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Stopping the source only sure way to beat flies

Question: My husband and I spend four months away from the valley during the summer. When we returned in late September, we could not believe the number of flies in our yard, and, because we are used to leaving our doors open, in our house. Has anyone else noticed this proliferation?

I would suggest, however, that somewhere, someone may be using a source of compost or manure products that are attracting flies. The best advice I can give that is safest is to find out what is attracting them and where and address the problem there. If you do not do it this way and simply spray to control flies or use some sort of sticky trap, you will not solve the problem but just work on the symptoms of a problem.

Bob Morris is a professor emeritus in horticulture with the University of Nevada and can be reached at extremehort@aol.com. Visit his blog at xtremehorticulture.blogspot.com.

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