Eric,
I agree with Dan's solution; the clothes hamper should keep them from
landing so close, and tea tree oil or eucalyptus should help keep them
a distance away. I spray my windscreens with an essential oil mix of
eucalyptus, rosemary, lavender, (30 drops each) and clove (5 drops) in
a quart of water. This avoids the risk of DEET making contact with any
of your cable insulation or precious plastic parts. I would also
suggest experimenting with different colors. It's well documented that
mosquitoes are attracted to black and blue, perhaps the same (or
similar color preference) is true with flies. In any case, they are
curious about your gear; and to some extent, it smells like you.
The flies are a natural part of the soundscape. My guess is you just
want them to have a more 'natural' sounding relationship to the rest
of the biophony mix. One of my all-time favorite recordings is
"Vultures, Nine Birds Feeding on a Zebra Carcass" from Chris Watson's
"Outside the Circle of Fire". He placed a couple of lavaliere mics in
a zebra carcass in the process of being devoured by vultures. The
flies are essential to setting the context of the recording.
Paul Dickinson
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