Cluster Fly
This is the current scene inside my pump shed at Kyeburn, Otago, NZ.
Cluster flies arived in northern NZ sometime around the early 1980's, and by the mid-2000's had established in Otago in the south. Their larvae parasitise earth worms.
But they are named for the adults which shelter from the cold in dry warm areas, congregating in their thousands. When a fly finds a good retreat site it emits a pheromone signal that draws more and more in. In the wilds they often use rock crevices, but around farms and urban areas they often find their way into buildings.
Indeed, when you notice bits of dead fly coming out of your hot water tap its a sure sign they've been overwintering in your water cylinder overflow outlet!
Cluster Fly
This is the current scene inside my pump shed at Kyeburn, Otago, NZ.
Cluster flies arived in northern NZ sometime around the early 1980's, and by the mid-2000's had established in Otago in the south. Their larvae parasitise earth worms.
But they are named for the adults which shelter from the cold in dry warm areas, congregating in their thousands. When a fly finds a good retreat site it emits a pheromone signal that draws more and more in. In the wilds they often use rock crevices, but around farms and urban areas they often find their way into buildings.
Indeed, when you notice bits of dead fly coming out of your hot water tap its a sure sign they've been overwintering in your water cylinder overflow outlet!