Small flies swarming in Moraga are there for a reason

DEAR JOAN I have had a continual complication with pesky gnats that hover under our overhang on our back porch They appear as it warms up and have not disappeared the past limited years We don t have any standing water or leaks and I can t find a source of where they may be coming from I ve poured vinegar and water down the patio drains and still no luck Any advice on how to get rid of these so we can enjoy our back patio A Seaman Moraga DEAR A By your description I think your unwanted pests are lesser house flies also known as little house flies also known by me as those darn flies that never land long enough for me to swat them And I only resort to swatting when they come in the house but I ve gotten pretty good at whacking them in mid flight Related Articles Dog facts may help track ballooning cases of Valley fever in California Just bodies of animals everywhere Toxic algae bloom taking a toll on California marine life Am I helping birds by putting out dryer lint Yarn Dog hair Why do birds have different types of wings What s with San Jose bird s obsessive twig collecting But back to your question the swarm of circling flies are males waiting for an unmated female to fly by Because the lesser house fly is not as tolerant to heat or sun they choose shady cooler spots to hang out and places where the air is still They don t bite or sting which means they basically are just annoying Because they tend to swarm at a height of to feet that puts them in the perfect human agitation zone Sprays and other deadly force efforts aren t effective but changing the conditions on your patio are First look for places where the females find attractive for laying eggs That includes damp protected areas such as in flower pots Avoid overwatering plants and watering in the evening Instead water early in the morning so that the sun and heat of the day will cause excess water to evaporate Lastly place a fan on your porch turn it upward toward the swarm and set the fan on high That should be like turning all the lights on at a singles bar and the flies likely will scatter It s not a permanent fix but it should help you get through the worst of spring and fall when the flies are the majority prevalent DEAR JOAN I not long ago adopted a wonderful dog that I named Baxter When Baxter and I go out for his morning walk he kicks and scratches with his back legs after he makes a poo like he s trying to cover it up I thought only cats did that He did spend a lot of time with cats before I adopted him Did the cats teach him to do that E J San Jose DEAR E J For certain reason the thought of cats teaching dogs to do things scares me a little bit While there are documented cases of different species raised together sharing certain traits and habits in this matter Baxter has not been indoctrinated into the cult of cat He s all dog Although it might appear Baxter is trying to cover his poo he s genuinely enhancing it Dogs have pheromone scent pads in their feet and by scratching around the poop deposit they are marking their territory leaving a scent that other dogs will detect The Animal Life column runs on Mondays Contact Joan Morris at AskJoanMorris gmail com