The Fly War

One day last week-ish we came home to find flies in our kitchen. Not 2 or 3 flies as if someone left the back door open. More like 40+ flies having a party we weren't invited to. Brian grabbed the fly swatter and I got the vacuum with the hose attachment.

The next day we came home and there were as many, if not more, again in our kitchen. Where are they coming from!?! We thought we got them all. But to be sure we put up some fly paper (gross) and thought we'd try an old home remedy of sugar water with a funnel in it so they can't get out. Neither worked. We got more flies. You know what works? A 3 year old with a fly swatter who likes to smash things.

It was like they were hatching from somewhere inside the house. Yes. Hatching. I found pupa along and underneath the baseboards in my kitchen and eggs under the dog's water bowl. Turns out that Caleb was playing with a cardboard box in the yard and left it there for a few days. Brian brought it in to recycle it and there were little dots all over it that no one noticed until we went on the hunt for the source of the flies. They got into the water dish and then migrated to the baseboards to morph into flies.

After scrubbing the dog dish and surrounding area with bleach, vacuuming and scrubbing the baseboards and arming my son with a fly swatter in each hand I think we finally won the fly war.