What You Need To Know About Fly Screens

Swatting away pesky flies is irritating and tiring. It can be more vexing when they fly in through windows and doors and land on food, or buzz around noisily, threatening to sting anyone on their path.

The Western Australia Department of Agriculture and Food identifies the peak season of bush flies (Musca vetustissima) in Western Australia, especially the South West as October. They also appear in droves at some time during the spring and summer. Bush flies are especially devilling since they carry diseases as they sometimes land on dung. These flies are interestingly the reason behind the naming of the "Bush Salute", which is a quick sweeping of the hand over the face to drive them away.Fly screens are the solution in keeping such insects and others including mosquitoes, cockroaches, butterflies, moths, wasps and spidersat bay.

These screens are of different types.

a) Retractable

These can be pulled back in the season whenever the flies reduce in number and no longer threaten to swarm the home, or whenever else the home owner deems fit. They can be put up virtually anywhere, like on main/ balcony doors and windows, and patios.

b) Sliding-these are fixed to a door frame and become part of the sliding door itself

c) Hinged-it is well cut for light use, mostly in residences, and are fixed to one side of the door or wall on a frame.

The most common material is mesh with extremely tiny pores to improve air circulation and aeration, and can be mended in-case of tears or wear out of prolonged use.

Mesh can come in three types:

a) Heavy duty mesh (made out of stainless steel)

b) Pet mesh-this type of mesh has stronger resistance to constant clawing by cats, dogs, gerbils and other pets. It is most commonly made out of fiber glass or polyester. These are also washable with soap and water.

c) Aluminium is necessary where an extra strength mesh is required.

Mesh made out of metal which is fire-retardant are also available. For aesthetic appeal, covers can be placed over screens with materials like mesh which may not blend in with the general décor of a home. The colors of frames and mesh are of a wide array, from charcoal to light gray, ivory to brown, and lime to dark green.

The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIRO) recommends having and keeping insect screens in good condition as one of the best practices to keep pests like beetles and moths from infesting dried food at home. Moreover, they suggest proper installation methods.

Evidently, an insect screen is a necessity in all homes. They can become permanent fixtures and be continuous with the external part of the house. With time, ideas on how to improve fly screens come up and it is up to the home owner to implement them or not. They may seem like tiny harmless creatures, but they can wreak massive havoc when they invade a home that would otherwise been protected by simply having an insect resistant screen put up.


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Andrew is a quality control officer at EHI, a leading company in installing insect screens, security doors, blinds, awnings and shutters. He is responsible for the staff's attention to detail, the company using top quality material and overall professional standards. Visit http://www.ehiaustralia.com.au/flyscreens for more information.