muschiata' . Anyone know the correct italian term for it ?
Karen

[quote=AllanMason]...or two.

But not just an average, run-of-the-mill mallard. What you want is [URL="http://journeytoforever.org/farm_poultry.html"]Muscovy ducks[/URL].

As the article I've linked to there explains, Muscovys (sometimes called Barbary ducks) are a very odd sort of duck: they don't need a pond, they prefer to roost in trees and, most importantly in this context, they specialise in eating flying critters.

I've not been able to find it, but I read years ago a cute story by someone who kept Muscovys because they had a riding stable and a horrendous fly problem. Apparently it was normal for them to find ducks perched on the walls of the horse stalls snapping flies out of the air as they zoomed past.

They're also real characters, don't require much care, produce tasty eggs and are good to eat.

Matter of opinion, of course, but I think they sound a bit more interesting than a wilting pot of basilico or a bag of vinegar.

Al[/quote]

We had Muscovy ducks on the farm when I was a kid, so cute when Mum and all her little trail of ducklings followed. One problem though, the fox eat them all! :mad:

[QUOTE=Karen]I've tried in the dictionary, altavista & google, and wordreference.com, but I can't seem to find the tranlsation for Muscovy Duck. In my very old dictionary it gives 'anatra muschiata' . Anyone know the correct italian term for it ?
Karen[/QUOTE]

Hmmmm... Should have thought about that point.

The official name for the wild Muscovy is [I]Cairina moschata[/I].

So I suspect your very old dictionary might be right. Have you tried looking under "Barbary duck"? (Or maybe "Barbarie"?)

Funny, really. The poor birds end up being called "Musky ducks" in Italy when they aren't particularly smelly. So the italian name seems to have been based on a mis-hearing of their english name. And nobody is sure how they ended up being called "Muscovy" in english. What is certain is that they come from nowhere near Moscow.

As far as their availability in Italy, I'd be as interested as you in hearing where you might pick up some, but they are definitely known. The first hit after Googling "Cairina moschata Italy" is an abstract from some scientific paper about an outbreak of a disease in a flock of Muscovy ducks near Treviso. (Not flu, by the way. ;) )

I guess there must be poultry markets where small farmers buy stock? Well, in normal times, anyway...

A case of wandering around with a picture, maybe?

Al

EDIT:

Ah, I've found the study I was looking for. If you want to know a lot about Muscovys, here's [URL="http://darwin.nap.edu/books/030904295X/html/125.html"]an extract from a book on "microlivestock".[/URL]

All interesting stuff -- if you're interested in Muscovys -- but, in the context of this thread, this is what I was looking for:

"The Muscovy is a voracious omnivore that is particulary fond of insects. For years, some Canadian farmers have sworn that a few muscovies took care of all fly problems on their farms. In 1989, Ontario biologists Gordon Surgeoner and Barry Glofcheskie decided to put this to the test.

"Starting with laboratory trials, the entomologists first put a hungry five-week old muscovy into a screened cage with 400 living houseflies. Within an hour it had eaten 326. Later, they placed four muscovies in separate cages containing 100 flies each. Within 30 minutes over 90 percent of the insects were gone. It took flypaper, fly traps and bait cards anywhere from 15 to 86 hours to suppress the population that much.

"Moving to field tests, the researchers placed pairs of two-year-old muscovies on several Ontario farms. Videotapes showed the birds snapping at houseflies and biting insects about every 30 seconds and being successful on 70 percent of their attempts. With that efficiency, they achieved 80-90 percent in enclosures such as calf rooms or piggeries. The birds were given only water and had to scavenge for all their food. Females seemed to eat about 10 percent more than males, and individuals of any age between eight days and two years were equally effective."

Thanks for all that information Allan - I really appreciate it and will definitely look into the matter further. They certainly sound interesting creatures and you never know - maybe we'll start a Muscovy Duck craze :)
Karen
ps: I looked in my old dictionary under Barbary, but couldnt find anything. I might ask around at work tomorrow - make a pleasant change from discussing the present perfect continuous - which is the bane of my life !

Allan
Just found this site - they seem to call them Anatra Muta o Anatra Barberia. the site if you want to have a look is : [url]http://www.agraria.org/anatre/anatramuta.htm[/url]
Karen

[QUOTE=Karen]Allan
Just found this site - they seem to call them Anatra Muta o Anatra Barberia. the site if you want to have a look is : [url]http://www.agraria.org/anatre/anatramuta.htm[/url]
Karen[/QUOTE]

Excellent! Well done finding that.

And what handsome beasts they are, in a weird, wattly sort of way.

Interesting how dark the ones pictured there are. All the other photos I've seen suggest they tend to be mainly white with bits of black plummage.

Al