WEBVTT - Why are there more flies right now?

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<v Speaker 1>Already and this is the Daily Art, This is the

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<v Speaker 1>Daily oas.

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<v Speaker 2>Oh, now it makes sense. Good morning and welcome to

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<v Speaker 2>the Daily Ours. It's Monday, the twenty seventh of October.

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<v Speaker 2>I'm Emma Gillespie, I'm Lucy Tassel.

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<v Speaker 1>If you've noticed an increase in the number of flies

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<v Speaker 1>wherever you are in the country right now, No, it's

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<v Speaker 1>not just you. Summer is always a time of increased

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<v Speaker 1>fly numbers. But is there actually anything out of the

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<v Speaker 1>ordinary going on right now? We've got something a little

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<v Speaker 1>different to kick off your week, but stick with us.

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah. I want to introduce you to a man named

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<v Speaker 2>doctor Brian Lessard, also known as Briy the Fly Guy,

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<v Speaker 2>and he is on a mission to defend the tarnished

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<v Speaker 2>reputation of the humble fly. And in today's deep Dive,

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<v Speaker 2>he is going to explain why and when fly populations increase.

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<v Speaker 2>But more than that, he has spent his career learning

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<v Speaker 2>why these sometimes annoying critters are actually a lot more

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<v Speaker 2>important and useful than you might think. He is an

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<v Speaker 2>award winning entomologist, science communicator and children's author based in Canberra,

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<v Speaker 2>and he joins me now. Doctor Bryan bry the fly Guy,

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<v Speaker 2>Welcome to the pod.

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<v Speaker 3>Thanks for having me. I'm so keen to chat to you.

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<v Speaker 2>We have a lot of questions for you. We've crowdsourced

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<v Speaker 2>a few of them from the office, but I suppose

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<v Speaker 2>the biggest one to kick things off is all of

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<v Speaker 2>us have noticed more flies around lately the last few days,

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<v Speaker 2>especially not just us here in the Sydney office, but

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<v Speaker 2>we've heard reports from across New South Wales and Victoria.

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<v Speaker 2>Is it just us? Is something going on?

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<v Speaker 3>Nah, there's definitely more flies this time of year than

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<v Speaker 3>a few months ago in winter, so no one's going crazy.

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<v Speaker 3>And it's the perfect storm of hate and rain as well.

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<v Speaker 3>So when it rains, the water seeps into the ground

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<v Speaker 3>and it triggers the flies to hatch out of the

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<v Speaker 3>cocuon like pupil cases, and then they emerge into this

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<v Speaker 3>flurry of adults. And when it's warmer, they get way

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<v Speaker 3>more active too. So that's why it's pretty much school

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<v Speaker 3>is for flies now. The adults have one thing on

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<v Speaker 3>the mine and that's pretty much defined a date. Wow.

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<v Speaker 2>So does that mean if the rain triggers more eggs

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<v Speaker 2>to hatch, that the kind of I don't know if

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<v Speaker 2>this is the right term, but like the gestation period

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<v Speaker 2>for a flies is weather dependent rather than time dependent.

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<v Speaker 3>Yeah, definitely weather dependent. In winter, it gets really cold obviously,

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<v Speaker 3>and our flies can't cope with it. So it's kind

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<v Speaker 3>of sad because most of the adult flies actually die

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<v Speaker 3>off in winter, but they actually go into hibernation the

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<v Speaker 3>eggs and some of the cocoon like pupil cases and

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<v Speaker 3>they wait for it to warm up in springtime and

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<v Speaker 3>that's right now, and then they kind of reliant on

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<v Speaker 3>that rain to kind of soften the soil so they

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<v Speaker 3>can emerge and crawl out and then swarm to their

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<v Speaker 3>nearest flower and have a drinking nectar and yeah, pretty

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<v Speaker 3>much live the best life. Wow.

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<v Speaker 2>I don't think many people realize that they come from

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<v Speaker 2>out of the ground.

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<v Speaker 3>Yeah, So flies generally lay their eggs in the soil,

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<v Speaker 3>particularly blowflies, So everyone knows if they've gone for a

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<v Speaker 3>hike and they've seen a dead kangaroo, that there's a

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<v Speaker 3>lot of larvae or maggots crawling around in there. So

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<v Speaker 3>after they have their little festy feast, they crawl off

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<v Speaker 3>into the soil and pupate, kind of like when a

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<v Speaker 3>caterpillar goes into a cocoon.

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<v Speaker 2>I'm sure a lot of listens are hearing the words

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<v Speaker 2>blowfly and feeling a little uncomfortable. They don't get the

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<v Speaker 2>best rap. But you have made this your career being

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<v Speaker 2>an expert on all things flies and insects. So can

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<v Speaker 2>you tell us why they are necessary for the ecosystem?

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<v Speaker 2>What's the actual role they play.

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<v Speaker 3>I used to hate flies like everyone until I started

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<v Speaker 3>studying them, and particularly blowfly. So I learned that blowflies

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<v Speaker 3>could help solve crime, and that sparks my interest. And

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<v Speaker 3>that's because yeah, yeah, so if you ever watch bones

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<v Speaker 3>or CSI, you always have that forensic entomologist specialists. So

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<v Speaker 3>if someone dies, the blowflies can lay their eggs on

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<v Speaker 3>that corpse within minutes of that person passing away, so

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<v Speaker 3>you can use the size of the maggot as the

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<v Speaker 3>indication of its age to help identify when that crime occurred.

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<v Speaker 3>And I thought that was pretty amazing. And then I

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<v Speaker 3>started studying flies and thought they were pretty awesome.

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<v Speaker 2>Wow, that is intense. What is the reason that flies

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<v Speaker 2>are attracted to decay in that way?

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<v Speaker 3>Yeah, it's not all flies that are attracted to smelly,

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<v Speaker 3>gross stuff, mostly the blowflies because they've exploited this grossed

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<v Speaker 3>habitat where no other insects want to live, those rotting corpses,

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<v Speaker 3>and so what the female does is lay her eggs

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<v Speaker 3>in them, and then the larvae eat that rotten meat.

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<v Speaker 3>And what they're actually doing is they're recycling that nutrients

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<v Speaker 3>and turning into compost so other fungi and plants can

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<v Speaker 3>use those nutrients. Otherwise they'd be lost and we'd be

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<v Speaker 3>waist deep in waste without flies. Wow.

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<v Speaker 2>So it sounds a little bit grim at the surface,

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<v Speaker 2>but there's actually a much bigger kind of recycling purpose

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<v Speaker 2>to this.

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<v Speaker 3>Definitely, And if you enjoy chowing down on your smashed

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<v Speaker 3>avo very smoothies and mango for brunch, you definitely want

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<v Speaker 3>to appreciate the blowflies as well. Why because blowflies are

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<v Speaker 3>actually really important pollinators and they have a sweet tooth

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<v Speaker 3>like us, so they drink the sugary nectar from flowers

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<v Speaker 3>and help cross pollinate that. So there's farmers in Australia

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<v Speaker 3>that are actually encouraging the native blowflies into the orchards

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<v Speaker 3>to help pollinate our mangoes, avocados, berries, the hops that

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<v Speaker 3>we used to brew beer with, and also the grapes

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<v Speaker 3>that we use to make wine. And did you know

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<v Speaker 3>without flies, there'd been no chocolate. That's because the most

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<v Speaker 3>important pollinator of the cacao plant that we make chocolate

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<v Speaker 3>from is a teeny tiny fly about the size of

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<v Speaker 3>a pin head, and it's the only fly small enough

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<v Speaker 3>to crawl through its flowers and pollinate it. So if

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<v Speaker 3>we didn't have this fly and flies in general, we'd

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<v Speaker 3>be living in the chocolates, which would be pretty evil.

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<v Speaker 2>Wow, well, we must do everything we can to save

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<v Speaker 2>the flies.

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<v Speaker 3>Hey, I can get behind that.

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<v Speaker 2>Why are flies so much more prevalent in the more

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<v Speaker 2>regional remote parts of the country. You know, you drive

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<v Speaker 2>out of the cities in the summer and it seems

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<v Speaker 2>like they are ten times worse.

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<v Speaker 3>The reason why we might notice more flies when we're

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<v Speaker 3>out in remote Australias because there's not a lot of

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<v Speaker 3>water sources in some areas, so they're actually coming to

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<v Speaker 3>us for a drink, particularly the pesky bushfly. If you've

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<v Speaker 3>ever gone for a hike or walked outside and the

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<v Speaker 3>bushflies are coming at your eyes, ears, and nose, they

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<v Speaker 3>definitely have a reason to do that, and it's because

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<v Speaker 3>you're a walking sports drink.

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<v Speaker 2>Essentially, wow, because I was going to actually ask you,

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<v Speaker 2>and I wonder if this all ties in. Can you

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<v Speaker 2>explain sometimes why it feels like a fly is locked

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<v Speaker 2>in on a particular person and follows them around. You know,

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<v Speaker 2>you just see that sometimes even in the office here,

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<v Speaker 2>it can happen and it's like, oh my god, am

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<v Speaker 2>I stinky?

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<v Speaker 3>You're not stinky? If it is a bushfly, they're quite

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<v Speaker 3>thirsty creatures, so they're actually looking for a drink, so

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<v Speaker 3>that's why they always come and try and drink the

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<v Speaker 3>tears from our eyes, the mucus from our nose, and

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<v Speaker 3>even our saliva because our bodily fluids are actually high

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<v Speaker 3>in protein, electrolytes and moisture too, so we're walking strinks

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<v Speaker 3>to them, so that's why they're annoying us. Mosquitoes, on

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<v Speaker 3>the other hand, and some blood feeding flies like horseflies

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<v Speaker 3>or march flieres, can actually smell us, so they're locked

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<v Speaker 3>into the co two the carbon dioxide that we're breathing out,

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<v Speaker 3>so they can actually pick up that scent and they

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<v Speaker 3>can also see our body temperature to as a target.

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<v Speaker 3>So with horseflies in particular, it's only the females that

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<v Speaker 3>buit it because she needs the protein in our blood

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<v Speaker 3>to ripen our eggs, and without it she couldn't have

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<v Speaker 3>fertile young.

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<v Speaker 1>We'll be right back with more of today's deep dive

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<v Speaker 1>right after this.

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<v Speaker 2>Are the most common flies that we're kind of seeing

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<v Speaker 2>at the moment. Are they horseflies or bushflies or something else?

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<v Speaker 3>Well, that's the thing. Ossies think that there's only two

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<v Speaker 3>or three species of flies in Australia, like the ones

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<v Speaker 3>that pretty much annoy us, like the bushflies and blowflies,

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<v Speaker 3>But there's actually thirty thousand species of flies just living

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<v Speaker 3>in Australia and they do all sorts of things. One

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<v Speaker 3>of my favorite flies is called a beefly, and it

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<v Speaker 3>looks like a bee. That's why it's called a beefly

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<v Speaker 3>because it pollinates flowers. But I think they should be

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<v Speaker 3>called twerking flies because the females will actually land on

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<v Speaker 3>sand and twerk in the ground, and she'll coat her

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<v Speaker 3>eggs in sand, and then she flies around and launches

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<v Speaker 3>them in spider burrows and then those eggs hatch into hungry,

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<v Speaker 3>hungry larvae that eat spiders. So beeflies actually helping to

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<v Speaker 3>keep our spider population down.

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<v Speaker 2>Wow, Okay, well I'll try to remember that next time

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<v Speaker 2>I think bad thoughts about flies. Why do we think

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<v Speaker 2>that flies are dirty? I guess there's this image that

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<v Speaker 2>we all probably have of, you know, the roadkill with

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<v Speaker 2>the flies around it, or the kind of CSI more

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<v Speaker 2>gory detail. There, Are they dirty? Should we be worried

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<v Speaker 2>if they land on us?

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<v Speaker 3>The majority of flies are not dirty. It's just a

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<v Speaker 3>misconception that keeps perpetuating through pop culture and also my

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<v Speaker 3>arch nemesis louis the fly. Most flies will never come

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<v Speaker 3>anywhere near us. Of course, there are the flies that

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<v Speaker 3>can transmit some diseases, so there is a worry that

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<v Speaker 3>if a blowfly lands on your sausage sandwich, its legs

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<v Speaker 3>might be dirty because it was hanging out at a

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<v Speaker 3>rotting kangaroo, so there could potentially be a transfer of

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<v Speaker 3>those bacteria. So always cover your food. But the majority

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<v Speaker 3>of flies leave us alone, essentially, and particularly maggots. Maggots

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<v Speaker 3>get a really bad reputation, where maggot spit is actually

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<v Speaker 3>cleaner than human spit pretty much. Researchers have found that

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<v Speaker 3>black solder fly larvae you might have seen them churning

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<v Speaker 3>through your compost in the backyard. The spit actually has

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<v Speaker 3>anti microbial properties to reduce the coli in our compost too.

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<v Speaker 3>And then one of my favorite professions is called a

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<v Speaker 3>maggot nurse, And there are nurses at Westmead Hospital that

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<v Speaker 3>actually use sterile blowfly larvae to treat diabetic ulcers and

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<v Speaker 3>necrotic tissue because those larvae are clean and the spit

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<v Speaker 3>helps ward off secondary infections. And this might sound nasty,

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<v Speaker 3>but it's actually quite useful. The wriggling around of the

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<v Speaker 3>larvae in the flesh actually helps stimulate circulation and promote

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<v Speaker 3>wound healing, which is pretty incredible.

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<v Speaker 2>Wow, I'm learning so much from you. This is fascinating stuff.

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<v Speaker 2>I guess with this bad pr that we've seen over

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<v Speaker 2>generations against flies and knowing all these incredible things that

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<v Speaker 2>they can do. When people see a fly infestation or

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<v Speaker 2>you know, maybe there's a bunch of buzzing around the house,

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<v Speaker 2>they immediately grab the spray. Can what are we getting wrong?

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<v Speaker 2>And when should we actually be concerned about the number

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<v Speaker 2>of flies?

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<v Speaker 3>So spraying flies with chemicals is such a bad idea,

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<v Speaker 3>not only just to the fly but also human health.

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<v Speaker 3>We don't want these chemicals in our house. The problem

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<v Speaker 3>with these chemicals. They're so high in pesticides that when

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<v Speaker 3>it rains, they actually flush down our gutters and end

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<v Speaker 3>up in our waterways and has a knock on effect

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<v Speaker 3>to other insects and fish as well. So preferably put

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<v Speaker 3>down the spray. Some tips that I would recommend to

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<v Speaker 3>get rid of flies is obviously have fly screens in

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<v Speaker 3>your house, remove your bins, your kitchen waist bin quite regularly,

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<v Speaker 3>because as soon as that becomes smelly, blowflies want to

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<v Speaker 3>get in. And just shoe flies away and let them

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<v Speaker 3>pollinate another day. Such good advice.

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<v Speaker 2>Right when we're looking forward to the summer ahead, are

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<v Speaker 2>we anticipating that it's going to be a particularly popular

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<v Speaker 2>summer for flies. After a rainy period across parts of the.

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<v Speaker 3>It's probably going to be a bumper season for flies

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<v Speaker 3>because when the temperatures get warmer, which is predicted for

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<v Speaker 3>this summer, we'll probably see a lot more insect activity,

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<v Speaker 3>particularly flies. If you're less inclined to my fly friends

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<v Speaker 3>this summer, you can definitely do a few things to

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<v Speaker 3>let them be less annoying. So you can wear long

0:13:21.880 --> 0:13:25.920
<v Speaker 3>sleeve and long pants that'll keep biting flies like horseflies

0:13:25.920 --> 0:13:28.800
<v Speaker 3>and mosquitoes off of your body so they can't actually

0:13:28.880 --> 0:13:32.400
<v Speaker 3>bite you. You can wear topical insect repellents to get

0:13:32.480 --> 0:13:36.320
<v Speaker 3>rid of them, and also just avoid dusk and dawn

0:13:36.360 --> 0:13:38.160
<v Speaker 3>too if you don't want to be bit my mosquitoes.

0:13:38.920 --> 0:13:41.640
<v Speaker 3>A lot of people don't realize that mosquitoes are actually flies.

0:13:42.240 --> 0:13:47.000
<v Speaker 3>So mosquitoes have two wings. Yeah, yeah, So mosquitoes have

0:13:47.120 --> 0:13:51.680
<v Speaker 3>two wings, and that's what defines a fly. And the

0:13:51.720 --> 0:13:54.760
<v Speaker 3>word mosquito is actually Spanish for little fly, which is

0:13:54.840 --> 0:13:55.520
<v Speaker 3>kind of cute.

0:13:55.559 --> 0:13:58.400
<v Speaker 2>That is kind of cute. You're doing very very good

0:13:58.440 --> 0:14:02.880
<v Speaker 2>reputation rehab for the higher fly slash mosquito world. Here,

0:14:03.360 --> 0:14:06.880
<v Speaker 2>I just have one last question for you, and that's

0:14:07.160 --> 0:14:10.600
<v Speaker 2>what is the one thing you wish people knew about

0:14:10.720 --> 0:14:12.959
<v Speaker 2>flies or that you want them to take away from

0:14:12.960 --> 0:14:15.760
<v Speaker 2>this conversation, you know, the next time they swat one away.

0:14:16.280 --> 0:14:20.120
<v Speaker 3>Oh, flies are the ultimate underdogs and they're actually trying

0:14:20.160 --> 0:14:22.880
<v Speaker 3>to help us have a better life, and we just

0:14:22.920 --> 0:14:27.120
<v Speaker 3>take them for granted. So the essential workers of our ecosystem,

0:14:27.520 --> 0:14:31.840
<v Speaker 3>pollinating our native flowers, help churning through our composts to

0:14:31.880 --> 0:14:34.440
<v Speaker 3>make it better. And they're actually really beautiful. When you

0:14:34.440 --> 0:14:38.080
<v Speaker 3>put them under the microscope, you can appreciate the hidden beauty.

0:14:38.320 --> 0:14:41.280
<v Speaker 3>Some of them look like little opals. Some of them

0:14:41.280 --> 0:14:44.400
<v Speaker 3>are so pretty that I named them after Beyonce and

0:14:44.480 --> 0:14:48.160
<v Speaker 3>new species after RuPaul as well, because they're quite fierce

0:14:48.200 --> 0:14:52.360
<v Speaker 3>and stunning creatures. So I just encourage everyone to challenge

0:14:52.400 --> 0:14:53.880
<v Speaker 3>your expectations with flies.

0:14:54.400 --> 0:14:58.680
<v Speaker 2>Doctor Brian bry the Fly Guy, It's been absolutely fascinating

0:14:58.880 --> 0:15:01.480
<v Speaker 2>to learn so much from you. Thank you for joining

0:15:01.520 --> 0:15:02.440
<v Speaker 2>us on the Daily Oas.

0:15:02.960 --> 0:15:06.840
<v Speaker 3>Thanks so much for having me time definitely flies, Thank.

0:15:06.640 --> 0:15:09.600
<v Speaker 1>You so much for listening to today's episode, and a

0:15:09.760 --> 0:15:12.920
<v Speaker 1>huge thanks to doctor Brian Lessard for speaking with us.

0:15:13.120 --> 0:15:15.440
<v Speaker 1>If you want to learn more about flies and everything

0:15:15.480 --> 0:15:17.960
<v Speaker 1>he's doing, you can look him up on Instagram at

0:15:18.000 --> 0:15:21.040
<v Speaker 1>Bria the Fly Guy, and we will pop that handle

0:15:21.160 --> 0:15:23.760
<v Speaker 1>in the show notes. We'll be back with the headlines

0:15:23.800 --> 0:15:26.520
<v Speaker 1>later on this afternoon. Until then, have a great start

0:15:26.520 --> 0:15:32.640
<v Speaker 1>to your week. My name is Lily Maddon and I'm

0:15:32.640 --> 0:15:37.120
<v Speaker 1>a proud Adunda Bungelung Kalkotin woman from Gadigol Country. The

0:15:37.200 --> 0:15:40.280
<v Speaker 1>Daily oz acknowledges that this podcast is recorded on the

0:15:40.360 --> 0:15:43.040
<v Speaker 1>lands of the Gadighl people and pays respect to all

0:15:43.200 --> 0:15:46.240
<v Speaker 1>Aboriginal and Torres Strait island and nations. We pay our

0:15:46.280 --> 0:15:49.440
<v Speaker 1>respects to the first peoples of these countries, both past

0:15:49.520 --> 0:15:50.000
<v Speaker 1>and present.