My Favourites (
My Kiwicare 
Email 
Print An Easy DIY Fly Control Programme
Flies seem to be a growing issue across New Zealand, regardless of whether you’re based in urban areas or rurally. Hovering lazily around bathrooms and kitchens, leaving dirty marks on ceilings and tormenting people trying to sleep, flies are not only unhygienic, they’re downright annoying too. Generally speaking, flies are at their worst during the summer. And if you’ve had a warmer, wetter spring than usual, you can bet your bottom dollar that you're in for a particularly bad fly season. The good news is this easy DIY fly control programme can help you have a fly free summer.
Eliminate fly breeding grounds
The elimination of breeding sites is the most important step in fly prevention and control. Each species of fly requires specific environmental conditions for effective breeding.
- The house fly, is the most common fly and is found all around New Zealand both in urban centres and rurally. They are highly adaptable and can breed in clean and wet environments making them hard to get rid of. They also tend to breed in rubbish, dog kennels with bedding, mulch, and grass clippings. House flies are prolific in in rural settings where pigs, cows, horses, and poultry are farmed.
- Blow flies require decaying meat or animal faeces. Rubbish bags left open, pet faeces, roadkill, and farms are all prime breeding locations for them.
- Cluster flies, which are found in homes, churches, hospitals, apartment complexes, commercial and public buildings, and other structures, require soil cracks and crevices offering access to the earthworms their larvae parasitise.
- Horseflies need vegetation to thrive.
- Drain flies need the organic matter that accumulates in the drain and sewer pipes.
Disrupting the life cycle of flies
The house fly can complete its life cycle in 10 days. Checking for and removing potential breeding sites should be carried out at least twice a week to break the breeding cycle. For example, bins and dumpsters should be cleaned regularly and have well-fitting lids. Dry rubbish should be placed in rubbish bags and sealed. All rubbish containers should be kept as far from building entrances as possible, so that these food sources are not attracting flies to the vicinity.
Housefly larvae prefer a variety of organic vegetable materials such as manure, garbage, sewage, food wastes, lawn clippings and silage. The larvae of horseflies are found in drier substrates and have a wider distribution compared to blowflies, whose larvae are found in substrates with relatively high water content.
Most fly larvae will search for required nutrients as well e.g. house fly larvae pupated under a clean damp towel will crawl with conviction to look for another suitable resting place and food with suitable conditions. So, regularly cleaning environments and removing food sources for flies and their larvae will disrupt their life cycle and prevent further population growth.
Stop flies entering your home or business
The best way to keep flies from entering your home is to place fine mesh screens on doors and windows so that air can flow freely, but insects can’t. Plastic or chain curtains are also good options for businesses. Keeping windows and doors closed where possible also can help.
Killing flies and keeping them away
Insecticides play a key part of any fly pest control program. They can be used to target flies and their lava both indoors and outdoors (a combined approach will get the best results).
Indoor fly control
Automatic dispensers like our NO Flies Automatic System or Insect Guard Fly Control System are a great option for indoor living areas. They provide continuous protection against flying and crawling insects reducing the number of insects that enter a room.
Point and shoot fly spray options like NO Flies Super Odourless or NO Flies Super Scented are great when immediate results are needed for flies that have made it indoors. They also kill a wide variety of flying and crawling insects. Make sure to spray directly at flies for best results.
For a longer term impact NO Bugs Indoors can be used on internal surfaces to treat flies that have made it indoors. NO Bugs Super Bug Bombs can be used for quick knockdown and elimination of flies inside.
Outdoor fly control
For the control of adult flies: Choose a still day with a forecast of dry conditions for the next 6 hours. Apply NO Bugs Super as a coarse mist to exterior walls, window frames, door frames, pergolas and other fly alighting surfaces.
Note: Pyrethroids are broken down by UV light and have a shorter life in bright sunlight so a second spray in such areas will increase efficacy. NO Bugs Super is formulated to resist breakdown by UV light. Also, pyrethrins are slower to work in higher temperatures; so on warm days, the flies may take longer to die after contact.
Tips on application:
- Porous surfaces that absorb the spray may require a second treatment once the first one has dried completely.
- Do not overspray walls. Avoid spraying to point where liquid spray runs down the wall. If spray beads and runs, spray more lightly and repeat after the first spray has dried.
For control of larvae and eggs: Remove pet bedding, clean away any waste then treat the area with NO Bugs Super. After two hours, new clean pet bedding can be replaced and pets can be allowed back into the area.
- Other useful tips and tricks on how to get rid of flies
- House Flies (and Lesser House Flies) are often found flying around the middle of rooms or under covered deck areas. They are mistaking the calm air conditions and shade for the areas below tree canopies where they congregate to mate. Changing the air flow and lighting in a room can discourage them from this habit; trial and error may be required to find the most discouraging conditions.
- Flies will be attracted to the smell of food in kitchens so kitchen waste should be cleared away regularly and bins in kitchens should be clean and have a tight-fitting lid. Also ensure that that fruit bowls are regularly cleared of overripe fruit.
- Exterior waste bins should be kept clean and located away from buildings or entry points.
- If you have pets, ensure their food bowls are cleaned daily and food is not left in the bowls to attract flies. Clear away any animal waste and do not leave it to attract flies.
- Do not leave fruit drinks, wine or beer sitting around. Clean glasses soon after use. Wipe up spills of sugary drinks, wine, cider and beer.
- Rinse bottles and cans before placing in recycling bins and ensure the bin is clean and has a tight fitting lid (this is also an important step in the recycling process).
- If you are controlling slugs and snails in your garden collect the dead molluscs as they will be used as food by blow flies and others.
In summary
Effective fly control takes a multi-pronged approach, no single action alone will resolve the problem effectively. Proper animal waste and rubbish management and good animal housing sanitation must be included in a fly control program. The cleaner your surroundings are, the less chance there is for flies to breed and pester you.
