I never thought I'd see the day when we'd have those horrible, sticky fly papers hanging from the ceiling, but Sandy found some on the boat and up they went.
We even bought a swatter and spray.
It came to a head when she had a few days accumulated clean out garbage in bags on the back deck, along with a couple of bags of kitchen refuse. We only get a garbage run once a week and there is no place to leave it on land in the meantime. We seal the bags up well and it's not usually a problem.
This time we had a couple of really hot days and the flies arrived in plague proportions. I was swatting 3 at a time which is enormously satisfying, for a little while.
When we were in Key West we had a meal at an outdoors place and they had clear plastic bags of water hanging from the overhead beams, with a few pennies in them.
The theory is that the sun reflects off the water and pennies and the light movement keeps the flies away.
Up went the bags of water and pennies, hanging from all over the boat. You couldn't move without hitting one and getting a spray of water.
Obviously these flies had never seen anything like it because they came in droves to see what was flashing sunlight around so beautifully.
Mr Google to the rescue... again. Sandy found that they don't like the smell of lavender, so lavender candles went onto the shopping list. And Home Depot, the huge hardware chain here sells 'Fly Traps' that attract, trap and kill them.
We now have a beautifully scented boat with lavender candles all over the place, and only a few flies.... probably just the gay ones.
Of course I got rid of the garbage too, and still swat my 50 a day quota. And we found you can still get sticky fly paper so we still have those up.
The fly trap went up on the boom cradle just behind the cockpit.... for a few hours. The liquid in them smells like rotting meat, which I'm sure they find attractive! It's now been relocated to the furthest end of the bowsprit. Who said this boat was too big!???
I've got no idea if it's working. Neither of us has felt like holding our breath long enough to go and check on it.
But the flies are greatly reduced, and we've gone a day without fly papers so things may be improving, and the days are getting cooler...
The battle may be nearly over!