# How do you feel about flying insects in your house? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 21, 2009, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-feel-about-flying-insects-in-your-house/497179 "2009-05-21T15:49:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Asimovian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asimovian/32/172_2.png) [@Asimovian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asimovian)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2009, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-feel-about-flying-insects-in-your-house/497179/1 "2009-05-21T15:49:00Z")
It’s a quirk with me that rises to the point of obsession, unfortunately, but I cannot STAND having flying insects in my home. Outside, I don’t care, but I don’t want them in my house. I’ve been this way for as long as I can remember, but the obsession has begun anew. We’ve just bought a house, and it gets pretty warm sometimes. We’ve found that the best way to get air flow going is to have the front windows open and then have the French doors in back open. Unfortunately, there are no screens on the back doors. This, of course, invites lots of flies, moths and other random bugs inside. My normal, natural solution to this is to close the back doors and just use fans to stay cool. However, my wife doesn’t mind the bugs and prefers to leave the doors open. The end result is that I spend my time in the evening with my bug zapper trying to kill everything I can spot (and it’s difficult to tell if my wife is more amused or disturbed by this behavior). This morning, when I went to the bathroom at 4:30am, I was surprised by a rather large mosquito flying around me while trying to pee. This did not end well (for me or the mosquito) and required some cleanup afterward (for me and the mosquito). Anyway, I’m was just wondering if I’m the only person who takes deep, personal offense to having flying bugs around me when I’m trying to relax at home. I live in the LA area, so we don’t tend to have the same quality of pests as folks in the midwest or the south might have, but still! So how do you feel about winged pests? ---
**Author:** ![Anne\_Neville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Anne\_Neville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Neville)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2009, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-feel-about-flying-insects-in-your-house/497179/2 "2009-05-21T16:24:58Z")
Ewwww, don’t let it touch me, kill it, kill it, KILL IT! What’s your wife’s problem, opening windows and doors without screens? That’s uncivilized. ---
**Author:** ![kelly5078](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/6f9a4e/32.png) [@kelly5078](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kelly5078)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2009, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-feel-about-flying-insects-in-your-house/497179/3 "2009-05-21T17:17:20Z")
Don’t bother me: Mosquito hawks Moths Do bother me: Flies Mosquitoes Wasps Really really bother me: Stink bugs Palmetto bugs (they don’t fly much, thank heavens) I never thought about it before, but while I don’t like bugs that can cause me discomfort, let alone pain, I’m more bothered by ugliness. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2009, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-feel-about-flying-insects-in-your-house/497179/4 "2009-05-21T17:21:06Z")
I don’t like flying insects in my house. I prefer flying them outside. ---
**Author:** ![pbbth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f9ae1b/32.png) [@pbbth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pbbth)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2009, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-feel-about-flying-insects-in-your-house/497179/5 "2009-05-21T17:36:21Z")
I have 2 cats, so flying insects last only as long as it takes them to land or fly low enough to the ground for a cat to catch them. Perhaps you need a cat or a death ray of some kind to take care of your bug problem. ---
**Author:** ![UncleRojelio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unclerojelio/32/3160_2.png) [@UncleRojelio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleRojelio)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2009, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-feel-about-flying-insects-in-your-house/497179/6 "2009-05-21T17:37:42Z")
> [@Asimovian](#): > > The end result is that I spend my time in the evening with my bug zapper trying to kill everything I can spot. Try chopsticks. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2009, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-feel-about-flying-insects-in-your-house/497179/7 "2009-05-21T17:54:57Z")
I have one cat who is a mighty hunter of flying bugs (moths especially - she really digs those). We had an infestation of fungus gnats last year that culminated in me throwing out all my potted plants to finally get rid of them - I think she just basically said, “Fuck it - I can’t keep up with THAT many bugs.” I am not keen on bugs in my house, period, and that includes spiders. Bugs have the whole outdoors - they don’t need my house, too. ---
**Author:** ![Asimovian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asimovian/32/172_2.png) [@Asimovian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asimovian)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2009, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-feel-about-flying-insects-in-your-house/497179/8 "2009-05-21T18:05:19Z")
> [@UncleRojelio](#): > > Try chopsticks. The bug zapper is way more fun, actually. There is nothing like wielding deadly electricity in the form of [a tennis racket](http://www.amazon.com/Charcoal-Companion-Amazing-Bug-Zapper/dp/B00008GS96/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1242929078&sr=8-4). It’s an entirely different kind of zen, altogether. ---
**Author:** ![Paintcharge](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/paintcharge/32/7946_2.png) [@Paintcharge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paintcharge)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2009, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-feel-about-flying-insects-in-your-house/497179/9 "2009-05-21T18:37:02Z")
Kill them all-flying, crawling, whatever, just get it out of my house. It doesn’t help that my house is 150 yeas old, with the expected number of leaks for a house that old. And, holy crap, that bug zapper looks like fun! ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2009, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-feel-about-flying-insects-in-your-house/497179/10 "2009-05-21T18:44:56Z")
Try flypaper. You can find it in decorative strips but let’s face it it IS still flypaper. ---
**Author:** ![Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/malleus_incus_stapes/32/3293_2.png) [@Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malleus_Incus_Stapes)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2009, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-feel-about-flying-insects-in-your-house/497179/11 "2009-05-21T19:41:20Z")
As long as they’re not mosquitos, I don’t mind. Although I do sometimes drive myself crazy trying to catch them and let them outdoors. ---
**Author:** ![Cornelius\_Tuggerson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/13edae/32.png) [@Cornelius\_Tuggerson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cornelius_Tuggerson)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2009, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-feel-about-flying-insects-in-your-house/497179/12 "2009-05-21T21:05:24Z")
I just let the centipedes and spiders roam the apartment unharassed, seems to keep the other insect populations down to a reasonable level. ---
**Author:** ![perfectparanoia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a5b964/32.png) [@perfectparanoia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/perfectparanoia)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2009, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-feel-about-flying-insects-in-your-house/497179/13 "2009-05-21T21:29:53Z")
I love flying insects in my house. Okay, minor correction, I love watching my kitty go absolutely NUTS chasing flying insects in my house. (flying insects=flying cat=great hilarity) ---
**Author:** ![Asimovian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asimovian/32/172_2.png) [@Asimovian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asimovian)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2009, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-feel-about-flying-insects-in-your-house/497179/14 "2009-05-21T22:18:42Z")
What I’ve gathered from this thread is that we don’t need a screen door; we need cats. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2009, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-feel-about-flying-insects-in-your-house/497179/15 "2009-05-22T00:07:52Z")
> [@Asimovian](#): > > What I’ve gathered from this thread is that we don’t need a screen door; we need cats. Or my Golden. When she sees an insect, no matter how small, on the wall or ceiling, she freezes staring at it. If we don’t notice our other dog barks to tell us to get the fly swatter so we can knock it down for her to eat. If it is flying, she will jump nearly to the ceiling to try to get it. And it’s not just flying insects; she thinks spiders are quite yummy also. I don’t mind them, I just mind having to get up every five seconds from the couch in order to bonk an insect for her. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2009, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-feel-about-flying-insects-in-your-house/497179/16 "2009-05-22T00:45:48Z")
I cat and 2 beagles. That means coming in the window are the world cheapest animal toys. ---
**Author:** ![FallingLeaves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/54ee81/32.png) [@FallingLeaves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FallingLeaves)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2009, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-feel-about-flying-insects-in-your-house/497179/17 "2009-05-22T01:26:49Z")
I cannot sleep if I think a mosquito is flying anywhere in the house. Because you know, even if it isn’t in my bedroom, I’ll get up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom and while my door is open for a few seconds it will fly in and wait for me. Then when I’m about to fall back to sleep it will be right around my ear and I’ll hear it and have to get up and search the bedroom for it to kill it. Or, it will wait until I’m asleep and I’ll wake up with mosquito bites and worry for weeks that I have West Nile Virus or EEE. I hate mosquito and flying, biting bug months. They seems to like me more than most people do. ---
**Author:** ![Xema](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9de053/32.png) [@Xema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xema)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2009, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-feel-about-flying-insects-in-your-house/497179/18 "2009-05-22T03:14:12Z")
> [@Asimovian](#): > > Unfortunately, there are no screens on the back doors. Might be a good idea to install some. ---
**Author:** ![bouv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2009, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-feel-about-flying-insects-in-your-house/497179/19 "2009-05-22T03:24:08Z")
This is why I can’t even fathom how people in Europe deal with windows without screens. Do you have less flying bugs over there, or do you just not care? ---
**Author:** ![Flutterby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Flutterby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flutterby)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2009, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-feel-about-flying-insects-in-your-house/497179/20 "2009-05-22T05:37:46Z")
There are no screen doors in our house, and we aren’t allowed cats… but I’ve found the most wonderful solution. Curtains. I put a curtain up over our front door, so in the summer when it’s nice and Velociraptor is running in and out ALL the time (leaving the door open for longer than I like and letting bugs in) I can simply prop the door open and pull the curtain across. Makes for nice airflow, keeps the majority of the bugs outside, and when not in use I made sure the curtain rod was long enough that I could just push it to the side so its not in the way (which is doubly good because until they changed our front door there was a window right beside that was clear and anyone could peer in. Until then, I had paper taped over it.) I hate flying bugs, or really ANY bugs in the house. Our windows were so old and the screens warped I stapled tulle to the frame (wooden frames, which goes to show just how old these windows were) over the screen to keep them from sneaking in the gaps. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-feel-about-flying-insects-in-your-house/497179.md?page=2)