From Newsgroup: alt.home.repair

On Sat, 25 Jul 2026 06:14:51 -0400, hubops wrote:

Just wear the wingman all summer long - horse flies and
deer flies will leave you alone - as will your friends and family :

https://www.leevalley.com/en-ca/shop/garden/pest-control/insects/110311-

dragonfly-wingman-deer-fly-and-horsefly-deterrent

Could be worse... Nessmuk (George Washington Sears) was a 19th century
author who wrote 'Woodcraft' and magazine articles. He had a recipe for an insect repellent that included pennyroyal oil, castor oil, and pine tar.
He advised you to apply in frequently until you built up a good patina. It probably would have repelled bears at that point. Nessmuk was big on solo canoe trips through the Adirondacks.

I read an article yesterday about a new repellent derived from catnip. It advised waiting until you left to apply it if you happened to have cats lurking about.

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From Newsgroup: alt.home.repair

hubops@ccanoemail.com wrote:

Just wear the wingman all summer long - horse flies and
deer flies will leave you alone - as will your friends
and family :

Well, I tried vacuuming them with a shop vac or spraying them with soap. They're just too fast for that.

--- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: alt.home.repair

rbowman wrote:

Just wear the wingman all summer long - horse flies and
deer flies will leave you alone - as will your friends and family :

https://www.leevalley.com/en-ca/shop/garden/pest-control/insects/110311-

dragonfly-wingman-deer-fly-and-horsefly-deterrent

Could be worse... Nessmuk (George Washington Sears) was a 19th century author who wrote 'Woodcraft' and magazine articles. He had a recipe for an insect repellent that included pennyroyal oil, castor oil, and pine tar.
He advised you to apply in frequently until you built up a good patina. It probably would have repelled bears at that point. Nessmuk was big on solo canoe trips through the Adirondacks.

I read an article yesterday about a new repellent derived from catnip. It advised waiting until you left to apply it if you happened to have cats lurking about.

Apparently even Pliny the elder, in Mount Vesuvius time frame, complained
about the damn gadflies (gad meaning spike, although I don't know if the
word existed at that time).

I am trying to build a trap.

Black ball (which I don't have yet).
Covered in roofing tar (sticky and cheap)
Hanging from a string (moving object)
With a cone on top (funnels the flies up)
And a soda bottle at top (traps them)

It's complicated but it might work.
Anyone ever build a horsefly trap at home?
--- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: alt.home.repair

Maria Sophia <mariasophia@comprehension.com> wrote:

rbowman wrote:

Just wear the wingman all summer long - horse flies and
deer flies will leave you alone - as will your friends and family : >>
https://www.leevalley.com/en-ca/shop/garden/pest-control/insects/110311-

dragonfly-wingman-deer-fly-and-horsefly-deterrent

Could be worse... Nessmuk (George Washington Sears) was a 19th century author who wrote 'Woodcraft' and magazine articles. He had a recipe for an insect repellent that included pennyroyal oil, castor oil, and pine tar. He advised you to apply in frequently until you built up a good patina. It probably would have repelled bears at that point. Nessmuk was big on solo canoe trips through the Adirondacks.

I read an article yesterday about a new repellent derived from catnip. It advised waiting until you left to apply it if you happened to have cats lurking about.

Apparently even Pliny the elder, in Mount Vesuvius time frame, complained about the damn gadflies (gad meaning spike, although I don't know if the
word existed at that time).

I am trying to build a trap.

Black ball (which I don't have yet).
Covered in roofing tar (sticky and cheap)
Hanging from a string (moving object)
With a cone on top (funnels the flies up)
And a soda bottle at top (traps them)

It's complicated but it might work.
Anyone ever build a horsefly trap at home?

What are you going to do with them when you catch them?

Do you think they can be trained to pull little horse carts?
--- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2