Keeping flies and wasps out

Any suggestions on how to keep flies/bees/wasps at bay? My wife likes to keep the door from our sunroom open (it faces onto our back garden) but there are always bugs of some sort flying in. We have two kids under 3.

You can get mesh screens.

extopia said:

You can get mesh screens.

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Thanks.
Daughter is always running in and out so a screen would be an obstacle.

Hillsalt said:

Any suggestions on how to keep flies/bees/wasps at bay? My wife likes to keep the door from our sunroom open (it faces onto our back garden) but there are always bugs of some sort flying in. We have two kids under 3.

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Yes it's a problem. We all see the fantastic houses on TV and in magazines with their large patio areas and huge accordian doors open to outside.

In our house the cry of "There's a bluebottle" in the house is often heard with the mad rush to make sure that everything is "covered" in the kitchen.

A few citronella candles around the place?

I know they are intended for biting insects but I think most insects don't like the smell.

Last year I tried those stick on fly killers that look like butterflies - you stick them on the window. I didn't bother with them this year - but have noticed a lot more flies in the house. I'm going to get some more later today.

Citronella works well as was posted before, also peels from citrus fruits left nearby stops them.

A jar with lucozade in it placed on a windowsill will attract wasps and drown them

Hillsalt said:

Any suggestions on how to keep flies/bees/wasps at bay? My wife likes to keep the door from our sunroom open (it faces onto our back garden) but there are always bugs of some sort flying in. We have two kids under 3.

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Main thing is to make it less attractive for them by removing all food including fruit (put them in another room or fridge). Don't leave water in basins or damp cloths lying around.

All good suggestions so far, tho if you have flies etc., in full, fast flight, they're probably in before they get a sniff of the citrus or the sugary drink in the cup on the windowsill.

What about a hanging bead, chain or plastic strip curtain? String it up across the doorway to create a visible 'barrier' that the insects will not want to fly into but it won't stop people passing through.

Only drawback is that smaller kids absolutely love to play with these and can easily pull it to pieces - stern warnings about not playing with it would probably be needed.

In Spain, I've visited houses where they have the pull down mesh screens for windows and they are a fantastic job for keeping out the mozzies. If you wanted a long term solution, you might invest in a light wooden or plastic screen door with similar mesh fitted that automatically closes after being pushed open to let people out - the children would quickly learn how to use it.

Why not a bead curtain instead of the mesh. That wouldn't stop child running in and out.