The big buzz on flies this season
Have you noticed an influx of flies in your home this season? You’re not alone.
Many Nelsonians are experiencing a rise in those pesky, dirty insects, crowding their kitchen and creating an unwelcome hygiene risk.
Flybusters and Anti Ants pest controller Shane Warland said it had been a bad fly season.
‘‘Because of the rain we’ve had and the sunshine, it’s ... exactly what the flies like.
‘‘The whole bug world is booming at the moment because of the weather we’re having.’’
Warland said for this time of year, he was getting an extra ‘‘dozen or so’’ calls more than usual from people wanting to rid their homes of the common housefly.
The heat isn’t just causing a rise in the number of flies, it’s affecting their reaction to the poisons made to kill them.
‘‘Because it’s so hot, it’s taking a while for the poisons to work.
‘‘It’s the metabolism of the fly ... they just sorta cr*p the poison straight out.’’
Warland said when he explained the metabolism of a fly to someone, they said, ‘‘ Who knows this stuff?’’
He replied, ‘‘I’ve got to, that’s my job’’.
The weather has been the main factor for the fly invasion but other fly attractants included dog poo, lawn clippings and cooking.
‘‘There’s a lot of people mowing lawns and putting their lawn clipping under their trees – it’s a good incubator for flys.’’
He said there wasn’t much you could do about luring flies in with cooking.
‘‘It’s just one of those things.’’
Like our neighbours over the ditch, ‘‘everyone’s starting to get the Aussie wave I think’’.
‘‘Call it the Kiwi wave.’’ Warland makes homes fly proof by spraying indoor window sills and areas in the kitchen, including the ceiling.
Another favourite resting place for flies was external corners.
‘‘Flies like to sit on external corners and use all their eyes they’ve got and look in all directions.
‘‘Spiders will get into the corners and flies will get on the external corners.’’
Once the fly landed on the sprayed surface, it put its feet in its mouth and picked up the poison.
There was no fool-proof way to avoid flies in the house, Warland said, but you could do your best.
‘‘Keep your windows and doors shut, but in this heat it’s hard to do. Clean up any dog poo, keep compost bins as far away from your house as you can. Grass clippings, get ‘em in a wheelie bin and get them outta there, don’t use them as an incubator.’’