I've posted to another group about this but thought I would post here anyway
since the "shop" is for woodworking. It sounds funny but when you spend
several nights after work sanding & getting the final details right only to
have pieces instantly messed up from flies, it's not so humorous except in
the "pulling your hair out" funny.
I live next to about 400 acres of pasture with cattle on it. Annoyingly,
the fellow leasing the land stores and rolls out the hay bales in the winter
immediately next to the part of the fence closest to our house; probably 100
yards or so from my shop. He never rotates the cows out of this field and
when you look over there you see more brown than green grass. The first few
years I lived here the previous owner rotated the cows around different
fields and I don't remember there being so many flies. Now, however, they
are everywhere in/on, around my shop, year round. The tractor, windows,
door, everything gets covered in droppings, and I have all but given up on
woodworking as the flies ruin finished pieces with their little black dots
faster than I can cover pieces to protect them. I can't keep them out of my
24x24 shop, nor get them out once they're in there.
I can't imagine that I'm the only one that lives next to a cowfield & flies
and trying to do woodworking. Is there any way to alleviate this short of
moving? I've heard of some kind of spray you put on the outside of barns
etc., but not at this time of year. Flypaper works, but they still leave
droppings even when stuck to the paper. Are bug bombs my only solution? I'm
ready to quit woodworking for all the hassle cleaning up the crap even
before I get started! Do bug zappers work?
Help!
"Dukester" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> As an aside, has anyone tried a full size garage screen door like this?
>
> http://tinyurl.com/55aap (link to Northern Tool product)
>
It should work OK. At work we had a bug problems as we do some jobs for
pharmaceutical companies. We made a frame of 2 x 3s and covered it with
screening. It sits in the door opening and the door closes down on it to
hold it in place. It must be moved, unlike this one, but it was cheap and
worked.
Have you looked up in your attic lately?
--
Rumpty
Radial Arm Saw Forum: http://forums.delphiforums.com/woodbutcher/start
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
"Dukester" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I've posted to another group about this but thought I would post here
anyway
> since the "shop" is for woodworking. It sounds funny but when you spend
> several nights after work sanding & getting the final details right only
to
> have pieces instantly messed up from flies, it's not so humorous except in
> the "pulling your hair out" funny.
>
> I live next to about 400 acres of pasture with cattle on it. Annoyingly,
> the fellow leasing the land stores and rolls out the hay bales in the
winter
> immediately next to the part of the fence closest to our house; probably
100
> yards or so from my shop. He never rotates the cows out of this field and
> when you look over there you see more brown than green grass. The first
few
> years I lived here the previous owner rotated the cows around different
> fields and I don't remember there being so many flies. Now, however, they
> are everywhere in/on, around my shop, year round. The tractor, windows,
> door, everything gets covered in droppings, and I have all but given up on
> woodworking as the flies ruin finished pieces with their little black dots
> faster than I can cover pieces to protect them. I can't keep them out of
my
> 24x24 shop, nor get them out once they're in there.
>
> I can't imagine that I'm the only one that lives next to a cowfield &
flies
> and trying to do woodworking. Is there any way to alleviate this short of
> moving? I've heard of some kind of spray you put on the outside of barns
> etc., but not at this time of year. Flypaper works, but they still leave
> droppings even when stuck to the paper. Are bug bombs my only solution?
I'm
> ready to quit woodworking for all the hassle cleaning up the crap even
> before I get started! Do bug zappers work?
>
> Help!
>
>
>
Living in the wonderful diary state I have learned there are many things you
can do to keep the pests away.
1) Screens n such as posted above... nuff said
2) In Wi there seems to be a fair amount o beer drinking and brat eating
out in the shop, watch where those cans and garbage are stored.
3) Attract the things that love to eat flies. Make a few of your next
projects bird and bat houses. I was amazed at what several bat house did for
us Those little flyin rats eat several times there body weight in bugs
daily.
4) Don't do anything to piss off the farmer, You don't need to start seeing
the manure spreader showing up on top of the current problem. You're in the
country try cooling down a six pack go find the guy and lean on the fence n
chat him up. Who knows what a little friendly communication might do for
you...
5) Depending on the shop, whole house fans do a pretty cool thing, they
sorta pressurize the house as they move air through so the drafts are
pushing out making it more difficult for the little buggers to get in...
Knothead
"Guess who" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> On Wed, 23 Mar 2005 07:48:32 -0600, "Dukester"
> <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> >I've posted to another group about this but thought I would post here
anyway
> >since the "shop" is for woodworking. It sounds funny but when you spend
> >several nights after work sanding & getting the final details right only
to
> >have pieces instantly messed up from flies, it's not so humorous except
in
> >the "pulling your hair out" funny.
>
> I live in the country. They don't get messed up "instantly".
In my case it was "in an instant". I took the pieces I was working on out to
the shop (after keeping them in the house overnight), set them down on a
table to fetch a bottle of glue, walked back and had a dozen black dots on
the most prominent part of a desktop case - the top. It took another hour
to clean this up by sanding & resanding.
Point well taken about screens and covering up however.
As an aside, has anyone tried a full size garage screen door like this?
http://tinyurl.com/55aap (link to Northern Tool product)
"Larry Jaques" <novalidaddress@di\/ersify.com> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> On Wed, 23 Mar 2005 07:48:32 -0600, the inscrutable "Dukester"
> <[email protected]> spake:
>
> >I can't imagine that I'm the only one that lives next to a cowfield &
flies
> >and trying to do woodworking. Is there any way to alleviate this short
of
> >moving? I've heard of some kind of spray you put on the outside of barns
> >etc., but not at this time of year. Flypaper works, but they still leave
> >droppings even when stuck to the paper. Are bug bombs my only solution?
I'm
>
> So don't hang fly strips directly over your work area. (Duh!)
>
> I have cattle in my valley (100+) and next door (5) but dont have too
> many flies if I'm careful in open doors. I bought screen door hinges
> and need to get 2 doors made before the weather gets too nice this
> spring.
>
> Bug bombs chance staining the wood. Use screens, screen doors, pest
> spray on the door and screens outside, and just be careful to get the
> doors shut immediately after you open them. A high-velocity fan on the
> doorway keeps flies at bay, too, like the air curtains at grocery
> stores.
>
>
> >ready to quit woodworking for all the hassle cleaning up the crap even
> >before I get started! Do bug zappers work?
>
> Or try this: put a spitcoat of shellac on every piece BEFORE machining
> the boards. That way the flyshit doesn't stick or stain if some of the
> blighters -do- get in.
>
>
> ========================================================
> Was that an African + http://www.diversify.com
> or European Swallow? + Gourmet Web Applications
> ========================================================
On Wed, 23 Mar 2005 16:57:47 -0500, J. Clarke <[email protected]> wrote:
> Morris Dovey wrote:
>
>> [email protected] wrote:
>>
>>> move the hay to the other side of the field.
>>
>> Time for another trebuchet thread...
>
> Nahh, that would be moving the _cows_ to the other side of the field. Or
> county depending on how big you want to build.
Couldn't you be ticketed for a mooving violation for something like that?
Edwin Pawlowski wrote:
>
...in reply to...
> > Do bug zappers work?
> >
> Moths, yes. Most other bugs, no. They won't help with flies or mosquitoes.
> They can also attract more bugs than they kill.
They're quite effective in reducing total numbers but you don't want the
zapper directly in the shop/area you're protecting, just nearby...but,
as you correctly, note, they don't do much at all for flies except the
one that just happens to fly by since they're not attracted by light.
Pheronome baits can help some but they're expensive...
Edwin Pawlowski wrote:
>
> "Duane Bozarth" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> >
> > They're quite effective in reducing total numbers but you don't want the
> > zapper directly in the shop/area you're protecting, just nearby...
>
> I though mine worked great until the bulb burned out. The damned thing was
> attracting more bugs than it zapped. It won't be replaced.
We keep two--one in the yard about 50 ft or so from the front door and
another about the same distance from the front of the barn...they make a
<big> difference in the number of critters around the two areas we're
protecting...if/when bulb goes it's quite obvious on numbers around/in
the house, for example. About a every-other-month schedule w/ the
sprayer and Malathion specifically for the flies is a help, also.
Besides our own, there's a feedlot of moderate size (~5 to 7 k-head) 2
mi E and a mi N that keeps the population supplied...
The pheasant and quail around the house in the yard do a reasonable job
w/ the 'hoppers, etc., and the swallows make notable contributions to
the skeeters, but the flies and other similar beasties are always a
pita...particularly last year when it was much wetter than normal for
most of the summer.
IMO, YMMV, $0.02, etc., ...
Silvan wrote:
>
> Dukester wrote:
>
> > I live next to about 400 acres of pasture with cattle on it. Annoyingly,
> > the fellow leasing the land stores and rolls out the hay bales in the
>
> I grew up half a mile from a landfill in a house that didn't have air
> conditioning. I know all about flies.
>
> About all you can really do is minimize their access to your space. Seal it
> up tight and don't leave the door open for an instant longer than
> necessary. You might even think about airlocks or something.
>
> If you had money and resources, the best plan might be to have a chamber
> with some kind of hazmat suit you could don so you could open the outer
> door, enter the death chamber, spray the hell out of everything with some
> nasty fly killer, then evacuate the air from the chamber, doff the suit,
> and continue on into the shop.
>
> It sounds ridiculous, and it probably *is* completely impossible to do, but
> that's about all I can think of that would put and end to flies forever.
> No matter what you do, you're still going to get flies. I think they enjoy
> entering our spaces just to shit all over the things we cherish, as a way
> of reminding us that they're going to eat us some day. Through less
> extreme controls, you might still get the number down from hundreds to
> dozens though.
:) :(
As I noted in another response, we have our own small lots and are about
3 mi from a commercial feedlot w/ ~5-7,000 cattle on feed. There's an
inexhaustible supply. :(
While the flyspecks are a pita, they can be cleaned up--what is a real
mess is the residue left by the cutworm moth that winters over as the
worm in the winter wheat and then starts a migration to the Rocky
Mountains during spring/early summer. They crawl into any conceivable
cranny to hide during daytime and leave a reddish/brown stain that
simply will not come out of anything porous...
On Wed, 23 Mar 2005 07:48:32 -0600, the inscrutable "Dukester"
<[email protected]> spake:
>Do bug zappers work?
Yes, but they don't smell very good indoors.
I forgot two things: don't eat or drink in the shop. It draws flies.
And make sure all your crevices are filled so they don't just waltz
right in through your protective barrier of screens.
========================================================
Was that an African + http://www.diversify.com
or European Swallow? + Gourmet Web Applications
========================================================
"Dukester" <[email protected]>
> I live next to about 400 acres of pasture with cattle on it. Annoyingly,
> the fellow leasing the land stores and rolls out the hay bales in the
> winter
> immediately next to the part of the fence closest to our house; probably
> 100
> yards or so from my shop.
One of our towns h ad serous fly infestations a couple of years ago. The
board of health was involved to try to stop it. YOumay have some help from
them if the guy is not doing thing right.
> Do bug zappers work?
>
Moths, yes. Most other bugs, no. They won't help with flies or mosquitoes.
They can also attract more bugs than they kill.
Dukester wrote:
> I live next to about 400 acres of pasture with cattle on it. Annoyingly,
> the fellow leasing the land stores and rolls out the hay bales in the
I grew up half a mile from a landfill in a house that didn't have air
conditioning. I know all about flies.
About all you can really do is minimize their access to your space. Seal it
up tight and don't leave the door open for an instant longer than
necessary. You might even think about airlocks or something.
If you had money and resources, the best plan might be to have a chamber
with some kind of hazmat suit you could don so you could open the outer
door, enter the death chamber, spray the hell out of everything with some
nasty fly killer, then evacuate the air from the chamber, doff the suit,
and continue on into the shop.
It sounds ridiculous, and it probably *is* completely impossible to do, but
that's about all I can think of that would put and end to flies forever.
No matter what you do, you're still going to get flies. I think they enjoy
entering our spaces just to shit all over the things we cherish, as a way
of reminding us that they're going to eat us some day. Through less
extreme controls, you might still get the number down from hundreds to
dozens though.
--
Michael McIntyre ---- Silvan <[email protected]>
Linux fanatic, and certified Geek; registered Linux user #243621
http://www.geocities.com/Paris/Rue/5407/
http://rosegarden.sourceforge.net/tutorial/
"Dukester" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> As an aside, has anyone tried a full size garage screen door like this?
>
I've noticed Norm had a soft screen door (for lack of a better description)
over the sliding door opening on some episodes...
John
On Wed, 23 Mar 2005 07:48:32 -0600, "Dukester"
<[email protected]> wrote:
>
>I can't imagine that I'm the only one that lives next to a cowfield & flies
>and trying to do woodworking. Is there any way to alleviate this short of
>moving? I've heard of some kind of spray you put on the outside of barns
>etc., but not at this time of year. Flypaper works, but they still leave
>droppings even when stuck to the paper. Are bug bombs my only solution? I'm
>ready to quit woodworking for all the hassle cleaning up the crap even
>before I get started! Do bug zappers work?
>
>Help!
>
>
When the pissants get nasty I run a box fan across the work and it
clears the little buggers out.
Thomas J. Watson - WoodDorker
tjwatson1ATcomcastDOTnet (real email)
http://home.comcast.net/~tjwatson1 (webpage)
On Wed, 23 Mar 2005 07:48:32 -0600, "Dukester"
<[email protected]> wrote:
>I've posted to another group about this but thought I would post here anyway
>since the "shop" is for woodworking. It sounds funny but when you spend
>several nights after work sanding & getting the final details right only to
>have pieces instantly messed up from flies, it's not so humorous except in
>the "pulling your hair out" funny.
>
>I live next to about 400 acres of pasture with cattle on it. Annoyingly,
>the fellow leasing the land stores and rolls out the hay bales in the winter
>immediately next to the part of the fence closest to our house; probably 100
>yards or so from my shop. He never rotates the cows out of this field and
>when you look over there you see more brown than green grass. The first few
>years I lived here the previous owner rotated the cows around different
>fields and I don't remember there being so many flies. Now, however, they
>are everywhere in/on, around my shop, year round. The tractor, windows,
>door, everything gets covered in droppings, and I have all but given up on
>woodworking as the flies ruin finished pieces with their little black dots
>faster than I can cover pieces to protect them. I can't keep them out of my
>24x24 shop, nor get them out once they're in there.
>
>I can't imagine that I'm the only one that lives next to a cowfield & flies
>and trying to do woodworking. Is there any way to alleviate this short of
>moving? I've heard of some kind of spray you put on the outside of barns
>etc., but not at this time of year. Flypaper works, but they still leave
>droppings even when stuck to the paper. Are bug bombs my only solution? I'm
>ready to quit woodworking for all the hassle cleaning up the crap even
>before I get started! Do bug zappers work?
>
>Help!
>
>
move the hay to the other side of the field.
Morris Dovey wrote:
> [email protected] wrote:
>
>> move the hay to the other side of the field.
>
> Time for another trebuchet thread...
Nahh, that would be moving the _cows_ to the other side of the field. Or
county depending on how big you want to build.
--
--John
to email, dial "usenet" and validate
(was jclarke at eye bee em dot net)
On Wed, 23 Mar 2005 07:48:32 -0600, the inscrutable "Dukester"
<[email protected]> spake:
>I can't imagine that I'm the only one that lives next to a cowfield & flies
>and trying to do woodworking. Is there any way to alleviate this short of
>moving? I've heard of some kind of spray you put on the outside of barns
>etc., but not at this time of year. Flypaper works, but they still leave
>droppings even when stuck to the paper. Are bug bombs my only solution? I'm
So don't hang fly strips directly over your work area. (Duh!)
I have cattle in my valley (100+) and next door (5) but dont have too
many flies if I'm careful in open doors. I bought screen door hinges
and need to get 2 doors made before the weather gets too nice this
spring.
Bug bombs chance staining the wood. Use screens, screen doors, pest
spray on the door and screens outside, and just be careful to get the
doors shut immediately after you open them. A high-velocity fan on the
doorway keeps flies at bay, too, like the air curtains at grocery
stores.
>ready to quit woodworking for all the hassle cleaning up the crap even
>before I get started! Do bug zappers work?
Or try this: put a spitcoat of shellac on every piece BEFORE machining
the boards. That way the flyshit doesn't stick or stain if some of the
blighters -do- get in.
========================================================
Was that an African + http://www.diversify.com
or European Swallow? + Gourmet Web Applications
========================================================
On Wed, 23 Mar 2005 07:48:32 -0600, "Dukester"
<[email protected]> wrote:
>I've posted to another group about this but thought I would post here anyway
>since the "shop" is for woodworking. It sounds funny but when you spend
>several nights after work sanding & getting the final details right only to
>have pieces instantly messed up from flies, it's not so humorous except in
>the "pulling your hair out" funny.
I live in the country. They don't get messed up "instantly". I and
my neighbour across the road do woodworking, and he lives on the old
family farm property, and the farm is run by his brother. What we do
is minimise by having built screen doors and windows [he looks right
out onto the pasture]. We also cover our work with an old sheet or
cloth when not working on it after sanding. When fresh-painted [I do
mine in the large garage area] I cover with a wood-frame, plastic
covered 'box', or put up a temporary frame and cover with plastic.
When finished, keep covered until in the home or sold.
There's a lot of woodworking done out in the countryside. Just use
some comon sense and a bit of extra time and material to cover your
work when leaving it. It's like precaustions other people take
because of dust.
[email protected] wrote:
> move the hay to the other side of the field.
Time for another trebuchet thread...
--
Morris Dovey
DeSoto Solar
DeSoto, Iowa USA
http://www.iedu.com/DeSoto/solar.html
"Duane Bozarth" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>
> They're quite effective in reducing total numbers but you don't want the
> zapper directly in the shop/area you're protecting, just nearby...
I though mine worked great until the bulb burned out. The damned thing was
attracting more bugs than it zapped. It won't be replaced.
[email protected] writes:
>move the hay to the other side of the field.
err... you mean "convince the lessor of the neighboring property to
move the hay... "
Other ideas:
Seal up as many holes as you are able to, and put out fly traps to
catch any that do get in.
tarp your projects when you leave at night.
Build an "inner room" with pvc and plastic sheeting for when you need
to let something dr overnight....
Lure the flies that do get in away from your project area with a bug zapper
Do you like living plants? how about venus fly traps or pitcher
plants?
Are pet lizards an option? ;)
--
be safe.
flip
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