Too Many Flies

Q. I have houseflies all over my lantana and roses! I find little black dots, which I guess to be eggs, on the leaves of those plants. I have sprayed with neem oil and Ortho Home Defense to get rid of them, but they keep coming. I don’t see damage to the plants, but I don’t want to have a fly breeding grounds in my garden. 

Flies are there for a reason. What do they need? Food and a place to breed. Flies usually indicate a manure problem and/or accessible food. Clean them up and the flies are gone.

A. Sounds like these flies are using your lantana and roses as a bordello. I don’t think the black spots are eggs. I think it is insect poop. Their poop from the sound of it.

            We will have to follow the KISS principle on this one. This means they are probably attracted to something to eat nearby such as dog food, animal poop, garbage cans, etc. Find the source of their food, control it and the flies will move on. That’s the only way I know to achieve long lasting, sustainable control. If you relied on sprays or traps it would be a never-ending battle.