There are still plenty of cluster flies around but we are slowly making a difference. Apparently the flies lay their eggs in grass and the hatched larvae feed on earth worms. Once the flies emerge they move in to Nga Punawai (Fairlie Funky farm house) or dark, dry sheltered areas to hibernate for the winter. They release a pheromone to attract other flies, so that makes it even harder to control, as they must have covered this whole house in cluster fly pheromones. Not too happy about them killing the earth worms though, so we are on a mission to destroy them. Someone must have sent a box containing some cluster flies to the Minister of Agriculture in Wellington yesterday, which shut Parliament House down with a bomb scare, possibly got confused with the old 'cluster bomb' in the mail trick.
It is lovely when you open the windows to sweep away the flies and the little fan tails come in for a feed. They aren't shy and hover quite close following you around room to room. If they get stuck they let you know by bobbing up and down impatiently until you open a nearby window. I wanted to take a photo of one but they are never around when I have my camera in hand, only when I have the scrubbing brush!