No, not a piece about holiday destinations. This is about pests, the insect variety, mainly the 136 quadrillion flies that we share the planet with. I live in Cyprus and have done so for seventeen years. It has its good points and its bad points. On the negative side, the main drawback is pests like ants, wasps, hornets and a few million flies. In those seventeen years, I’ve only found two methods of controlling the pests, and one of them is called Gordon. More on Gordon later in this piece.
I’m not one for killing animals because I don’t like them. I will avoid, where possible, stepping on a ant on my patio. However, there comes a point where some critters can be a health risk. And as my immune system is compromised because of my chemotherapy, then I need to do something to avoid catching some dreadful disease. I’ve already had a viral infection that has lasted over several weeks, and I don’t want to catch anything worse.
Where I live in the hills above Paphos, the common fly is a very friendly soul. They’re always hitting my eyes and bouncing off, playing hide & seek in my ears and often seem to skate on my bald head. That’s outside and inside my home. And inside, when eating a meal, is a real problem when my wife and I sit at the kitchen table and swat flies away… with a sharp knife and fork in our hands.
What am I worried about? Germs mainly. Do House Flies Spread Germs? They most certainly do. And they can carry pathogens on the body and in their digestive system.
When a fly lands on faeces, garbage, rotting food, and dead animals the hair on their legs and body pick up bacteria, viruses, and parasites. Add to that their charming habit of pooping and vomiting on food we are about to eat and you can see where the transfer of germs can lead to serious illness in humans. Such lovely illnesses as E. coli, Salmonella, Shigella, Cholera and a whole host of viruses. House flies are not just annoying, they can be a serious health hazard.
Ants, on the other hand, are not quite as gross as the common fly. But they can still spread germs. Ants crawl through contaminated areas, like garbage, drains, and pet waste, then walk across our food, kitchen counters and dishes, potentially transferring germs. Some scientific studies have found bacteria like Salmonella, E. coli, and Staphylococcus on household ants. The common household ant may not vomit digestive fluids onto food like flies do, but some species, like the black ant, do secrete formic acid. It may be small amounts of acid, mostly for defense and not digestion, but even so it can’t be good for you when it’s on the biscuit you are about to bite into.
So what to do about it. Make sure you clean away all food debris in the kitchen. Keep surfaces clean and plates etc., properly washed. Also, you can use a natural solution to rid your house of flies and ants. My natural solution is called Gordon.
Gordon the Gecko lives in our house and always comes out in the summer, and he loves to eat ants and flies. The ant problem I had a couple of years ago is virtually cleared up now. But not so the flies. The flies are very bad this year. So much so Gordon cannot keep up. So I’m testing some methods on sale in shops. Here’s one that seems to work.
However, after a few days it stinks. So, you need to hang it outside, close to your home… but not too close. Mine’s hanging off my lemon tree. I know it works because I can see inside and there are dead flies in there. The package exterior boasts it will hold 50,000 flies. Not sure I beleive that, and I think the smell would make you ill while you wait for the flies to queue up and dive in.
But it’s simple enough to use. You simply add water and the stuff inside mixes with the water to produce a brown sludge that attracts the flies. In 24 hours I’ve got half a dozen flies. But, more importantly, there are none in the house.
If you haven’t got a Gordon and can’t buy Fly Trap, maybe you have something better. Let me know, I’m pretty sure I’ll have a need for more traps during the summer.
Copyright © Tom Kane May 2025
If you want to read in the garden, then click the links below to read my Brittle Saga trilogy, The Midnight Series and my Kindle Unlimited collection. You then have the advantage that your eBook reader can also be used to swat flies.
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