Flying insect guide: stopping them where they breed

Flying insects are controlled by finding and removing the place they breed, then dealing with the adults, not the other way round. This flying insect guide covers the flies, mosquitoes, wasps, fruit flies and swarming ants and termites that Johannesburg homes and businesses deal with, where each one comes from, and what works against it.

The adults are the last stage

Every fly buzzing at the kitchen window started life as an egg somewhere nearby. Every mosquito biting your ankles grew up in water. A wasp patrolling the patio comes from a nest that keeps producing more wasps as long as it's there. That's why killing adults on their own never ends the problem: the source keeps sending replacements. Good control works backwards from the insect you can see to the place it was born.

House flies and blowflies

House flies breed in rotting organic matter: bin contents, pet waste, compost, spilled food under appliances and manure where there are horses or chickens. Blowflies, the large metallic green and blue ones, prefer meat and carcasses, so a sudden crowd of them at a window often means something has died in the roof or wall. Both carry bacteria from what they breed in onto food and surfaces, which is why flies are taken seriously in kitchens and food businesses. Our fly control in Johannesburg covers homes, restaurants and properties with animals, and the maggot guide explains what to do when the larvae themselves turn up.

Fruit flies and drain flies

Tiny flies hovering over the fruit bowl or rising from the sink are a different problem. Fruit flies breed in overripe fruit, wine and juice residue, and in the film inside drains. Drain flies, which look like miniature moths, breed in the slime in waste pipes and grease traps. Spraying the air does nothing here. Clearing the fruit and cleaning the drains properly does almost everything.

Mosquitoes

Mosquitoes need standing water for their larvae, and they don't need much: a pot plant saucer, a blocked gutter, an old tyre, a birdbath or a neglected pond is enough. In Johannesburg they build up through the summer rainy season and are worst after a run of storms. Properties near spruits, dams and wetlands see more of them, but most of the mosquitoes biting you at night were bred within a short distance of your house. Emptying water containers every few days breaks the cycle before larvae become adults. Our mosquito treatments across Johannesburg deal with resting adults in shrubs and shaded areas once the breeding sites are sorted.

Wasps

Paper wasps build open, umbrella-shaped nests under eaves, in carports, behind shutters and on garden furniture. They're generally not aggressive away from the nest, but a nest beside a front door, a pool gate or a child's window is a real hazard, especially for anyone allergic to stings. We treat the nest directly and remove it, which ends the problem at that spot. Knocking a nest down with a broom, as many people try, gets you stung and leaves wasps that rebuild nearby.

Bees

Honey bees are not pests in the same sense, and they're vital. A swarm hanging on a branch will usually move on within a day or two. A colony that has settled in a wall cavity, roof or water meter box is another matter. Where possible we refer or handle these with a beekeeper so the bees can be removed rather than destroyed.

Flying ants and flying termites

After the first good rains of spring, warm humid evenings bring out swarms of winged ants and winged termites. They look alike, but termites have straight bodies without a pinched waist and four wings of equal length that drop off soon after landing. A swarm outside is part of nature. A swarm coming out of a skirting board, door frame or floor inside the house means a colony is living in the building and needs an inspection.

How we treat flying insects

1. Find the source. We inspect bins, drains, gutters, water features, roof spaces and outbuildings to locate breeding sites and nests.
2. Remove or treat it. That might mean dealing with a carcass, treating a drain, treating and removing a wasp nest, or advising on water and waste changes.
3. Treat resting areas. Flies and mosquitoes rest on walls, eaves, ceilings and dense shrubs. Odourless, non-staining residual treatments on those surfaces kill insects that settle on them for weeks afterwards.
4. Proofing advice. Fly screens, door closers, sealed bins and drain covers stop new insects getting in.

What people get wrong about flying insects

Fogging the garden before a braai. It knocks down the insects that are flying at that moment and does nothing about the breeding sites, so by next weekend you're back where you started, and you've exposed pets and beneficial insects for no lasting gain. A targeted treatment of resting areas, combined with emptying standing water, does far more.

What flying insect control costs, and why

The cost depends on which insect it is and what's causing it. Treating and removing one wasp nest within easy reach is a short visit. A property with horses, chickens or a large garden where flies and mosquitoes breed in several places needs more time and possibly repeat treatments through summer. Restaurants and food businesses are often best on a scheduled contract with records. You'll find guide "from" prices on our Johannesburg prices page, and if a few fruit flies are your only problem, we'll tell you how to fix it yourself.

Prevention through a Highveld summer

• Tip out water in saucers, buckets and toys after every storm.
• Clean gutters before the rains start so they don't hold water.
• Keep bins closed and rinse them regularly in hot weather.
• Check the eaves and carport for small wasp nests in early summer, when they're easy to deal with.
• Fit screens on kitchen windows and keep fruit in the fridge once ripe.

Prefer us to handle it? See our flying insect control in Johannesburg for homes, estates and businesses.

Combat Pest Control is led by owner and operator Jason van Heerden, who has 25 years of pest control behind him. We're SAPCA registered and also registered with the Department of Agriculture under Act 36, we offer service within 24 hours, and general treatments carry our 3-month guarantee. Got a nest by the door or flies you can't trace? Call 084 200 2700, or WhatsApp us a photo.

Jason van HeerdenReviewed by the owner and operator · Combat Pest Control · 25 years in pest control