Pest controllers are seeing a surge in flies and other insects this summer, and Pest Management Association vice president Dr Paul Craddock reveals the numbers will only get worse with the wet, humid weather. Video / NZ Herald
If you feel like you’ve been swatting, spraying or even zapping flies a bit more than usual this summer, you’re not alone.
And it could get worse, as pest controllers warn of an insect invasion in the coming weeks.
The recent warm, damp weather accompanied by this week’s downpour from ex-tropical Cyclone Hale has created the perfect breeding conditions for some of our most-hated insects like flies, mosquitos and even ants.
“There are a lot [of insects] around at the moment and that’s due to the climate and weather conditions we’ve had,” Pest Management Association vice president Dr Paul Craddock told Focus.
“We’ve had a very mild winter, a warm, wet spring and now we’ve got a lot of moisture coming around and it’s just perfect breeding conditions for all insects - particularly flies.”
Maggots in particular like moist organic material, he said, and flies thrive in warm conditions due to being cold-blooded.
Pest Management Association vice president Dr Paul Craddock says weather conditions have been perfect for insects. Photo / Jed Bradley
“When it’s warm and damp they’re breeding, their babies are multiplying and they do very very well and, of course, they can respond quite quickly.
“Their life cycle is around about a week or so, maybe a little bit longer. And so you can imagine within a week you’ve got large numbers then two weeks later just exponential growth.
“You can go from no flies to having them coming out of your eyeballs within two weeks and it’s the same for mosquitoes as well.”
Pest controllers, meanwhile, have been working around the clock to help combat the issue but there are a range of things people can do themselves.
Craddock said fly spray can help but is limiting and instead encouraged using a range of methods at once to achieve integrated pest management.
“What your first port of call is to try and keep insects and flies out of your home to start with,” Craddock said. “Flies and mosquitoes, they don’t like moving air so plain old ceiling fans and pedestal fans are a very good method of just pushing the flies out of the room, particularly at night.
“Making sure that your rubbish is cleaned up and your kitchen is clean and things like that would stop insects from wanting to come and it reduces the attractiveness and the smells.
“And the next step after that is outside the house or the same kind of principle of hygiene, removing any dog faeces, making sure your compost bin is clean and tidy and away from the house and just anything else that’s going to produce a smell that might attract flies in.”
