Store food in sealed containers, clean bin lids and interiors weekly with disinfectant, bag all food waste securely before placing in bins and remove compost from kitchen bench tops daily. Empty and clean pet food bowls every evening during summer — one of the most overlooked fly attractants in Melbourne homes. Wipe down kitchen surfaces and stovetops after every use.

Drain flies breed exclusively in the organic film that accumulates inside floor drains, sink drains and bathroom waste pipes. If you are seeing small, moth-like flies emerging from drains, the drain itself is the breeding source. Monthly treatment with an enzymatic drain cleaner removes the organic matter sustaining the population. Standard bleach does not penetrate the biofilm effectively.

Flies enter through unscreened windows and doors, gaps around pipe penetrations, weep holes and damaged door seals. Fitting fly screens to all opening windows and doors, and sealing structural gaps with appropriate caulk or mesh, significantly reduces indoor fly pressure — particularly during Melbourne's peak fly season from November through April.

A residual perimeter spray applied in early spring — before Melbourne's fly season peaks — creates a treatment barrier across fly-resting surfaces, window frames and external walls. Most Melbourne homeowners and commercial operators find that a single preventative spring treatment dramatically reduces the reactive fly problems that require more extensive treatment mid-summer.