markus270326 Oct 2016 07:31Hello,
we have been living in our house for three months now. We have noticed that there are hundreds of houseflies living in our attic; there really are many. Honestly, I am a bit puzzled because I cannot explain where they are coming from.
The attic is accessible via a pull-down loft ladder, which is always closed. Shouldn't the masonry and roof be sealed well enough to prevent insects from entering the attic? I am worried that next year not flies but a wasp population might establish itself in my attic (there are many wasps in the area).
The roof is covered with concrete tiles, and the roof structure is made of wood. The attic floor is covered with OSB boards, underneath which there is insulation and vapor barrier foil, followed by the ceiling of the upper floor. The masonry is made of aerated concrete blocks, unplastered in the attic area.
Does anyone have experience or advice?
we have been living in our house for three months now. We have noticed that there are hundreds of houseflies living in our attic; there really are many. Honestly, I am a bit puzzled because I cannot explain where they are coming from.
The attic is accessible via a pull-down loft ladder, which is always closed. Shouldn't the masonry and roof be sealed well enough to prevent insects from entering the attic? I am worried that next year not flies but a wasp population might establish itself in my attic (there are many wasps in the area).
The roof is covered with concrete tiles, and the roof structure is made of wood. The attic floor is covered with OSB boards, underneath which there is insulation and vapor barrier foil, followed by the ceiling of the upper floor. The masonry is made of aerated concrete blocks, unplastered in the attic area.
Does anyone have experience or advice?
Unfortunately, I can’t provide much information about the roof’s construction or airtightness. I’m not an expert in that area. I do have a rough idea (cold roof – airtightness), but I don’t want to risk giving you completely wrong advice.
A different question comes to mind:
Why do you have such a large number of flies in your attic?
We used to have a huge amount of flies in the basement of a rental property. They got in because the landlord required that plastic garbage bags be stored in the basement until collection. The warmth from the heating pipes combined with the plastic packaging, which had been rinsed but not fully cleaned, led to hundreds of flies in the basement.
So what could be the reason in your case?
Dead animals? (a marten might have nested in your attic and the remains of its “food” are stored there) (deceased pigeons) (mice)
Excrement?
Any materials stored in the attic that were once wet and are now rotting or moldy?
Or do you live so far out in the countryside near stables that dealing with such a number of flies is just inevitable?
A different question comes to mind:
Why do you have such a large number of flies in your attic?
We used to have a huge amount of flies in the basement of a rental property. They got in because the landlord required that plastic garbage bags be stored in the basement until collection. The warmth from the heating pipes combined with the plastic packaging, which had been rinsed but not fully cleaned, led to hundreds of flies in the basement.
So what could be the reason in your case?
Dead animals? (a marten might have nested in your attic and the remains of its “food” are stored there) (deceased pigeons) (mice)
Excrement?
Any materials stored in the attic that were once wet and are now rotting or moldy?
Or do you live so far out in the countryside near stables that dealing with such a number of flies is just inevitable?
B
Bauexperte26 Oct 2016 13:39markus2703 schrieb:
We have now noticed that there are hundreds of houseflies living in our attic; there really are a lot. To be honest, I’m a bit puzzled because I can’t figure out where they are coming from.If there aren’t any food scraps lying around and you can’t control the flies with common remedies, only a professional pest control service will help; otherwise, they will continue to lay eggs unchecked.Regards, Bauexperte
markus270326 Oct 2016 14:49Hello,
First of all, thank you for the suggestions. There are no food items or anything similar stored in the attic. I cannot imagine there being a marten, but I will investigate further.
We live in a very rural area and are the first house next to the fields, so the number of flies is generally high, but in the attic it is extremely high. What worries me more is the next summer—especially because of the wasps!
My specific question is: is this normal for a cold roof? Can anyone else with a cold roof share whether they have insects up there?
First of all, thank you for the suggestions. There are no food items or anything similar stored in the attic. I cannot imagine there being a marten, but I will investigate further.
We live in a very rural area and are the first house next to the fields, so the number of flies is generally high, but in the attic it is extremely high. What worries me more is the next summer—especially because of the wasps!
My specific question is: is this normal for a cold roof? Can anyone else with a cold roof share whether they have insects up there?
Hi,
we had the same issue about 4 weeks ago, and when tapping on the underlay membrane, you could clearly hear rustling behind it. I don’t even want to imagine what was back there.
The site manager explained to me that the critters look for a warm spot to stay overnight when the cold weather begins. That spot is usually under your roof tiles after sunny days, because they stay warm in the evening. If the underlay membrane is open anywhere (it was in our case, as work was still being done near the chimney), you end up with those pests in the attic.
In our case, the insulation wasn’t installed yet, meaning the roof was not completely sealed where it rests on the upper floor ceiling.
This should all calm down significantly, as they won’t survive through the winter.
At first, I was a bit doubtful about this explanation, but so far it really is quiet up there.
Best regards,
Andreas
we had the same issue about 4 weeks ago, and when tapping on the underlay membrane, you could clearly hear rustling behind it. I don’t even want to imagine what was back there.
The site manager explained to me that the critters look for a warm spot to stay overnight when the cold weather begins. That spot is usually under your roof tiles after sunny days, because they stay warm in the evening. If the underlay membrane is open anywhere (it was in our case, as work was still being done near the chimney), you end up with those pests in the attic.
In our case, the insulation wasn’t installed yet, meaning the roof was not completely sealed where it rests on the upper floor ceiling.
This should all calm down significantly, as they won’t survive through the winter.
At first, I was a bit doubtful about this explanation, but so far it really is quiet up there.
Best regards,
Andreas
markus270327 Oct 2016 06:14Thank you for the responses so far! Yesterday, a conversation with my general contractor shed some light on the situation. It seems that the underlayment membranes were not sealed properly – I can see directly to the roof tiles between them.
He will inspect and make the necessary corrections. I will get back to you once our site manager has carried out the inspection.
He will inspect and make the necessary corrections. I will get back to you once our site manager has carried out the inspection.
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