They're Baaack.

A little over a year ago, I wrote this piece about the annual Cluster Fly invasion experienced at the Bolt Hole. Well, they're back in full force. The 10 inches of snow just over a week ago and the warm temperatures this week have brought them out in the hundreds.

These flies, whose larval form are parasites on earthworms, abound here. The large lawn and former pasture/apple orchard that we are trying to return to apple trees has a fairly thick coating of topsoil that the earthworms enjoy and that means lots and lots of Cluster Flies. The cabin is anything but air tight and that means they get inside when the frosts hit hard. They can squeeze through the smallest crack and crevice so they have no problem with the gaping holes around some of the old doors or with getting through the windows. The screens on the windows and sliding doors are for wasps and mosquitoes in the summer. They are no help whatsoever against the Cluster Flies.

Once inside they cluster in the corners and in the barn board siding that serves as paneling and wait. They wait for the first warm day so they can return to the outside but most of them are too stupid to find the cracks to get out so instead they gather on the windows while the sun shines and crawl all over them. Occasionally they go into fits of frenzy and rattle and buzz against the glass. When it gets to raucous, I pull out the vacuum cleaner and suck them up. One spring I hung the bag on a tree and cut a hole in it. It was fast food for the birds and the phoebes and chickadees feasted for a day or two before a heavy rain and wind blew the bag down.

The flies don't eat anything so they aren't a concern as far as leaving food out, but they do seem to like to get into anything wet so I check my coffee cup frequently. At night they also like to gather around the lights. They will rattle against the lamp shade for as long as the light is on and if you're sitting next to a lamp to read you're going to get buzzed.

During the winter, I know when the temperature from the wood stoves has reached the optimal level for that's when the flies come out to play. During the day they come out even if there is no fire because of the large windows facing south that collect the sun's warmth. Even if I'm not here, they must come out to rage against their captivity against that glass. I can tell because their little bodies lie upon the floor...or at least their wings do. While I'm away the deer mice and even shrews that get into the cabin have a ready source of protein in the form of fly carcasses.

At least this year there don't seem to be many lady bugs with them. They've taken up residence in the barn. In the fall there were hundreds climbing over the brown painted T-11 siding. I find groups of them among the lumber and old doors leaning against the wall of the barn or in amongst the firewood stacked there. It may not be as warm as the cabin, but at least the lady bugs will have an easier time than the Cluster Flies getting back to the fields come spring.