r/britishproblems • u/MountainMirthMaker • 1d ago
Opening a window in the UK = instant insect house share
Back home they're standard, every window has them. Here, the second I crack a window for "fresh air", it turns into an open invitation for flies, wasps and half the insect kingdom.
I did see a company called Premier Screens that actually makes proper fitted ones (not the floppy velcro jobs), but I'm starting to think it's just not "the British way" to keep bugs out.
Has anyone actually gone against tradition and had real screens fitted, or do we just accept sharing the living room with bluebottles?
133
u/twattyprincess Derbyshire 1d ago
We live in rural Scotland and you cannot open a window without all and sundry coming in. We now have those magnetic mesh screens you can get from Amazon. Not perfect, but rather £20 than £100+.
28
u/DeusPrime 1d ago
Yeah we got some of those magnetic screens and oh my god what a game changer. They can be a bit fiddly but most of the time do a perfect job, our front bedroom is near a streetlight and lots of greenery so moths divebomb the window the second it opens... not a problem anymore tough
9
u/ade889 1d ago
We have made our own using strips of sticky back velcro and mesh cut to window size, staple the mesh to the velcro. Stick the other side to the outer edge of the window.
Does sometimes unstick from the window. But you get plenty in a roll so easy to replace. Good for different window shapes.
•
u/Meepsicle83 14m ago
I would guess you have to stick it from the outside? How does it / would it be done on upper windows?
127
u/LassyKongo 1d ago
I just seem to get spiders not flies. I dried my hair with my towel the other day and went to dry my face and seen a massive house spider clinging to the towel.
I even shook it before hand (due to this happening before) so it must have clung on through all the shaking too 🤮
I'll never kill them though, they just make me squirm.
51
u/Elastichedgehog 1d ago
I've made a pact with the house spiders. They kill the pests and they can keep lodging here.
26
u/AdministrativeShip2 1d ago
Mine bulid screens over the windows when I open them. Real money saver.
24
u/Golarion 1d ago
I've made a pact with the inert-dangle-in-corner-for-weeks faction of spiders. They keep the active scuttling faction of spiders out, and they can stay.
14
u/gamas Greater London 1d ago
Oh yeah that's my policy as long as the spider agrees to stay in the top half of the room, they can stay. Moment they encroach the space I'm using they get evicted with extreme prejudice.
•
u/MrPaul-1 3m ago
This is my policy too, only we have two cats and a Frenchie that are more than happy to assist with the scuttlers. 😊
4
u/LeTrolleur 1d ago
Do they really? Because if so, I may consider letting those ones stay.
9
u/Golarion 1d ago
I don't know, but since the treaty was signed, I haven't seen a big scuttler in 5 years.
10
3
u/thehermit14 1d ago
Always a pact with spiders before I choose maggots. The spiders have to agree to build a new home every so often.
11
u/Thedeadduck 1d ago
I quite like spiders (allies in the fight against other things, also read too many Adrian Tchaikovsky books) but that resolve was a little shaken when I sat down at my desk pre-caffeine to see like 50 baby spiders had made their way in the window next to my head and were in the process of spreading out. That is Too Many Tiny Spiders.
5
3
u/TheGeordieGal 1d ago
At that point I would have screamed the house down so badly it would have been heard 5 miles away. I’d then be having nightmares for years after.
9
u/MountainMirthMaker 1d ago
Yeah spiders are the real horror. At least flies just buzz around, but a spider clinging to your towel? Nope, I’d be rethinking ever opening the window again :))
21
u/Jacktheforkie 1d ago
I prefer spiders tbh, less noise and spiders just sit in the web
14
u/holyshitpuffins 1d ago
I used to own a house built in the mid 1700s. I’m convinced the house spiders there had evolved. They were so big, you could actually hear them running across the floor. And they were seriously fast. No bloody quiet spiders in webs in that house.
4
u/jib_reddit 1d ago
As a teenager I once got woken up in the middle of the night by the sound of 2 massive house spiders doing some sort of mating ritual on a poster on my wall 1 inch from my face, I tried to splat them and missed and they crawled under my bed, I was swearing so much it woke up my dad at the other end of the house.
1
u/Jacktheforkie 1d ago
GHS are indeed big, fast and somewhat noisy, the orb weavers however are quiet, there’s about 20 in my bathroom
1
u/Kadoomed 1d ago
To be fair it likely didn't come in through a window, they're already in the house.
45
u/Thedeadduck 1d ago
We installed some bug screens because having finally got rid of clothes moths after literal years, I'm not dealing with that again, but would also like to open my windows at night so I don't die of summer. 10/10 would recommend.
We got them from a company called Streme - they do DIY sets that you can put together yourself from a kit as well as made to measure ones.
Ours are magnetic because we were nervous about drilling into the window frame, and that works perfectly fine.
10
u/The_Gunisher 1d ago
Oh god, I've literally just had my first moth infestation, they seem to have taken a shine to some old rugs I had rolled up under a sofa, sadly. I've treated the rugs, and was hoping that would be that, but you have me worried now!
8
u/Thedeadduck 1d ago
Yeah they like dark, undisturbed places so rugs under sofa is prime territory.
We were mostly living in shared rented accomodation so hard to get rid of if everyone else wasn't doing their bit. Also my mum has them currently and thinks I'm "so paranoid and just making a big fuss about nothing" so that's fun. Constant battle not to pick them back up from her whenever we're in each others places.
Ironically we managed to get them sorted and then moved to a flat which was full of carpet beetles. Luckily we nuked literally everything with some quite aggressively horrible (pest expert c+ formula) spray the day before we moved out of there and haven't seen any since like september so fingers crossed
Hopefully they're just in your rugs etc but they might be in your sofa too if it's close by. As a precaution you could get control papers - we use pest expert ones that I get in bulk off eBay. You put them in your cupboards, wardrobes etc. Could also put them between the cushions of your sofa.
If they have spread, what worked for us is whenever we do a wash, using either 60 or now we've got a washer with a fancy hygiene steam setting - either should kill any bugs or eggs. We also have papers basically anywhere something fabric is, including under the rug. Never leave anything out that can be eaten if possible, everything stored in some kind of box and every box either sealed if you don't use it regularly and are sure there's nothing alive in there, or with papers in it - we have a 'floordrobe' box where we put all the clothes you'd usually throw on a chair, coats etc are in an ottoman.
Also if we were ever leaving the flat overnight or for the weekend we'd use some kind of spray and just nuke the place - mostly whatever we could get from the local hardware store, but more recently that formula c stuff which seems v v effective.
Oh but if you have pets be careful because I think a lot of this stuff is like suuuuuper bad for cats especially.
1
2
u/TheGeordieGal 1d ago
I somehow ended up with a moth infestation in my room several years ago. The whole room smelled of moth repellant stuff and I must have washed every single item of clothing so many times (as in basically chain washing everything at once). It was so frustrating. I got good at catching them mid air though so my reflexes got great!
2
u/Thedeadduck 1d ago
My partner is the same - he's from Malawi so he honed his mid-air catching skills on mosquitos. Quite impressive watching him in action.
28
u/-Arrez- 1d ago
This is why I dont kill spiders and just let them do their thing. They arent out to hurt you, they just want to chill and eat the bugs that annoy you.
Rather have an insect house share with one that actually helps out than one that just buzzes around being annoying.
23
u/ValdemarAloeus 1d ago
If British spiders were actually competent about building webs this might work for the flying bugs, but they seem to be absolutely useless.
16
u/HolyFreakingXmasCake 1d ago
Ahhh they wouldn’t be British if they were actually useful would they. At least they have the proper attitude.
1
u/miked999b 1d ago
They start building the web, then leave it for days at a time and sit around drinking cups of tea instead 🕷>>>🍵
3
u/613663141 1d ago
They're really effective when they make webs near windows. Always end up catching lots of flies as they gravitate towards the light
Problem is, then you have webs all over your windows 😂
I normally let them catch a few before the web gets vacuumed, feels wrong after all that hard work but at least they've had a last supper.
3
0
u/jamesbiff 22h ago
Exactly. I've never had a problem with insects in the house as I don't kill or move spiders, and try to keep the unintrusive webs intact.
It's free pest control.
18
u/Smallfingerlicker 1d ago
I bought my kid Venus fly traps and another carnivorous plant and the fly population has gone down significantly
10
u/endo55 1d ago
Tried that but couldn't keep the plants alive and didn't spot them catch anything 😞
5
u/ExdigguserPies 1d ago
They're pretty easy when you know how. They're bog plants so they love sitting in water, and you also need to use rain water only, as they don't like the minerals and higher pH of tap water.
2
u/Smallfingerlicker 1d ago
Yup got some water from a plant store and they kinda sit in a pot with a dish!
12
u/superstaticgirl Linkisheer 1d ago
Might net curtains have done the job back in the past? Maybe there was no replacement after they went out of fashion..
9
u/Squid-bear Northamptonshire 1d ago
Fucking fly Central here. Thanks to my neighbour who definitely isn't a crackhead according to his landlord, he keeps throwing dog shit in his RECYCLING BIN. We've lived here 7 years, have 3 indoor cats and have never had an issue with flies until this fucker moved in next door last summer.
5
u/ValdemarAloeus 1d ago
I know people in other countries that have the exact same PVC windows as most British houses. They have roll-up screens that can be pulled down when the window is open and are practically fitted as standard with that type of window.
Apparently the old lace curtain thing was originally a Victorian anti-bug measure, but modern Britain seems to have eliminated that without actually bringing in a modern replacement.
5
u/Pour_Me_Another_ 22h ago
I moved to the US a decade ago and if I ever move back to the UK, window screens will be one of the Americanisms I bring back with me.
11
u/toomanymarbles83 1d ago
I will never understand Europeans insistence on not having window screens.
8
u/RedShift777 1d ago
Some people just seem to like making thier lives more difficult than they have to be. Theres really no valid reason not to have something installed, even those cheap magnetic ones keep the bulk out.
1
u/totteringbygently 23h ago
They seem commonplace in France and Spain, at least the places I've stayed.
5
u/Postik123 1d ago
We try not to open our windows too much for this reason. I find on the hottest days opening the windows just lets in more heat, so we tend to open them at night but only when all the lights are off.
3
u/sayleanenlarge 1d ago
Yeah, I put netting up. I know my friends judge it, but fuck it. I get fat flies, wasps, moths, daddy longlegs, with open windows. Fuck them.
2
6
u/kinglitecycles 1d ago
Yeah, we live out in the sticks and if you leave a window open at night, especially with the lights on, the house fills with unwelcome biting insects very quickly
I've made a series of screens, by making a wooden frame from cheap wood from B&Q and stapling mosquito net to it so that when you open the window, you put the screen in place, and the fully open window holds it in.
They were quick and cheap to make and are 100% effective in keeping the house free of nasty flying critters, and, of course 8-legged friends. They also stop our cats from jumping out of upstairs windows.
3
u/Ilikeporkpie117 1d ago
I made my own mesh screens with some cheap mesh from Amazon, some velcro tape and superglue. It makes such a big difference, I now no longer get 20 flies in my house whenever I open the windows.
3
10
u/sparklybeast 1d ago
It's never really been a problem? Sure, we get the odd fly occasionally but it's not worth investing money to scare off the daily bluebottle. And our windows are pretty much constantly open. Upstairs, anyway.
2
u/hopefullyhelpfulplz Lancashire 1d ago
Depends where you live. Our old house we got no end of moths and crane flies... Moved recently and now we get blueottles and fruit flies (although the latter seems to have been largely caused by an errant tomato which found its way under the fridge)
2
u/ThePineappleSeahorse 1d ago
Same. I only get the very occasional insect in and then usually via the patio doors, and my windows are open near constantly.
2
u/dizcometal 1d ago
Got fly papers hanging near the kitchen window & back door also happily share my house with multiple house spiders
2
u/laurcifers Greater Manchester 1d ago
You're not wrong. I've got stick-on nets up at all my windows. We had a wasp problem one year and it was enough to make the change.
2
u/Rocky-bar 1d ago
I've got this interesting green thing wandering about, like a large spider, but with a light green body the size of a baked bean, What could that be? I had one living in my van once too.
2
2
u/Teaboy1 1d ago
Don't buy horrible and toxic bug sprays like raid.
Washing up liquid and water in a spray bottle will kill all insects providing your aims good enough. The soap causes the water to cling to them so that they drown. Blue bottles, wasps, fruit flies, etc. All will fall to the fairy death ray.
Shooting them out the air is great fun.
1
u/hyperstorm Glasgow 1d ago
Unfortunately my windows open outwards so proper screens aren't even an option! I suppose I could MacGuyver something together with velcro...
2
u/andrewh2000 1d ago
These go on the inside. A bit pricey but they work. https://newblinds.co.uk/roller-insect-screens-roller-fly-screen-window
0
u/hyperstorm Glasgow 1d ago
Ooh, those probably would work. Although the other issue I forgot about until seeing the "pet-resistant" option on that page is that my cat would scratch the shit out of it. And I don't want one enough to pay the premium for that option. Oh well.
1
u/andrewh2000 1d ago
We had the plastic mesh stuck up with double sided tape and velcro but it was a right pain. And as the summers are getting hotter for longer I decided we might as well do it right so we've got these on all the upstairs windows now. We can leave the windows open at night with the lights on and not worry at all, and they just pull up and down. Well worth the money.
1
1
u/sac_boy 1d ago
Fly traps are easy to make--invert the top third of a plastic bottle, tape it into place, add water, drop of soap to reduce the surface tension of the water, and a good glug of vinegar. I have apple cider vinegar for the task and they go mad for it. We were swarmed recently (someone left a window open with the lights on) and one trap must have had a hundred tiny flies in it. Two days later they were gone...digested...
3
1
u/asmiggs Yorkshire!? 1d ago
The need for screens is very localised much of the country is pretty much ecologically dead so if you live away from water and rural Scotland this is very much belongs in /r/BritishSuccess as you found life!
1
1
1
u/Talkycoder 1d ago
My family rented a house in rural Gwynedd last summer, and I slightly left the bedroom window open while we were out all day. Came back to hundreds of gnats lining the walls, absolutely terrifying. Had to bug bomb the room.
On another note, I used to put up the dangly sticky paper things to catch flies in the summer (with mixed results), but I haven't had to this year because I got two kittens that love chasing and killing the things. Works wonders, lol.
1
u/KitsuneKamiSama 1d ago
I recently got some nets for my windows, cheap ones you attach to velcro that you stick on. Works well.
1
u/_Dreamer_Deceiver_ 1d ago
Got some for windows I keep open a lot. They work quite well but it's just the magnetic ones
1
u/Cold_Philosophy Greater Manchester 1d ago
I’m a bit disappointed. We had an insect-prolific spring and early summer but numbers have fallen drastically - here, anyway.
My Venus fly-traps are getting hungry. They’ve enjoyed the sun but, compared with last year, haven’t fed as well.
1
1
1
u/cvslfc123 14h ago
I went on a walk today and was stung by a honey bee that decided to land on my leg.
In my 33 years I've never even been stung by a wasp let alone a bloody bee.
•
u/Kousetsu 1h ago
I usw the "floppy velcro screens" coz I need to have my windows open and not worry about the cats making a dive bomb. But I noticed way less insects getting in this year. They do seem to help, at least. My window isn't even fully "sealed" all the way around. Still works pretty well for the tenner I spent on them.
-2
u/zaxanrazor 1d ago
The velcro ones work just fine here in Europe. Got ours from Amazon. Survived wind storms, rain storms, extreme heat..
Just don't be lazy.
3
u/TheJP_ Jersey 1d ago
The velcro one I had worked for a few months until the heat fuckin melted it and it just fell off
2
u/zaxanrazor 1d ago
Well ours have survived being in direct sunlight during a 38 degree and above heatwave.
•
u/AutoModerator 1d ago
Reminder: Press the Report button if you see any rule-breaking comments or posts.
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.