We love those long summer days, but there is always one unwelcome guest at the party - flies! As the weather gets warmer, the barbecues get fired up, and the outdoor activities carry on for hours - flies don't seem to quit either. Luckily Consumer NZ has done Kiwis a solid by testing which of the aerosol fly sprays are most effective for keeping those pesky pests at bay.
Consumer NZ tested nine common supermarket fly sprays and found that four were effective enough to do the job, while one barely killed 20% of the flies they tried it on.
The two top fly sprays were Mortein Fast Knockdown Multi Insect Killer and Black Flag Rapid Kill Blowfly Strength Fly & Insect Killer. Considered the fastest-acting sprays because they took down 90% of flies in less than a minute, it was also noted to give twice the dosage of spray compared to other products, meaning you'll finish a can faster.
Products Raid One Shot Multipurpose Insect Killer Odourless and Expra Fly & Insect Spray Low Odour took a few more minutes to kill 90% of its fly testing sample, but with half the dosage of the two top brands, their sprays were considered cheaper and still relatively effective to pass Consumer NZ's tests.
But for those hoping environmentally friendly sprays like Raid Earth Options Fly & Mosquito Killer are worthwhile, according to Consumer NZ's test they failed to deliver. It took 26 minutes for Raid's Earth spray to knock down just 50% of the flies, and in 24 hours 80% of the original flies were still alive.
According to parasitologist Dr Allen Heath, the most effective way to kill a fly is hitting them directly with a spray droplet. "Don’t just wave the spray in the air and hope for the best,” Dr Heath says.
He also says automatic dispensers do a great job either if they're not contacting with flies, but for those looking or a natural approach, "you can’t beat a fly swat!”
See below the tests Consumer NZ did on fly sprays, or read the full article from Consumer NZ here.
