I've held off posting this because it's a little embarrassing but I don't care anymore.
Last week, I noticed a tiny midge type fly hovering around - thought nothing of it and opened a window. The following days it was still there even though I could swear that each time I saw it, I witnessed it fly out of the window.
Then, one day last week I was getting in the car and put the demister on and noticed about 20 of the little blighters crawl out of the vent. I looked around and saw about 5 or six on the back window too thinking "what the hell".
Since last week, I've drove everwhere with all the windows open to get rid and whilst when you leave the car, there are none to be seen, the next day I'll always see a couple hanging around.
What are they, where have they come from and more to the point, how the hell do I get rid of them?
A couple of thoughts;
*I rarely have a window open - I always have the air con on recirculated because I like the car cold
*My mate's house is in the middle of a field and next to a forest where my car's always parked. Any connection?
* The car doesn't smell great - kinda like there's been someone sleeping rough in it (they haven't!!) but there's a week's worth of fast food wrappers in there and I don't have fresh air getting into the car to which I have attributed the smell.
* I'm not itchy so they musn't be biting me.
Please help.
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Are you sure that you haven't picked some roadkill up (bird type thing) and er...the maggots are metathingying ? Check around air intakes air filter way.
I got itchy reading it.
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PU - I was thinking something had crawled up the air intake or something but I really didn't want to entertain that idea.
I've definitely not hit anything so that just leaves a mouse or rat.
Marvellous.
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Actually Pug you?ve just reminded me, I worked in a large publishing house in the 90s and our air-conditioning fans sucked in and chewed up a pidgeon. Only when hundreds of maggots were climbing down the studio on fine threads and dropping in our hair did they investigate and clear it out.
Maybe that?s what you?ve done Ad
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This is not looking good.
Ok - where do I check and how?
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Personally I would check the area around the vents' intake - near the grille somewhere no doubt. An awkward question. Has the "smell" always been there or has it only appeared recently. Adam I know itch all over.
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Ordinarily the car looks spotless. Up until a month ago, I'd wash it twice a week, hoover it out once a week and the interior would look pristine but I've been dead busy lately and become lazy.
The smell appeared last week but to be fair, that's when the food wrappers did as well.
I dread to think what I'm going to find.
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If the silliness continues, this thread will get moved to the thread that bears the same name.
DD.
EDIT
Silliness now removed. DD
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I would guess you have a host animal there somewhere, have you had a loss of "power" from the air vents ? It may be associated with where you mention that the car has been parked.
This has happened to me in the Summer(in the Landie) Unusual this time of the year but unusual ambient warmth may be contributary. Two options leave the dead thing where it is and let nature take its course (which it inevitably will) or hunt it out. I'd go for option one if the car seems to be functioning properly. I'm almost certain that its a dead animal.
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The car works perfectly. I would leave it as air fresheners will mask the (not really that pungent) smell.
My only concern now that dead animals have been mentioned is that I have the vents blowing in my face. To me, the is the equivalent of sitting over a dead rat and sniffing it for an hour a day which as you can imagine, doesn't appeal to me all that much.
If it's safe to leave it, then I will. I don't want to pick squished rat out of the engine bay anymore than you do.
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Its more likely to be a dead bird that you hit "on the fly" as it were. Let sleeping dogs lie.
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It must have been a really small bird then as I never noticed a thing. Is it anything like hitting a fox because I've done that and boy did I notice it!
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We been infested with these tiny flies for a few weeks now, both inside and outside the property.
The other half thought they were possibly Sciarid flies; eventually they have gradually disappeared, although the odd one still appears on the TV or monitor screens.
One source of information about these particular flies (www.hydroponics.co.uk/pests-and-diseases.htm ) states:
"Sciarids are tiny black flies that can occur and become numerous, in and around plants. They are a common reality for indoor growers and they may represent a much more serious problem than many growers realise
"It is now believed that these pesky little flies are actually vectors of various fungal diseases. In laboratory studies, adult Sciarids carried spores of Pythium, Botrytis, Verticillium, Fusarium and Thielavaiopsis as they moved from plant to plant.
"Fungal spores have also been found in their frass (droppings). It is not yet clear how serious this problem is but the potential is certainly there. The roots are damaged by the larvae and then exposed to infection by the oviposting adult females."
We do have quite a number of plants in the house, some permanent and some which are cuttings being grown for future outdoor use.
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What's for you won't pass you by
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Que?
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Never mind Manuel.
I'll do as PU says and leave it. If I get overrun again, well, then I'll start looking but for the time being, it's nothing a Magic Tree won't fix.
Thanks for all the help,
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1) Start engine
2) Turn re-circ on
3) Turn heater to maximum
4) Get out car
5) Shut doors
6) Watch the little devils fry.
Obviously, you should supervise your car while you do this to ensure no one drives off in it. Don't feel guilty about the mass murder. You could try adding one of those air con cleaner things to it as well.
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Clothes moths in your seats - 8mm long gold flies?
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fruit-flies little tiny things, clean up the rubbish and give it a good dose of fly killer around the vents and into air intakes on the outside of car...cheers...keo.
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Adam
if they are still bothering you, get yourself down to Ledsons Motor Factors (just off Wallgate before the station) and get some
www.commaoil.com/Product%20Pages/Maintenance/airco...m
(I bet you've probably never been in a proper motor factors, but they'll take your money as sure as they'll take anybody elses)
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Is that by the RAC windscreen place Mike?
I'll pick some up and follow David's advice which I suspect is along the lines of what the air con cleaner will tell me.
I've been to that place at the shopping precinct by our estate - that's the closest to a proper motor factors I've been to though!
Thanks again for everyone's help.
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I've only been to the local motor parts shop once in three years - 10:00 am on a weekday morning, one of the shop 'personnel' was wandering round silently with a can of Kestrel Super Strength, his boss was round the back working under a Montego propped up on some wooden blocks.
RUN AWAY !
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Oh yeah - Bert and Ernie as I like to call them. The most technical thing I bought from them was a bottle of Autoglym.
I tell a lie actually - it was a petrol cap for my Fiesta. To be fair, they never had one and ordered one in for that lunchtime.
Best time was this old bloke's place in Ashton. I went in and asked for a key battery, and he handed me an AA.
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Best time was this old bloke's place in Ashton. I went in and asked for a key battery, and he handed me an AA.
Ashton Motor Factors or Park Motors - I bet it was the first
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It was two years ago and the memory's a little hazy.
I recall it being in a cluster of shops near the traffic lights on the same road as the Merc/TVR dealer.
Needless to say I've never been since.
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The Comma product is basically the same as Neutradol, which costs around £1.20 in most supermarkets and discount stores - an alternative is Oust or Dettol Pura-Air which have been launched as rivals to Neutradol.
Spray the interior of the car with Neutradol, run the air conditioning in recirculating mode for about five minutes and it will kill any smells and bacteria. Unlike air fresheners, these products kill the bacteria that cause smells rather than mask them.
It's a subject that's been raised before in the Technical forum.
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What\'s for you won\'t pass you by
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Yeah I recall seeing various threads over the years about it but never really paid much attention.
I was trying to get Mum to do it - she's in her element when she's cleaning but as soon as I (stupidly) mentioned a dead thing, you couldn't see her for dust. (which she later cleaned up).
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To kill the flies, why not set the air to recirculate and then give a generous spray of fly killer. Shut the door and leave for 10 minutes. Suggest you choose a fly killer with a nice perfume!
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Roger
I read frequently, but only post when I have something useful to say.
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I thought about that but the only fly spray we've got smells like turps so I'm not in all that much of a rush to coat the inside of the car with it.
I'm going to go with the proper air-con cleaner. I'm intrigued as to what their definition of "new car smell" is because Magic Tree's is well off the mark ;-)
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I'm intrigued as to what their definition of "new car smell" is because Magic Tree's is well off the mark ;-)
But sooooo nice...
Ahem.
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Adamski,
What is it with you and insects? First it was wasps in the bird house and now it?s flies in the car!
The inlet holes in your car?s heater inlet grille are only about 0.25" diameter (or 6 mm if you don?t understand inches!) so I can?t imagine anything that could remotely be classed as an animal getting in by that route. And then it would have the pollen filter to contend with. If you?re adamant (!) that the flies are breeding in the heater, just switch on the fan and squirt an aerosol can fly killer into the inlet grille ~ it?s situated at the bottom of the windscreen on the driver?s side.
(Since you chose to ignore my advice on killing wasps this is your last chance ~ ignore this one and you?re on your own with insects in the future!)
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L\'escargot.
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Tell you what I'll do.
I'll do the nice easy thing of leaving that Comma stuff for ten minutes and if that doesn't work, I'll try it your way Snaily. I don't want my car smelling of turps for ages which I'm sure is what they make that stuff out of.
Anyway, what did you tell me to do about the wasps that I ignored? That bloke ran away quick enough to tell me I shouldn't have done it myself. That's why this situation could be worse. The car could be infested with wasps.
All I need now is a nice plague of locusts to finish it off. My money's on the attic. That hasn't been infested yet.
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Anyway, what did you tell me to do about the wasps that I ignored?
Does .........
"Any insecticide powder will work. Some are labelled specifically as Wasp Nest Killer but if you check the active ingredient you will find that it is the same as for Ant Powder ~ more than likely 0.5% Permethrin. Wilkinsons own brand is 99p for 300g. Doff is another cheap brand. There's no point in buying Nippon unless you're very desperate and can't find anything else, because it's considerably more expensive. Wasps go back into the nest for the night as it's starting to get dusk ~ if you watch you can see them. Wait a few minutes after there's no sign of any more returning and then go in for the kill. Puff the powder liberally in and around their entrance. At this time of year you probably won't have to wait until 11pm, but as you are allergic it's probably better to be safe than sorry. You may see a few wasps the next day. These will be newly hatched and will die that day. After that they should all be dead. I've treated numerous nests this way and I've never had a failure yet.
Whilst on the subject, I have a tip for nests in awkward positions ~ for example when the wasps enter a roof underneath the eaves and your container won't puff the powder upwards. Put the powder into a plastic container that has a narrow nozzle ~ an old bleach bottle is ideal. It has to be dry of course so you have to prepare well in advance for this one. (I keep one ready for when it might be required.) Attach a close fitting PVC tube to the nozzle and then turn the bottle upside down. Point the open end of the tube upwards (or whatever) and then puff away to you heart's content. (Easy when you have a bungalow ~ not so sure about if you have a house!)"
............ ring a bell?!
It's your last chance Adamski!
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L\'escargot.
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The bells are ringing actually.
Look at it this way - I may be 40 quid out of pocket but I'm not dead!
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<< The car could be infested with wasps.
Well, in that case keep all your options open and spray Raid "Fly and Wasp Killer" into the heater air intake grille.
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L\'escargot.
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Raid "Fly and Wasp Killer">>
That's the Johnson's aerosol with the wonderful slogan on the can that declares it "Kills Bugs Dead!"
Strangely enough many people don't get it....
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What\'s for you won\'t pass you by
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Check the fan belt, air intake filters, etc.
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