elllis

a friend visited wa and said the flies were terrible lots of them and is there a fly season or is someone winding me up ?
id like to know how bad they really are ! and do they dive bomb?

Simone

In the summer they are worse.

But what is bad?

It can definetly get very annoying, but I think it depends on some stuff like weather and area....

Haven't experienced dive bombing before, I think...! What do you mean exactly?

Anyway, it's not that bad that you can't live there, and probably get used to it, otherwise there wouldn't be 1.something million people living in Perth!

pompeywill

I did notice those big green flies when I was there.
Laying on the beach all relaxed then suddenly they bite!
Like being jabbed with a pin.:scared:

Grayling

The worst ones we ever came across were in northern Queensland.They were huge. :scared: I think they were Marsh flies. They crried Hypodermic needles .
The ordinary flies can be a pain at times and can make even a walk in the countrside unbearable.
They may not be a problem all year but don't underestimate them
Good luck

G

Megalania

No flies on them:

wombat42

Flies are only a problem in summer and it depends on where you live. As flies breed in animal droppings they are mainly a problem in certain rural areas where there in a large amount of cattle for example and therefore won't be much of a problem if you live in a city.

jasonK944

In the 3.5 months that I have been in Australia I have only been bothered by flies on two ocassions. Both at service stations whilst eating Mcdonalds and both times a few hours drive outside Sydney. I am hoping that it doesnt get any worse than that.

Simone

lol at Megs! But he's right!
Still not going to walk around with a net or corks though!

I have a pic too

It's my parents and our Dutch friends on New Years Eve 1988. We went away for the weekend to Mylup Beach, near Perth.
The flies were TERRIBLE! Apparently, cos I was 6, so don't remember.
That's why they are wearing twigs with leaves in front of their faces!

And they still talk about that being the worst fly time ever!!

Bix

Simone,
They tell you it was the flies but bet they were on some sort of cult activity. Getting closer to mother earth perhaps

Megalania

Always keep a few of these about your person:

Sausage

Y'all just need to learn the Aussie wave

You see it in action at barbecues.... you know, people flapping their arms to keep flies off their burgers

Megalania

Getting To Know Your New Most Intimate Companions

Bella

I've been here 6 months on the far south coast of NSW & the flies this summer were an absolute NIGHTMARE! The problem is not that they bite but their complete persistence in trying to attach themselves to every part of available body. They try to get in your eyes, nose, ears & mouth. My husband swallowed several flies when we were walking in to town & talking - you have to keep your trap shut! Fly nets are the only effective way of keeping them away but you look completely foolish. It really is maddening.

Saying that, apparently they were worse this year than they have been for some time.

Loopy

There do seem to be times when the flies get worse, must be a change in the weather - getting warmer or more humid. Apart from that they're not too bad. At their worst they try to get moisture it seems from anywhere - nostrils, eyes, mouth, they are HORRID. They don't tend to be like UK flies though & buzzing round food all the time, they do when they're in their horrid phases and sometimes at other times but they aren't as bad as you would expect for the rest of the time.

Talking of other horrid things, I see the magpies are back & nest building! I had my first swoop from one the other day!

Loopy

owieb

Agree with Loopy; but it mostly depends on the wind. It tends to blow an easterly in the morning so blows the flies in from the desert, so mornings are the worst time. If a seabreeze comes in then they get blown back to the desert.

They start getting bad about November and run through till about April, though I only really notice them for a few months now and that's only first thing in the morning.

As Loopy said they are very persistant and won't just fly away if you wave your hands around, they will constantly keep 'dive bombing' you until they can land. Many a time I have been walking along and ended up swallowing a fly, either through my mouth or up my nose.

We've just come back from a trip up North to Exmouth and the Cape Range. The flies up there are horrendous and you have to wear a fly net most of the time. And if you go camping (like we did) you really should take a 'fly netting' shade to eat and sit in as it can be very uncomfortable without one.