Flies and rodents ‘going mad’ in capital

Some Wellingtonians are being driven around the bend by the pesky buzz of house flies and other unwelcome visitors, with warm weather the root cause.

The fly influx has driven up business for Wellington Pest Management owner Darren Labrum, who estimated call-outs in the Wellington region were ‘‘up a third’’ on the same period last year.

A balmy summer followed by an unseasonably mild autumn and increased humidity has created perfect breeding grounds for flies, as well as mice and rats.

‘‘Generally, we don’t really see [flies] past March, because the temperature drops off, so with the milder autumn and milder temperatures, and the moisture in the organic matter ... it’s created ideal breeding conditions,’’ Labrum said.

‘‘We’ve really had a massive influx in the last sort of month to six weeks which we normally wouldn’t have had.’’

While the presence of flies was easy to spot, Action Property Services field manager Maarten Lintern said rats and mice were also breeding in higher numbers.

‘‘Basically, all the pests are taking off in big numbers, simply because of the weather we’ve had over summer ... It’s just non-stop at the moment,’’ Lintern said.

Last summer was the hottest on record for many parts of New Zealand, including Wellington. The heat led many to believe that flies would be in abundance.

However, Labrum said because there was little moisture, there was only an average to aboveaverage fly increase compared to previous Wellington summers.

‘‘You need those conditions of moisture, as well as temperature and humidity, because if it is hot and dry, it’s not necessarily conducive to fly breeding,’’ he explained.

In February, New Plymouth’s heat and humidity led to a fly boom in the city.

With flyspray supplies running dry, Taranaki residents turned to more natural means of controlling them by buying venus fly traps, as well as pyrethrum and rosemary – all of which were selling well. Labrum said that pests would become more and more of a problem, as the effects of climate change and global warming worsened.

But for those looking for immediate respite from the incessant drone of the humble house fly, he suggested people close their doors and windows while cooking because ‘‘those smells will attract them in’’.

Installing an insect screen was another option, as well as tidying up your section.

‘‘Clean up any grass clippings or dog poo, things like that. Get rid of any breeding sites like compost bins.

‘‘You can get a house sprayed by commercial pest controllers. It’s not a magic spray but it works really well,’’ Labrum said.