Flying Insect Control in Thornton

Thornton is a small, leafy suburb squeezed between Pinelands, Epping Industria and Goodwood. Being right next to an industrial area means rodents are never far away, even on the quietest residential streets.

The local picture in Thornton

Flies build up near bins and compost in summer, and paper wasps nest in eaves and outbuildings. Mosquitoes breed in gutters blocked by leaves from the large trees.

The suburb is fairly flat, with Cape Flats sand underfoot and big trees that shade gardens and roofs. Winter rain soaks the ground and pushes rodents and ants indoors. The railway lines and open strips along them act as green corridors for rats.

How to tell you have a problem

1. Small moths flutter out of the pantry or out of a cupboard full of woollens.
2. You hear whining at night and wake up with fresh bites on exposed arms and ankles.
3. Tiny moth-like flies sit on bathroom walls near the shower or basin drain.
4. Paper wasps are coming and going from the same spot under the eaves, a gutter or a garden umbrella.
5. Small flies hover over the fruit bowl, the recycling bin or the drip tray under a bar tap.
6. A sudden swarm of large blowflies appears indoors, which often points to something dead in the roof or wall.

A note from the field

A common myth is that flies come in from outside and that is the end of the story. In a lot of homes the flies are actually breeding indoors, in a drain, a forgotten bag of potatoes or the bottom of a bin.

Our process, step by step

We start by identifying the insect properly, because a drain fly needs a completely different fix from a house fly or a mosquito. Breeding sites come first: drains are cleaned out and treated with a larvicide or bio-enzyme product, standing water is tipped or treated, and waste areas are sorted out. Only then do we use residual sprays on resting surfaces such as window frames and wall tops, fly bait stations away from food, and ULV fogging where a large space needs a quick knockdown. In commercial kitchens and food stores we install insect light traps with glue boards so there is constant monitoring between visits. Wasp nests are treated with a dust or spray directly into the nest and removed once the colony is dead.

Want the full step-by-step? See how our flying insect control service works.

Stopping a repeat visit

• Check eaves, carports and garden furniture in early spring for small paper wasp nests while they are still easy to deal with.
• Keep wheelie bins closed, rinse them out in summer, and park them away from the kitchen door.
• Tip out pot plant saucers, birdbaths and anything else that holds water for more than a few days.
• Pour boiling water down slow drains weekly and scrub the inside of the drain pipe with a brush, since that slime is where drain flies breed.
• Store flour, cereal and pet food in sealed containers so pantry moths have nothing to breed in.

How much will it cost?

The price depends on which insect we are treating, because a single wasp nest is a very different job from a fly problem in a large food factory. The size of the property, how many breeding sites there are and how hard they are to get at, such as roof voids or sealed drains, all affect the time on site. Commercial sites with light traps and scheduled visits are usually best quoted as a contract, and we give free quotes once we know what is flying.

Fly swatters, screens and a good bin routine handle a lot of household fly problems, and we would rather you did that than empty a can of spray into the kitchen. Where DIY falls down is when the source is hidden, like a dead rat in the ceiling, a broken drain under the floor or a wasp nest in a wall cavity. If you are still seeing the same insects two weeks after cleaning up, the breeding site is somewhere you have not found yet.

Frequently asked questions

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