There is something wrong with this picture.... Can you guess what it is that really, really irks me?

The answer to the above question must be obvious to all. The house flies are driving me NUTS. Apparently they only last a month, but that is definitely a long month.

Here are my solutions, so far:

1. The ever available magazine. If you can corner about five or six on the counter, a good swat will give you zero kills. They are very fast.

2. Buy a fly swatter. The fly swatter is a little more subtle, so you can sneak up close, before the hammer comes down! Again, no hits after many, many tries! Those little guys see the swatter and then disperse, never to be seen until it is put away. Sometimes I leave it on the upper counter as a deterrent and they have the effrontery to land on it. I ask you, what it going on?

3. My third method of population control is Windex. I know, it is my favourite cleaner, but can it do the job? YES. I wait til they alight, and then I spray them. Once disabled, I finish the job with the swatter or whatever is at hand.

4. Bug spray. I use it liberally. First thing in the morning when they are grouping for their breakfast and lunch, and are then numerous, I spray every single one. Unfortunately this causes a problem with all the surfaces on the boat. The floors are slippery, the walls speckled, the counter-tops,,,, very bad. It does gives me some respite for a little while. I hate the way they land on me and wiggle around in that tickly motion.

5. The best thing so far, is a mosquito repellent made by OFF. It comes in a lantern and has a candle at the bottom and some sort of wick on top that releases the whatever. I light it when I'm in the galley cooking, and not a single fly approaches the area. It is amazing, but it is a little expensive down here. If you are making a gourmet meal, or not, it is well worth it because they love to cluster around you as you are preparing the meal. I prefer a bug-free kitchen.

6. The bug strip. Seen in the picture above.

What can I say about that? It is totally useless. Count the flies....Not too many. Ten to twenty after several days. It has nothing on it to attract them; I think they just mistakenly fly into the thing. I had a discussion with someone this morning who thought they were the best thing ever....but after a while, we agreed that you have to aim the flies toward it and then they just get stuck. Well, I prefer a quick kill!

Also it just is totally unsightly to see them hanging there. Kind of like seeing someone hang.. but obviously not as bad.

Sorry folks, just had to vent. What with the flies and the rain.....

Good news. Let's see.....

I'll write about that another day.....