The size ref in the report says 'up to 8mm', Midge species are a bit like dogs, they're all dogs but that's anything from a Yorkie to a Great Dane. A house here had the same problem though the midges were always gathered in the upstairs east facing window presumably trying to get out There were no bark chippings anywhere near, nor orchids but there were house plants. In fact, a bit of a strange house as there was a rather neglected greenhouse attached directly at he west end and entered via the house. Those people have long gone now but I might enquire if the problem still exists
Thanks everyone. We are just about to go away for weekend but have move both orchids (the flowering one Edd is so gorgeous with zero signs of ill health and with around 40 beautiful flowers) and other plant elsewhere and will see how many flies are on the cills when we get back... Will report back but it certainly is a mystery! Thanks again so much. Julia
It does seem that the orchid theory (would have loved that to be the answer!) as you suggested earlier isn't the right one! We had just as many flies in all the usual places by the time we got back last night (hundreds of them as we hadn't been able to hoover up 5 times a day!) and, as you know, our flowering orchid shows zero signs of ill health. So it's been reinstated back on its usual cill before it complains and drops all its gorgeous flowers!
Not an old house Dovefromabove so no suspended floors! We have tried the apple cider vinegar traps and they went no where near them! I had four of them around the house and caught two in a week and I am sure that was only because they accidentally fell in! lol
Just in case anyway was wondering how our gall midge infestation was going.....
Having done some of the ideas above to see if they were breeding in the bark, it became obvious that they weren't there after all.
However, we think (hope) finally we may have found where they are! We didn't think for one second they could be coming down the chimney (would that have been an obvious option to anyone on the forum had I mentioned that we had one???) but a week ago we sealed up the fireplace as best we could, just on the off-chance, and, even though there are one or two flies around, lo and behold they have almost disappeared! We can't quite believe it and have no idea why they are up the chimney or how they got there.
Rentokill want to charge us £400 now to fumigate the chimney three times but we think that's a lot so are going to try and do something ourselves (Sulphur candle??) but if anyone has any great ideas, do let me know. Otherwise we may have to use Rentokill. We lit a few log fires over the winter (not many as it was so mild) but that didn't kill them off which I would have thought it would.
No there isn't pansyface! The chimney is in the middle of roof. I am also beginning to wonder whether in fact we are correct in thinking the chimney is the culprit as there are still a few flies around on the usual cills, but a 90% reduction for sure although a few more again over the last few days. So frustrating! I am wondering whether the ones now on the cills are just ones that got through the chimney before we sealed the fireplace up (two weeks ago) and are still alive and now flying to the window cills, but I don't now how long they live for? Does anyone know how long they live for and whether this could be the case? If they don't live more than a few days then we are back to square one, although very grateful for the reduction in numbers. Grrr.
is it possible to put some kind of sticky substance on the (chimney)side of what you have blocked it up with and in a week or two, see how many are stuck init then you will know for sure they are in there rather than they have just cleared off for weather reasons or something
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The size ref in the report says 'up to 8mm', Midge species are a bit like dogs, they're all dogs but that's anything from a Yorkie to a Great Dane. A house here had the same problem though the midges were always gathered in the upstairs east facing window presumably trying to get out There were no bark chippings anywhere near, nor orchids but there were house plants. In fact, a bit of a strange house as there was a rather neglected greenhouse attached directly at he west end and entered via the house. Those people have long gone now but I might enquire if the problem still exists
might be an idea to get a Drosera capensis, a cape sundew. I use mine to control all sorts of little flies I get around my houseplants
Hi everyone
It does seem that the orchid theory (would have loved that to be the answer!) as you suggested earlier isn't the right one! We had just as many flies in all the usual places by the time we got back last night (hundreds of them as we hadn't been able to hoover up 5 times a day!) and, as you know, our flowering orchid shows zero signs of ill health. So it's been reinstated back on its usual cill before it complains and drops all its gorgeous flowers!
We are going to try the bark trap next.....
Julia
Julia - just a thought - is yours an old house - does it have suspended wooden floors?
Sometimes various infestations can occur in the space under the floors.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Not an old house Dovefromabove so no suspended floors! We have tried the apple cider vinegar traps and they went no where near them! I had four of them around the house and caught two in a week and I am sure that was only because they accidentally fell in! lol
Hello everyone
Just in case anyway was wondering how our gall midge infestation was going.....
Having done some of the ideas above to see if they were breeding in the bark, it became obvious that they weren't there after all.
However, we think (hope) finally we may have found where they are! We didn't think for one second they could be coming down the chimney (would that have been an obvious option to anyone on the forum had I mentioned that we had one???) but a week ago we sealed up the fireplace as best we could, just on the off-chance, and, even though there are one or two flies around, lo and behold they have almost disappeared! We can't quite believe it and have no idea why they are up the chimney or how they got there.
Rentokill want to charge us £400 now to fumigate the chimney three times but we think that's a lot so are going to try and do something ourselves (Sulphur candle??) but if anyone has any great ideas, do let me know. Otherwise we may have to use Rentokill. We lit a few log fires over the winter (not many as it was so mild) but that didn't kill them off which I would have thought it would.
Thanks again for all your advice and help!
Julia
No there isn't pansyface! The chimney is in the middle of roof. I am also beginning to wonder whether in fact we are correct in thinking the chimney is the culprit as there are still a few flies around on the usual cills, but a 90% reduction for sure although a few more again over the last few days. So frustrating! I am wondering whether the ones now on the cills are just ones that got through the chimney before we sealed the fireplace up (two weeks ago) and are still alive and now flying to the window cills, but I don't now how long they live for? Does anyone know how long they live for and whether this could be the case? If they don't live more than a few days then we are back to square one, although very grateful for the reduction in numbers. Grrr.
is it possible to put some kind of sticky substance on the (chimney)side of what you have blocked it up with and in a week or two, see how many are stuck init then you will know for sure they are in there rather than they have just cleared off for weather reasons or something
That's a good idea - I have tonnes of fly paper left from previous efforts at getting rid of them so could stick that on the back. Thanks!