Houseflies menace adds misery to lives of people in Bahrain

TDT | Manama
The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

The recent outbreak of mosquitoes in parts of Bahrain is not the end of the road of misery for residents concerning pests.

People now have to deal with a new crisis. The buzzing houseflies are present in plenty!

According to locals, there has been a sharp rise in flies, not just at their residences but also at work.

They gripe that it constantly bothers them and fosters a negative atmosphere.

People complain that houseflies are particularly irritating since they are present in hundreds compared to the number of mosquitoes.

In addition to being annoying pests, they could potentially be disease carriers.

'It is challenging to keep them under control, whether with insecticides or other deterrents," residents say.

"They are drawn to human bodies and kitchens, residents observed, attributing the problem to surrounding breeding grounds. Flies in the kitchen are only the tip of the iceberg.

The real issue is when they find their way into food products, contaminating them. Flies can get sucked into food while cooking at home or on manufacturing lines."

The presence of a large number of flies in an area might also interfere with the effective operation of other nearby businesses.
Pest management is supposedly the need of the hour.

Speaking to The Daily Tribune, Piyush Arun, an owner of a fast-food restaurant, said an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) system is the only way to root out this issue.

"IPM, in my opinion, should concentrate on preventing or minimising issues with houseflies to reduce risk to human health, the environment, and possibly pets," he said.

"We see a lot of flies, especially in Gudaibiya, and I think that's because people drive away after throwing trash out of their cars.
It's unhygienic!"

"This problem can be somewhat minimized by removing all traces of food residue and regularly cleaning garbage cans," he added.

"Dead flies should be removed and disposed of since they could be food for other insects that invade homes.

Continue to maintain conditions that prevent house flies from growing and reproducing."

"Sanitation is the finest cultural control strategy," he added. According to a recent study, House flies are not the cleanest of beings and are suspected of spreading at least 65 diseases since they frequent sewers, dumps, and waste heaps.

Typhoid fever, dysentery, cholera, poliomyelitis, yaws, anthrax, tularemia, leprosy, and tuberculosis are among the diseases they spread.

Where do flies enter the house from?

Most of the time, flies use structural flaws like broken weather stripping or open windows and doors to get inside.

According to experts, house flies are drawn to warm air currents from buildings on cool days and away from them on hot days.

To minimise access, it is crucial to maintain window screens and doors.

For retail establishments, installing air curtains at their exterior entrances would make it more difficult for flies to enter.

Instead of using hazardous chemicals, sticky traps and UV light traps are effective alternatives to insecticides.