Sydney has been overrun by swarms of flies lately. They’re everywhere. But why?
Reminiscent of the bed bug-pocalypse raining hellfire on Paris right now, you may have noticed an increase in flies in Sydney and that’s thanks to spring showers, a mild winter and an early onset of warm weather, as well as what the flies eat.
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Canberra entomologist and author of Eyes of Flies Dr Bryan Lessard told the Sydney Morning Herald the Sydney flies are the result of a perfect storm of weather conditions, the bounty of flower nectar available and the increase in sweaty people on our streets that fed this “fly boom”, which has seen insects emerge from their dormant cocoons early.
“In winter, there are not many flies around because it’s too cold and adults die. But their eggs and larvae go dormant and are waiting for the rain and heat in spring to trigger them,” he said.
“There will be a few different cycles in insect booms this year because different species come out at different times of year. Some flies live for seven days, but others live up to a month.”
Dr Dan Bickel, an entomologist for the Australian Museum, also suggested the infestation of the bushfly — which is what is plaguing the city right now — could be due to winds coming from central Australia. This fly species is pretty resilient to changing temperatures and weather conditions so more flies could be a factor of climate change.
Lessard advised against using toxic insect repellent to rid your Sydney home of flies as they could end up washed away in rivers, causing harm to other native animals. Instead, it is best to rely on fly screens, wear long sleeves and avoid being outside at dusk and dawn.
