Big juice flies are having a moment this year due to ideal breeding conditions. Photo: Supplied
Take it from an Australian (me), New Zealand has no shortage of blood-sucking and annoying insects.
And this year, New Zealand flies are having a baby boom and a growth spurt thanks to ideal breeding conditions.
Yet, many New Zealanders seem to have an aversion to fly screens on windows and doors.
I'm not the first foreigner to ponder what I consider to be a major judgement error.
Numerous threads on travel websites or Reddit have asked the same questions.
So, let's investigate this phenomenon:
Did New Zealand homes ever have fly screens?
Fly screens were apparently invented in America in the mid-1800s, according to countless fly screen company blogs and Wikipedia.
Our mosquito-bitten forebears improvised by attaching cheesecloth and wire mesh used in food processing to windows.
At the time in the US, keeping mosquitoes out was a life or death issue. Malaria was a leading cause of death.
Materials specifically for keeping out bugs were patented in the early 1900s helping to eradicate malaria by the 1950s.
Many homes in the US, Australia and Canada use fly screens.
It's unclear how common fly screens were in New Zealand or why they lost their mojo here.
Interior designer with Studio Reno Stacy Middleton believes fly screens were once a familiar part of life in New Zealand.
"I remember the old-school hinged screens on backdoors. They weren't the most stylish back then and had a tendency to tear through the netter, rust or slam shut, but they were practical, and let in the summer breeze while keeping out flies and mozzies."
At some stage fly screens suffered an image problem that it hasn't shaken.
"It's something that grandma used to have - the old fly screen door," John Cole said, fromScreens R Us in Auckland who make custom fly and security screens for doors and windows.
"Now things have moved on," he said of the modern fly screen situation.
"But once you have them you never go back."
Modern fly screens utilise magnets to attach to windows. Photo: supplied
Kiwis see fly screens as a luxury rather than a necessity, like homeowners do in Australia, Phil Howlett from Windows and Door Accessories in North Canterbury said.
"If you've come from overseas and you have a home, then the first thing you do is get them."
Design director with the Development Collective Ben Speedy sees more Kiwis embracing fly screens in the future.
New Zealanders tend to shut windows at sunset to keep the bugs out. That doesn't work so well for homes with modern insulation with owners of newly built townhouses reporting sweltering inside temperatures of 28 degrees.
"....I think anything that encourages you to keep a few windows open getting the airflow moving passively should be seen as an asset, and definitely something to consider if you are building or renovating."
Dispersing insect repellent through automatic dispensers is another common way to deter insects from entering your home.
What are modern fly screens like?
Cole and Howlett are in the business, so naturally, they say today's fly screens won't stand out as clunky intruders to your sleek architecture.
"They're magnetic so there's no fixing them to the aluminium [window joinery]. They are colour-matched. Once they're on, you honestly can't tell," said Howlett.
Homes with wooden window frames can prove more difficult, adding to the cost of the job, said Cole.
A retractable fly screen door that protects large sliding doors. Photo: supplied
The cost of custom fly screens for a standard window is around $250. If hinges are required, windows are odd shapes, or larger, that will add to the cost.
My first act as a new homeowner last year was to have my clever Aussie dad make me some fly screens.
So yes, DIY options are possible - check out the offerings at a hardware store - but my dad has above average skills for your typical baby boomer parent.
Even the slightest gap in your fly screens or framing could make them ineffective.
Alas, my ranch slider door is unprotected so for the living room we use an auto dispenser for insect repellant that is "natural."
Will it mess with my big, beautiful ranch slider doors and indoor/outdoor flow?
Modern architecture loves disappearing walls in the form of massive sliding or bifold doors.
In this case, homeowners can get retractable fly screen doors that meet in the middle and fold back on themselves when opened.
However, they are not cheap and cost around $1,500 depending on the size.
Fly screens trigger strong reactions in the home design industry, said Middleton.
A retractable fly screen door. Photo: supplied
"Some designers love them, especially the new-generation screens that integrate seamlessly with modern architecture - like retractable systems or screens with built-in pet doors. Others hesitate because they worry about them disrupting a clean, minimalist aesthetic - as well as being an additional physical barrier to entry (two doors to open instead of one)."
"Ultimately, it's about finding the right product for the space and the client's lifestyle."
Speedy doesn't have fly screens at the moment.
If he did build himself a new house, he would strongly consider installing them "if not on all the openings then for sure on the select ones on opposing elevations for the house. Keeping the air moving passively."
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