Warm weather brings flies, and with them contaminated food and unhappy customers, guests and animals. Good fly control combines hygiene with the right product in the right place. This guide explains what to use around the home, in kitchens and restaurants, and on farms and stables.
Why fly control matters in summer
House flies breed in rotting organic matter such as bins, manure, compost and spilled feed. In hot weather a fly can develop from egg to adult in little more than a week, so numbers build up fast. Flies move between waste and food, which is why they are a hygiene problem in kitchens, restaurants and dairies, and a nuisance for horses and livestock.
Start with hygiene
No product works well next to an overflowing bin. Keep bins closed and clean them every week, remove manure and wet bedding often, cover food and compost, and fit fly screens where you can. Removing breeding sites is the cheapest part of fly control and makes every product below work better.
Fly bait for heavy fly pressure
Coopers Ultrakill Fly Bait combines the insecticide methomyl with tricosene, a fly attractant, so flies seek it out and feed on it. Apply it exactly as the label directs, in places where flies gather and settle, such as around bins, animal pens, dairies and stables. Keep it away from children, pets, livestock feed and water. It comes in sizes from a 100g pack for the home to a 5kg tub for farms.
Fly ribbons and traps
Sticky ribbons catch flies without spraying. The 400 metre fly ribbon is made for stables, dairies and large sheds, where it can be strung along the roof. Outdoors, the disposable Coopers Fly Catch lures flies into a trap with an attractant. Hang it a few metres away from doors and seating areas, so that it draws flies away from people rather than towards them.
Sprays for quick knockdown indoors
For flies and mosquitoes that are already inside, the Fly and Mosquito Killer uses pyrethrins with piperonyl butoxide for fast knockdown. Cover food and dishes before you spray, follow the label and air the room afterwards.
Fly control for restaurants and food businesses
Food businesses need fly control that works without putting food at risk. Combine strict bin and drain hygiene with ribbons or traps away from food preparation areas, and use baits only where the label allows, well away from food and packaging. Businesses that use products every week can request a bulk quote.
Fly control on farms and stables
On farms the main source is usually manure and wet feed. Clear it regularly, place fly bait where flies rest around pens and dairies, and hang ribbons in stables and sheds. Larger packs, such as the 5kg fly bait, usually work out cheaper per use.
Use fly products safely
Read the label before every use and follow the directions and safety precautions on the pack. Keep products out of reach of children, pets and animals, wash your hands after use, and store products in their original containers. The fly bait and the fly killer are registered under Act 36 of 1947, and their registration numbers are on each product page.
Shop the full flies and mosquitoes range, and read our guide on how to get rid of cockroaches for the pests that move indoors when it rains.
