Maggie’s Flys at the range...... found a horsefly trap

[hermosabeach]

Forgive me for being a California pussy.... my range is dry, almost desert conditions, and we have these little black flies that go for your eyes, nostrils and mouth for moisture.

Muzzle blast does not seem to bother them....

Anywho, while searching for traps, I came across this horsefly trap and figured some of you might be inflicted with Horseflys.... I would think glass would be better than plexiglass to keep clean and not get damaged by UV

 

[hermosabeach]

 

[TripleBull]

I put yellow-jacket traps up in the back yard. Die, you evil bastards!

 

[Sean the Nailer]

I put yellow-jacket traps up in the back yard. Die, you evil bastards!

Yes, we here have a continuous ongoing steady constant battle against those assholes with wings. My Lady and I are actually supporters of bees and bumble-bees, and hummingbirds and bats. So constant napalm strikes aren't exactly in the picture. Though there are times....

We put up the 'fake behive grey-bag thingys' and that definitely keeps the numbers down. If we do get a nest established anywhere, we use pyrethrin powder injected into the airstream of the outflow from our 5 hp shopvac. Instant slathering cloud of death with a non-burning Flamethrower effect! And we aren't breathing any of it at all.

It's all about "Selective Decimation" here, with Blanket Support for nearly everything else. And yes, we promote anything that eats mosquito's. Including acid. HA

 

[Rover31]

This works awesome for wasps and hornets. Might work on flies also.

 

[MtnCreek]

Put a small dab of honey off to the side of the target and take advantage of the natural resources.

 

[PDXGS]

+1 on the target + honey....free movers

 

[Bender]

Brake Cleaner or Starting fluid will kill them before they hit the ground like a marble with wings.... lol lots of fun...

 

[Spblademaker]

I have boring bees that think my shed tasted great. A teaspoon of salt down the barrel of a paintball gun knocks them out of the sky.

 

[MtnCreek]

I have boring bees that think my shed tasted great. A teaspoon of salt down the barrel of a paintball gun knocks them out of the sky.

There are traps for carpenter bees. Local feed stores around here sell them. It's a small wooden box with holes like a carpenter bee hole. The bottom funnels into a replaceable water bottle. The bees drop into the bottle and can't get back out. Works best in early spring.

 

[Sharpshooter3]

The best thing I have found to keep those little black flys away is vanilla spay. I just put it on my hat and they stay out of my face and ears. I use my wifes vanilla body spray all the guys over in our area us it works great.

 

[Unknown]

After unintentionally finding a nest of ground dwelling sweat bees (little yellow jacket relatives) with my gas powered weed whacker and getting a number of stings as my reward, I have started a lifelong vendetta against all those stinging bastards. Honey bees, and pollinators get a pass because they are non aggressive.

The least toxic solution that is effective:

Wait until after dark when all the bees are back underground. Put a bit of screen door screen over the opening so they can't get out. Cut a little X into the screen so you can dump about a cup of liquid dish soap down the hole. Then put your garden hose over the hole with a little bit of water going down the hole, over the soap... Let it run all night. Apparently once the soapy water touches the bees, it either kills them outright, or they can't fly right.

The next morning you can turn off the water and remove the screen. I had a few stragglers, but by afternoon nothing was coming out of the hole...they were graveyard dead and gone, and they never came back.

I like this one because it isn't toxic to my little dog, or wildlife like rabbits, deer, raccoons, etc.

Almost everyone knows that brake cleaner kills damned near any flying thing, but it is hard to hit horseflies on the move, and it is toxic to lots of other things too. I'm sure not above hitting an above ground yellow jacket nest with it though.

 

[Unknown]

In the above incident, when I went over the in ground sweat bee nest with the weed whacker, they came out in force. Because my face shield was so scratched up and had sweat dripping down it, I didn't see the swarm at first. My first thought was that the weed whacker threw some rocks against the fence and those rocks bounced back onto me causing the stinging...when they hit my back, the back of my head that wasn't facing the fence, all hell broke loose. Wife wondered why I was running around waving my arms and yelling like a frightened 3rd grade girl. I hate those bastards...almost as much as the spider that bit me in the taint..but that is a story for another thread.

 

[Sean the Nailer]

In the above incident, when I went over the in ground sweat bee nest with the weed whacker, they came out in force. Because my face shield was so scratched up and had sweat dripping down it, I didn't see the swarm at first. My first thought was that the weed whacker threw some rocks against the fence and those rocks bounced back onto me causing the stinging...when they hit my back, the back of my head that wasn't facing the fence, all hell broke loose. Wife wondered why I was running around waving my arms and yelling like a frightened 3rd grade girl. I hate those bastards...almost as much as the spider that bit me in the taint..but that is a story for another thread.

These 7 words come to mind:

Napalm, Flame-Thrower, and Belt-Fed Uzi