Cairns outdoor and camping shops give advice to combat rise in flies

Is your home or campsite getting invaded by swarms of flies hellbent on driving you insane? You are not alone.

THEY’RE small but in numbers, they’re one of the most pesky insects during Far North Queensland’s summer and wet season.

Now outdoor experts have given residents advice about how to keep flies at bay whether around home or while camping.

BCF customer service manager Jordan Brand said they “definitely have an increase in customers asking for help with flies” at this time of the year.

“One of the best ways is to bag and freeze food waste then take them out the day before the garbage,” Mr Brand said.

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“Another easy way is to give your home a major clean and look at sealing up potential places where they may be coming in, as well as making flytraps.

“People are also coming in (to the store) wanting to buy fly nets and mozzie nets to cover beds at nights because flies are coming inside due to wet weather,” Mr Brand said.

Anaconda store manager Christine Allgood said it was “worse even more up north where it’s hotter and in the NT”.

Shoo!

“You pretty much have to close your mouth because it's pretty yuck,” she said.

As well as cleaning around the home, people can seek fly-specific products to help.

“There’s a hole range, from head nets to repellents to food covers to hi-tech items,” she said.

Earlier in January, WA University Professor Theo Evans, from the School of Biological Sciences, said flies preferred hot, dry weather.

“They can be blown by the wind up to 300km in a day and they can fly under their own power up to 5km a day,” he said.

Originally published as Cairns outdoor and camping shops give advice to combat rise in flies