Flies – STOP the BUZZ
“which fly species are we dealing with?” Are these cluster flies, blow flies, house flies or midges (another category of fly) – or something else?
The house fly is often the one that we see ‘first’ each season as this fast breeding insect is attracted by activity, cooking smells, leftover foods, rubbish bins and warm surfaces – this fly will swoop into your home through any open window, or doors and is often found sitting on your light fittings, ceilings, TV screen, walls and other hanging objects – including your priceless photos and paintings - aargh. We all notice these flies because once they enter a room - they constantly buzz around in annoyingly random patterns, then after buzzing the room and annoying our environments they find a resting place – usually a spot that is slightly secluded (out of reach) or on warm surfaces such as light fittings, TV screens or computers, or near food or warm air zones. And we know where the flies are landing because when the fly lands they often drop a poo-dot which acts is a signal to other flies that this is a good place to hang out – to come join the party. Ewww.
When you see a cluster of fly spots it is because the flies always come back to the same areas where they have gathered and pooped before. So what to do - you can clean the spots with Sugar Soap (very effective) and treat the areas using white wine vinegar to help clean and deter them landing again. But in a short while during peak times more flies can keep coming in through any open doors and windows so therefor a constant, effective and ongoing solution is required.
The most popular PEST STOP™ fly control solutions are our range of domestic and commercial UV-A insect traps and zappers. The frequency of UV-A light is set at a specific level which flies and other flying insects can see and are continuously lured towards. Or Auto-room dispenser slow release fly killer.
Check your UV-A light zappers and glue board after a period of use to see an indication of just how many pests are being eliminated from your environment. It is good to schedule and replace glue boards and bulbs after recommended time frames or when traps become full. UV-A-traps and glue boards provide an effective 24/7 control solution for all flying insects – check our range.
Other highly effective fly control solutions is the use of (non-toxic) Window Clear Strips and Glue Traps or Spiral Fly Traps and Outdoor Fly Bag Traps to provide constant catch and kill. Also these traps are great to check just what types and frequency of insects (flying and crawling) are present on and around your windows and general environs – over time you will see the evidence.
These types of traps provide a cost-effective non-toxic control option for flies. Effective during the day and night. And once they have trapped and collected dead insects – sticky traps and fly bags are easily removed and discarded in the trash – and quickly replaced. Start early in the season and do not wait until to late.
What Fly is that?
Cluster flies live in swarms and lay their eggs in warm environments. These require spraying if they are an in-house issue. Or if on a farm then often the source nest will need to be found and destroyed. The cluster fly nests are often found in pasture and must be eliminated to prevent further infestations and also prevent grass root damage by the hatching larvae. With warmer summers we are observing more and more cluster fly infestations over all of New Zealand. Humidity and Warm weather is always ideal for activating fly breeding and subsequent issues. On farms problems start where flies lay eggs on cow pats and can breed freely before entering into domestic and work spaces in search of food and more comfortable habitable zones.
Blow flies like to zoom into open homes and thrive in breezy drafty areas – often coming in one window or door and exiting another. Use of window-clear sticky strip traps or UV-A light zappers or even fly screens are the answer to this common household pest. There are products that can spray onto the outside of the house where a fly (or other insects) land and this can eliminate the pest before it gets a chance to enter your home. Care should be taken with surface sprays, masks and PPE should be worn during application and all chemicals, regardless of eco-friendly status should be kept well out of reach of children and pets.
Blow flies and some other flies are notorious at honing in on exposed food and quickly laying their fast hatching eggs which can turn into maggots in a matter of hours – so keep food covered at all times and make sure you’ve set up your Screens, Zappers and defences to avoid fly-borne diseases and viruses from entering and establishing in your family home or workplace.
Another effective defence against flies includes use of D2K Fly Bags. These contain a fermenting concentrate inside that attracts flies and when opened the flies climb inside the bag rim and they cannot escape – so drown or die in the liquid inside the bag. These bags can be hung outside in trees or under eaves – away from main living areas (they are designed to be a bit smelly to attract the flies – because flies love smelly stuff). And a bonus is that used fly-trap bags also make terrific organic burley useful when Trout fishing in and around rivers.
Fruit Flies, Midges and Vinegar flies. These are often found around compost or where there is rotting fruit, or bananas, or potatoes. And notice they are often present and hovering (or swimming) when we pour a glass of wine. Use a vinegar type of lure or UV-Alight trap or Window Clear Sticky traps. Interestingly you will see all kinds of insects caught on the sticky traps, often featuring small immature insects which highlights where the pest cycle can all begin. So this is a reminder – it is best to start early, instal traps and lights before the problem seasons starts so you can be on top of any pest issues before it becomes unmanageable.
