How To GET RID of Cluster Flies

I noticed a strange smell in our attic space, and then realised we had a HUGE infestation of cluster flies. In this video I will show you how I eliminate them, and explain how and why they can create major problems if they enter your home.
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[@RagnBoneBrown]

Smoke Bombs: amzn.to/4g8Cw5X (Amazon UK) geni.us/omHVb (Amazon Worldwide) Want to be a CONTENT CREATOR like me? I have an online Content Creator Course - featuring 2 hours of content covering video ideas, thumbnails and titles, monetisation, filming, editing, FAQs, sponsors, earnings and loads more! Includes exclusive access to a forum where you can share ideas or ask for help, advice or feedback from a community of other video creators. Available now at bit.ly/b_h_c_c_c

[@Cornz38]

Insecticide smoke bombs are crap. Use a Lodi ONE SHOT spray.

[@AlanWilliams-ql6dg]

I had the very same problem in the attic of a 105 year old cottage back in 1994. I sprayed Cuprinol woodworm killer (which I was using at the time) in the air, and shut the hatch. Next day thousands of dead flies. Result. They never returned in the 5 years that I continued living there.

[@elchimpo9590]

Your videos are so entertaining, time just flies right by watching them 🤪

[@RagnBoneBrown]

🤣

[@bridgetcastle7102]

Thanks Keith! Have this problem - now have a solution!

[@dan.w.hoover2556]

Oh, the glamour of home ownership! Thanks for sharing

[@RagnBoneBrown]

Thanks for watching!

[@suecox2308]

I live in a Grade II listed building with extensive attic spaces and a cluster fly population from the local farms. Apparently the best way to eliminate them is to treat your attic spaces twice a year--in the early winter (November) and again in the spring (around April.) This gets the first group as they enter your home to hibernate for the winter, and the second group when they wake up to start their migration outside again.

[@jbclassics]

I also had this problem! We had an old slate roof with the lime mortar torching underneath. We recently replaced the roof, when it was being stripped off you could see the cluster flies inbetween the slates! No wonder they were difficult to get rid of. The slates and mortar torching was protecting them from the smoke. Even though we have a new roof we have still been using the smoke bombs. However we do not come across as many as we used too. Just one or two at certain times of the year....

[@antking8847]

Welcome to rural living. I always use these every year. I usually light these and then vacate the house for a good couple of hours.

[@eggycat]

This video helped me realise what I had to deal with when we bought our house around 6 years ago. We now only get a few every summer returning but originally there were hundreds.

[@Wordsnwood]

I'm trying to think of a "Lord Of The Flies" joke, but I feel like I'm buzzing around in circles.

[@liliofthewest]

Love the Mickey and Hazel inserts White you explain the issue ❤❤😂

[@christinekane6059]

What a brilliant idea, and I was cringing at the volume of dead flies between takes 😳. You certainly deserve a decent drink after those ordeals. But hats off to you for sharing this information, and your various demonstrations to prove patience is a virtue ❤

[@helenhammond926]

We had cluster flies in our loft too. We did the smoke bomb like you, but also bought a battery powered insecticide dispenser. It puffs out insecticide at regular intevals over several weeks. Killing any stragglers that return. Because its battery powered, I wasnt so worried about the fire risk. It is an annual task unfortunately, but we get much fewer flies now than we did at the start.

[@RagnBoneBrown]

That's a great solution. Thanks for sharing

[@richardelsdon2027]

I’ve had these. A 1900’s house with slate roof and no backing. Bombarded the loft with serious fly spray. We had THOUSANDS! Literal bucket fulls. If you kill them all there are no generations to return, so you’ll only get odd random new visitors. After 5 or 6 years we find a few dozen in the Xmas decorations or anything stored up there. But harmless as you say, they fly away when brought into the house.

[@michaelwillson6847]

Nice to see you back Keith even if it is with a fly video 🤣🤣 hopefully problem is solved. Just think your no longer vacuuming your ceiling it's now vacuuming the loft bet not many do that 🤦👍🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

[@RagnBoneBrown]

Ha ha! Thanks Michael

[@michaelwillson6847]

@@RagnBoneBrown no worries mate I'll catch up with you next week need couple thing's you may be able help me with

[@andyc972]

Thanks Keith, sorry that you had this to deal with, not something I'd come across, but good to know, I've used smoke bombs for greenhouse pests before and they are very effective ! We are like you in a rural setting so will be keeping an eye out for this, as you say it's very hard to entirely seal your property even assuming you want to !

[@malibugrove]

I love the look given at 1:51. Oh so that's my job is it?

[@ow50s4]

Had a similar issue a few years back and despite treating them with a smoke bomb they kept on re-appearing. I also keep chickens and one of the remedies for keeping mites at bay is using a lavender and eucalyptus oil spray (insects do not like it) so I sprayed some around the attic after I had bombed the flies and they have never come back. It also covers up the rather nasty smoke bomb smell. I do an annual top-up every spring before the fly hatch just in case.

[@MCsCreations]

Really interesting indeed, Keith! I've never seen something like that! 😮 But I'm happy it seems to work! Stay safe there with your family! 🖖😊

[@athenarocar]

Thank you for showing this. I know its not glamorous to watch and probably film, but I hope someone is able to use the information to solve their problems. Home ownership is not all fun, especially when you need to deal with the not so fun bits. I live in rural USA, we had -15°F temps this week and my septic tank froze. It killed all the bacteria in the tank, and no longer pumps. I had the fun task of digging the lids out of frozen ground, for access to fix the dousing tank pump. After 2 days of concrete blankets and a kerosene heater I finally got it dug out. Looking like just a cracked pvc pipe. A few bottles of septic microbs will restart the biological process. Who tells homeowners that they can expect to do this kind of stuff? And yes, cluster flies are not fun... i have a few hanging around but a fly swatter is enough to take care of them. I recommend hanging a fly tape or 2 in the peaks for help identifying a growing problem or to help control them. No electricity needed and you can leave them up long term.

[@minimanjos84]

DISGUSTING but very useful video! Got this in my grandparents house currently, didn't even know cluster flies were a thing. Thanks!

[@lindacsmith13]

wow, that is very interesting to know they come back because of a scent they leave. I get them once a year in my kitchen windows. I wonder if there's a natural oil you could use to disguise their scent. I know I've used peppermint because I get mice on occasion. Good luck and let us know if they come back.

[@jammymukka]

We had them in an old house…. perhaps not the smartest idea, but I just strapped a mask on (with charcoal filters), can of fly spray in each hand, and then squirt like Hell all around the loft. Hadn’t really thought through suddenly finding myself in the centre of a huge black cloud of flies… and having to scamper down the loft ladder and shut the hatch sharpish… but it worked. Fly massacre! 1000’s and 1000’s of the things!! Was all set to carry out a more sensible approach the following year/s, but they never came back :-)

[@bis0nat0r]

I’ve had a handful of flies in my loft space previously, it’s a ‘new build’ (2012) and you’re right, no way to block up the gaps. I had minimal numbers compared to yours. I used same smoke bombs as you and it seems to knock them back. They’re reasonably cheap so probably something worth doing each year regardless. I agree on the theory of their entry point, my roof vents along the ridge, and I also think they seem to prefer being higher up the roof rather than the shallower eaves, fly preference I guess.

[@RagnBoneBrown]

Yeah it certainly seems that they like to be at the higher points, strangely 👍

[@shaun30-3-mg9zs]

Hi Keith, Lets hope thats the end of those cluster flies, my brother had a similar problem about 6-7 years ago he used these smoke bombs and haven't come back my brother lives cross away from fields and some times there's sheep or cattle grazing in the spring and summer months, hope it works out for you. Good to see you on Dean's ( Woodworking Journey ) live stream last night. Take care

[@JoeGP]

we have these Thermopan windows made out of plastic that have a bunch of air pockets inside for insolation, and to prevent condensation they have a few small drain holes, well those are were the cluster flies hibernated and even though the windows seal super well they still got into the house, in the spring when they wake up the worst rooms had like 100 them. I solved it by stuffing those drain wholes with leftover metal insect mesh.

[@straylightc4b]

We had cluster flies in our home in rural Italy. After clearing, we left flypapers up, and they seem to manage the issue. Although unsightly, it is not like you decorate the loft for company.

[@marchu50]

Nice video

[@chriswykes2319]

I thought as soon as you lit it had you turned of the piv system 😂😂

[@RagnBoneBrown]

That would have been the sensible thing to do - hopefully I remember to do that if there is a "next time"!

[@duncanreed2391]

Been there, done that, got the t-shirt. Did mine about 5 years ago, still get the occasional few each year but not enough to warranty more bombs. Well I actually used the aerosol version. Still on my todo list to put mesh over the soffits. But I also never identified any obvious entry or exit point.

[@RagnBoneBrown]

Thanks, interesting to hear from someone who's been through this!

[@bigpete4227]

That was a very quick video Keith.! Well, I suppose time...😊

[@adam-qf2vz]

Thanks for that ....a really helpful video for me.....where I live they infest the double glazing through the air vents..... I cleared out the bathroom window and there were hundreds inside the plastic of the frame.....Sprayed with flyspray and a tube then watched them evacuate.......its horrble to know they are swarming inside.

[@johnseabrook1703]

We had them when we first moved into our house. They were very docile, so took the hoover and sucked them all up. Haven’t returned in eight years.

[@becca1927]

I would suggest buying/hiring one of those smoke machines and full the attic with the smoke to find the gaps

[@Pete.Ty1]

👍👍👍. Thanks Keith

[@shabbysuse7821]

I've been dealing with cluster flies in my loft for 20 years, ever since I moved in. I find them impossible to get rid of completely and have just resorted to treating them with the smoke bombs twice a year. Their pheromones are so strong. that they just appear every year. They annoy the hell out of me but I've just learnt to live with them, they do get into the house sometimes, always seeking out sunny windows! I just keep a handheld vacuum ready and get rid of them that way. Problem is I can't manage to get into the loft, anymore to vacuum them up.

[@adamraksi1222]

Have you considered running an ozone generator for a few hours?

[@torque9889]

Buzzing vid, almost flew under the radar.

[@darrenmackenzie1892]

I always remember as an apprentice I was in a old farm house and had to go into a tiny loft space and the light that shines into the loft I could see the loft ceiling was a glossy shimmering of flys... It was something from a horror movie

[@TheTbub]

I had cluster flies a few years ago in the attic, got the hover out and haven't had an issue since.

[@paddy8391]

Guys give you some great advise, lemon incense sticks that can last from 15 minutes up to 2 hours, I do my attic/roof cavity once a week. Under stand where the ash of the incense stick will fall.. I allow the ash to fall on the man hole MDF board lid, never had a problem. (do not use incense stick in windy weather in attic/roof cavity). I carefully light the stick at the man hole and put in a small solid pot planter full of sand, only do my incense sticks in complete calm weather late at night or early in the morning. be safe and it works,

[@dalius98]

Might want to try ozone generators to destroy leftover pheromones. I know first hand ozone "kills" odors very well, and a quick google search suggest it might work on insect pheromones. Ozone generators are pretty cheap to buy in a DIY kit form from Asia.

[@ChrisYoung-w2x]

Lovely tiles on the roof covered in mortar 😮

[@Woodwork-Learner]

We used to use similar smoke bombs a few years ago in my works large greenhouse. The smoke used to last an hour or so and the smell for a couple of days. They might have been different but they produced a lot of smoke very quickly so yours may have worked correctly. The fumes were definitely not good for your health lol. Yep first time I saw them being used I thought the place was on fire 🤣

[@mags8014]

Oh dear, lucky you! Those cluster flies are horrible, aren’t they. I hope you managed to put them off, it’d be a pain for this to become a regular loft clean.

[@PabloBD]

I was screaming at the screen dont' forget to turn of the fan! Glad to see decent amount of cats.

[@Pistol_Knight]

I used those for months, never timed how long they burnt for but the killed quite a few but still had some hanging on it there, I should have done it again a few weeks later because of moths hatching, gonna do it again this spring as I'm hoping they will be dormant this time of year

[@lafamillecarrington]

We have the same problem (in rural Cambridgeshire), and have had professional pest controllers in. We were told that there is no point using the smoke bombs before the first frost as they will keep coming in. We still get infestations pretty much every year, and the aftermath of the smoke bomb is exactly as you show it! Not nice.

[@yttanel]

Having an issue with them relaxing near my window, incredibly frustrating 😅

[@drewdig]

Is it worth putting something like Citronella in the loft space to try and deter them from coming back?

[@ewanp1396]

Could I ask what portable vacuum that is? Looking for a good car vac - looks like that is working off a 18v battery

[@lazygardens]

The fumigating smoke bombs you add water to are "da bomb!" I used them for cockroach and flea control in rental properties. It can be pretty gross when you realize how many roaches were hiding.

[@RagnBoneBrown]

Thanks I'll look them up

[@gratnak8618]

Are these smokes available in EU?

[@jamiegleave7620]

I get these. I fitted a UV zapper and I just switch it on an hour before going it. All dead.

[@Cornz38]

Take a can of fly spray, put a rubber band round the nozzle so the can discharges without you pressing the nozzle. Let one of those discharge. MAKE SURE YOU HAVE NO OPEN WATER CONTAINERS.

[@billykerridge8719]

Bout bloody time....think I've watched half of your old videos (that ive already watched) waiting for a new upload! lol

[@THE-AIDEN-PROJECT]

😂

[@PrinceFluffy]

Great job, sadly they will be back next year 🤷

[@geoffreycoan]

If they do come back, maybe put a radio up there as they like warm quiet places. You could experiment with what radio station deters the most flies, probably BBC Norfolk 😂

[@richsmart321]

7m41 - can you tell me what that was under your tiles? we have sparrows nesting on one side of the house and starlings on the other and this looks like a good way to fix

[@RagnBoneBrown]

Comb filler 👍

[@OneWayPendulum]

Do give the sparrows a nest box (often come as group of 3 boxes, since they nest in groups) .. I’d bet sparrows are fond of insects around ground level, such as cluster flies…

[@JohnColgan.]

Its a horrible feeling walking i to a room/space with so many flies. Our campervan got infested while in storage, mostly dead by the time we found them, vacuumed them up but the ex never wNted to use the van again, sold it

[@gregp1707]

I’ve had these in my loft for the last 3 years. We live near an old farm. Had professional pest control the first time and 6 months later the flies were back. Bought those smoke bombs and they did the trick. I now smoke bomb my loft 2 or 3 times a year just to make sure as they keep coming back, and this way they don’t build up, making a mess when you kill them. The bombs also kill wasps and spiders so additional benefits. Always a job isn’t there!

[@cuddlybear4524]

Tip: Put the cats in your thumbnails. You'll get more views.

[@ashleystringer7531]

Hi Ashley, hire a good video. I have a bungo and I know know where to check for bugs in my loft I notice you are a Milwaukee fan. You should contact Milwaukee tools because Milwaukee have new random orbit sanders 12v and 18 v out cordless and it'd be interesting video as .

[@leighspeck3585]

Ducting in your loft should be insulated to stop moisture forming in duct…

[@BillsCountrysideAdventures]

Easier method, fly zapper on extension lead, then hoover, do for few seasons and they don't come back 😊

[@RagnBoneBrown]

I mention in the video I was not fond of that option, fire risk 👍

[@BibBinkerton]

Given that you have to vacuum them up anyway, why not use a vacuum to get the live flies without pumping poison into your house? Get a wet-dry vac, put water and washing up liquid in it, turn it on and suck the flies up. They’re slow moving and cluster together, so it shouldn’t be too hard plus you can leave the vacuum running with the nozzle taped to their favourite areas to catch stragglers while you go and do something else.

[@RagnBoneBrown]

Because you'll never get them all... It's obvious

[@BibBinkerton]

@ Doesn’t seem obvious at all. They’re slow, cluster together, and are attracted to light. The vacuum routine works great for wasps which are much faster (but also have an entrance to their nest to target). I think you place too low a value on keeping your home toxin-free and not hitting other wildlife in the crossfire. If they come back, I just ask that you spend at least a few minutes trying the shop vac method before reaching for the bombs. You might be surprised. I’m pretty sure you’ll get most of them directly and the stragglers by leaving a light on and the vacuum on with the nozzle pointing at the light.

[@RagnBoneBrown]

Good luck with that

[@davipip]

Cluster F... Flies !

[@RagnBoneBrown]

🤣

[@eduardouk]

anyone at 4:33 thinking hope he turns of the ventilation system hehe?

[@petemoring67]

Don't You just LOVE! Karma?? 😂😂

[@vandammesque]

It is Friday and Keith is hosting his disco night! Get down on the dance floor - shabba! kzbin.info/www/bejne/aYHdk5iIrLeMh68

[@RagnBoneBrown]

🤣🤣🤣🕺

[@mikeoneill5456]

No flies on you, eh, Keith lol

[@richardmoss9188]

Bad joke about robs works. If I didn’t know I’d take it as flys love 💩

[@RagnBoneBrown]

I hope it was obvious that I wasn't calling Robin's work shit!!!

[@richardmoss9188]

@@RagnBoneBrown I know that but if you wasn’t a regular viewer that how I would interpret the joke

[@RagnBoneBrown]

🤦‍♂️

[@theredpanther-altliving]

Pretty fly for a white guy!

[@allthegearuk]

Shame the motar on the hip time have stained your roof. You give trades one job.

[@RagnBoneBrown]

Yeah we were disappointed too.. not sure how that even happens to be honest

[@doubleedgedsword6352]

Dangly fly paper mate. Appreciate that's not 'humane', but, they are flies, and it's not like their demise is any worse than nerve gassing them.

[@karenmitchell6814]

Yuck. The flies, the trays AND the vacuum are all going in the trash for me. 😬🤢

[@ndwil]

Smoking kills 😉

[@ShieTar_]

"Ventilation removes moisture from the air" only applies if anything adds moisture to the air. I think you are somewhat oversimplifying the situation here, but you may of course still be right about the majority of situations you have experienced by yourself. But fundamentally, if you can make a space immune to intrusion of air, the moisture and fly problems will go away as well. And immune to intrusion doesn't always have to mean air-tight, you can also get there with a space that is guaranteed to have a bit of over-pressure pressing out through a small enough opening.

[@DT-dc4br]

The moisture isn't from outside, it's from the rooms below and the inevitable escape of warmer, moisture laden air.

[@RagnBoneBrown]

Agreed 👍

[@cobberpete1]

You need to pay a visit to Australia during Summer. You could carry an extra Kg, on your back, just walking around 🪰🪰 🤣😂