Qld: Outback Quensland invaded by flies
By Jordan Baker
JULIA CREEK, Qld, April 11 AAP - Outback Queensland is abuzz - with flies.
Residents are snapping up fly veils, insect repellant and mosquito nets to combat whatmany describe as the worst fly plague in years.
In the north-west town of Julia Creek near Mount Isa, anyone who ventures outside isquickly engulfed by a persistent swarm.
Locals described flies in their mouth, nose and ears and warn of the fabled Julia Creekcough, caused when one flies in the nose and out the mouth.
Council workers joke the shire should copy Bowen's big mango and Tully's big gumbootand build a big flyswat.
The most sought after accessory is the fly veil, a piece of mosquito netting whichfits over a hat and ties at the neck.
A local shopkeeper Cheryl, said a new order of about 50 veils arrives every few weeksand is snapped up within a day.
Even the manufacturer is struggling to keep up with demand.
Those who fear they would look silly with a mosquito net over the head quickly getover it, Cheryl said.
"The flies are so stressful," she said.
"I walk to work in the morning and I gave in and wore a net after a while - I don'tcare what I look like."
Des Niesler, the newly arrived shire CEO, said the flies were even worse about 1,000kilometres south.
"It is a battle, but this is outback Australia so we're used to these sorts of things," he said.
Most residents agree that while there is a fly problem every year when the grass growsafter the wet season, this year is worse than usual.
There are several theories about why the flies have come in such big numbers.
One of the most common is that the drought led to less cattle, which led to less dung,which reduced the number of maggot eating dung beetles.
AAP jb/kj/sc/cjh/de
KEYWORD: FLIES
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