Living Next to a Butcher

If you just ate, you might consider pausing before you read this.

We had the ingenious idea to "fix" the fly situation outside our front door.

We bought these bags that you add water to, and then the smell of whatever's in the included pouch draws the flies into the water and they can't get out.

One drawback.

No, make that two.

The first draw back is the awful smell the pouch puts off.  It smells just like rotting food that flies are attracted to (or the dirty chickens next door).

The second drawback is the smell of dead flies or maggots after they are caught in the bag and sit for a while.

I'm not talking a long while.

If you will scroll down, you will see the before and after pictures, and the "AFTER" is taken only SIX days after.

Gross, right?

So we tried it again, and within four days the bag was full and smelly.

Then Doug had the brilliant idea to stop.

That's right.  Stop trapping flies.

Our traps were drawing all the flies from our front door AND the chicken butchery.  We were basically ridding them of a fly problem and creating more work for us.

We stopped four days ago, and now the smell we get in our nose isn't nasty fly bait, it's nasty chickens.

And the flies have found their way back over to the chickens, because we only have about 5-6 hanging around our door at any given time.

I bought a fly swatter and we are considering an electric fly zapper for outside when our block has power.

It's a work in progress, so I'll let you know how it all plays out in these hot summer months with nasty, hot chickens next door.