5

I'm very concerned about food safety, but at the same time, I like to keep windows open when I cook to get in a lot of fresh air.

Unfortunately, this has the bad effect of allowing flies to swarm in. Lately, I've been having to cook with all my windows closed, and this makes the air in the room extremely stuffy and very uncomfortable to work in.

Is there anything I can use to keep flies out of my kitchen when I cook?

Improve this question
5
  • 1
    Am I missing something obvious? Why not put screens in the windows?
    – user5561
    Commented Aug 24, 2014 at 1:12
  • @user5561 They get past that, I have no idea how. All I know is that even with screens (which only mitigated the issue slightly), flies can somehow get past that into my kitchen, and is quite annoying to deal with (and especially unsafe for food lying around)
    – yuritsuki
    Commented Aug 24, 2014 at 1:14
  • Interesting, I often cook with the windows open and never have issues (unless they come in when I open the door) - maybe you have a gap or hole somewhere?
    – user5561
    Commented Aug 24, 2014 at 1:16
  • 1
    @user5561 That's highly location-dependent. Despite them being an obviously good idea, I have never seen fly screens in the UK and many people's windows open outwards, which makes them impossible anyway.
    – David Richerby
    Commented Aug 24, 2014 at 8:51
  • Why Fruit Flies Are So Hard To Kill
    – user34961
    Commented May 18, 2019 at 12:42

3 Answers 3

Reset to default
7

A few fly traps can help matters tremendously. Take a plastic bottle, like for water or soda, and slice it in two just below the neck. Now take the neck of the bottle, invert it, and place it inside the base of the bottle. Add a few centimeters of "bait". When I had a terrible fly problem last year, I learned that flies really like the energy drink "Rock Star". Go figure.

1

2

3

After a couple of days with three traps in my kitchen, I no longer had a problem.

Improve this answer
6
  • I bought corn (on the cob?) with flies a few weeks ago (a hidden charge). A similar trap but with red wine vinegar worked really well for me. This is probably not the same kind of flies OP is asking about. I have never worried about a summertime fly being close to my cooking.
    – Captain Giraffe
    Commented Aug 24, 2014 at 0:47
  • 1
    Mine were "brought in" too, but flies are flies. Put something out that smells better to them than your food and you can trap them.
    – Jolenealaska ♦
    Commented Aug 24, 2014 at 0:53
  • 4
    Add a little detergent to the liquid in the trap, too. The decreased surface tension means the flies definitely can't get out, whereas the inverted neck of the bottle only means that they probably can't get out.
    – David Richerby
    Commented Aug 24, 2014 at 8:47
  • @DavidRicherby Nice tip!
    – Jolenealaska ♦
    Commented Aug 24, 2014 at 8:49
  • Different types of flys need different types of bait. For example, Green Bottle Flies (aka Blow Fly) lay eggs on meat, and thus need something meaty. You should be able to find pre-constructed flytraps at a hardware store.
    – john3103
    Commented Aug 25, 2014 at 18:50
2

This might not solve your problem, but some foods when cooked attract a lot of flies (specially cabbage :-)). What I do when cooking such foods to repel flies is to dust some fine white pepper on the lid of the pot. This works like a charm

Improve this answer
0

Air curtains (used in most commercial kitchens) - http://www.grainger.com/category/air-curtains/blowers/hvac-and-refrigeration/ecatalog/N-lwq

Improve this answer
1
  • 5
    Somehow, I think people are going to prefer a plastic bottle and some soda to a $700 piece of equipment.
    – MrLore
    Commented Aug 24, 2014 at 4:18

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge you have read our privacy policy.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.