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26th Jun 2018

Fly infestations to reach peak in Ireland during hot weather, here’s how to keep them out

Alan Loughnane

flies

Those damn, pesky flies…

While people enjoy the turn in the weather and instances of farmers tans have increased by up to 7000%*, the warm weather does bring with it some problems of its own.

People have been warned about possible fires starting from reflective items left on their window sills, and urged to remain hydrated and put on sun cream during the heatwave.

While the heatwave looks set to continue for at least another week, it seems that the flies are going to be at their worst over the next few days.

According pest experts Rentokil, the numbers of call outs they’ve received to deal with fly infestations is up on last year, and the number of flies around is only going to grow with the current spell of warm weather.

For this reason, Rentokil recommends taking the following steps to minimise your fly problems, particularly at this time of year:

  • Ensure that kitchen doors are closed at all times
  • Keep all bins covered and have a suitable number of bins to match your waste requirements
  • After dark, keep windows and doors closed or block out the light with curtains
  • Install fly screens, particularly on windows near kitchen and waste areas, to prevent flies from entering the home in the first place
  • Always cover food so as not to attract flies but also to reduce the spread of diseases – flies spread diseases by landing on food before we eat it
  • Clean up food and liquid spillages immediately
  • Clean food debris from under kitchen appliances
  • Keep compost enclosed and covered
  • Keep drains cleaned and clear from debris
  • Clean up after pets – not only are faeces the perfect breeding place for flies but also somewhere a fly may land before landing on your food
  • Check your roof for old birds’ nests as they can be a source of flies, amongst other pests.