Western Australia’s reported fly surge followed a wet winter that left livestock feed plentiful and droppings moist—conditions that can support flies. A University of Western Australia researcher also pointed to a seasonal gap between winter-active and summer-active dung beetles. The PerthNow report called the season the worst in 40 years, but that comparison is attributed commentary, not a record established by fly-count data in the report.
Why were flies so abundant in Western Australia?
A PerthNow report published on 5 December 2025 linked the severe fly season to a wet winter and the timing of dung beetle activity. Heavy rain encouraged green feed for livestock and left droppings moist, providing flies with food and potential breeding habitat, according to the report.
The explanation also involves temperature. University of Western Australia associate professor Theo Evans said flies can remain active while soil is still too cool for summer-active dung beetles to surface. When beetles are not active, dung may remain available to flies for longer. These are explanations reported by PerthNow and attributed to Evans, not measurements or a fly-count analysis supplied with the article.
Is there really a 40-year record?
The headline’s “worst in 40 years” description comes from Evans’s comparison of the recent wet winter and fly population with conditions in Perth four decades earlier. PerthNow did not provide a historical fly-count series to independently establish a 40-year record, so the comparison is best understood as an expert’s characterization rather than a verified statistical ranking.
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What role does the dung beetle gap play?
The report does not say dung beetles are absent throughout Western Australia. Instead, it describes a seasonal handoff that leaves a period with less beetle activity: winter-active species disappear around September, while summer-active species emerge close to Christmas. PerthNow describes October, November and early December as a “dead zone” for dung beetles, although conditions can still support flies.
Evans said winter-active beetles and rain help reduce dung during winter, but droppings can remain through the interval before summer-active beetles surface. His explanation was: “The summer-active species of dung beetles we have in WA won’t come to the surface until the soil is warmer and until that happens the animal poo remains where it is.”
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What conditions affect fly activity and where they go?
Evans told PerthNow that fly populations die off when temperatures consistently drop below 15°C. He also said fly wing muscles work more efficiently above 25°C. The report further notes that northerly and easterly winds can carry flies from warmer parts of the state towards the South-West.
For people outdoors, the report says flies seek moisture around the eyes, ears and nose, which helps explain why they can be particularly irritating to beachgoers. This is a description of nuisance behaviour, not a finding that the seasonal causes can be addressed by personal protective equipment.
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Could spring-active beetles close the seasonal gap?
PerthNow reported that researchers were monitoring spring-active dung beetles as a possible way to provide activity during the interval between winter and summer species. It said the first spring beetles were released five years before the December 2025 article, and that the latest spring dung roller release discussed in the report took place between Pinjarra and Gingin in the preceding year. Those dates describe the report’s account; they do not establish the current status or reach of releases.
The report also gives historical figures for a CSIRO-directed dung beetle introduction program that ran from 1968 to 1985: 55 species were reared in CSIRO laboratories, 43 were released, and 23 survived to spread across the country. These figures are PerthNow’s account; the report does not cite the underlying CSIRO program record.
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