Fly plague hits villages

SWARMS of flies have descended on residents in Chiddingly and Horam.

SWARMS of flies have descended on residents in Chiddingly and Horam.

Distressed householders from both villages have been calling out pest control experts in desperation after suffering a dramatic increase in fly levels this summer.

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The recent warm and humid weather has been blamed for providing ideal breeding conditions for flies to rapidly multiply, but environmental health officers this week admitted they were puzzled why the winged-insects had targetted Chiddingly and Horam.

Nigel Taylor, Wealden's assistant manager in public protection and environment, said: 'We don't know to be honest. You could point to the number of farms in the area and the amount of large gardens with compost heaps, or to the number of riding stables. But in truth, we don't have a good solid answer.'

Infested

Mr Taylor said that some of the properties he had visited had been infested with anything up to 100 flies, adding that one would normally expect one or two flies in the house at any one time.

'At one property I went to in Chiddingly, I parked my car and within two minutes there were 50 flies sitting on it,' he said. 'It's certainly more than I'd be comfortable with.'

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Wealden's environmental health officers have offered residents advice on taking basic measures to control the situation. The three hints are:

l Ensure that all compost and manure heaps are covered with soil, preferably 15 to 20 cm each week or at least every other week. This will prevent the flies gaining access to the material which provides an ideal breeding ground for them.

l Keep all refuse and food waste covered and in closed containers.

l If you are being bothered by flies, pheromone traps (fly killers) around the boundary of your property are likely to offer some relief. These can be found in garden centres and hardware stores.

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Ultraviolet traps may be of benefit but must be used in accordance with the manufacturers instructions and can only kill those flies already inside your home.

Fly papers are a cheaper solution and are available from hardware stores and garden centres.

Insecticides can be employed, but use them in accordance with the safety instructions.

For more information, contact Nigel Taylor on 01323 443329.

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