Hibernating fly clusters found

Press, 15 August 1984, Page 28

Hibernating fly clusters found

PA Auckland Pollenia rudis is New Zealand’s latest illegal immigrant.

It is a fly which hibernates in clusters around windows and attics, and scientists say it is likely to become a familiar sight around Auckland homes.

However, it has not been reported in the South Island. Ministry of Agriculture officers were recently alerted to the pest by a North Shore resident who found about 1000 of them sleeping in her attic and in columns under window sills. The species is usually found in Europe and North America. An entomologist, Mr Ruud Kleinpaste, believes the fly is here to stay. “The numbers and the

life-cycle of these flies (found in Auckland) are such that they will already have laid their eggs.” The species, a type of blow fly, live as parasites on earth worms during the initial stages of their lifecycle. However, Mr Kleinpaste believed the nation’s earthworms would be able to breed enough to replace any loss.

The flies were likely to be more of a nuisance in households when they sought out crevices in autumn to hibernate. Ministry staff killed two colonies found sleeping in containers in 1981.