>> Fly Tox spray pump and refill tin c.1960s
barossa history
Swats, Sprays and Sticky Ribbons
A fly’s fight for survival
words by
luke rothe
Spring signals the beginning of warmer weather, and with it comes the familiar ‘buzz’ of the blowfly. Besides being annoying, the eradication of flies was encouraged when they were labelled as carrying diseases such as typhus, tuberculosis and dysentery in the early 1900s.
Australians have long battled flies both inside and outside, prompting numerous methods to eliminate the pests.
Glass fly traps have been used since the early 1800s and were first made of hand-blown glass. Flies were attracted with a honey solution, or similar substance, poured into an inner reservoir. Flies entered through the lower inverted funnel and were unable to find their way out.
The first commercial fly swat was patented in America in 1900 simply called the ‘Fly Killer’. Early Australian versions of the fly swat were constructed using fine wire mesh, with any rough edges covered with thick fabric; all attached to a long handle of twisted wire. Advances in technology in the 1950s led to the familiar plastic versions available today.
‘Flypapers’, first introduced in the late 1800s, became a common sight suspended from ceilings. They were a long ribbon of paper coated with a fragrant sticky substance which attracted flies and insects. As a boy in the 1970s I remember being fascinated by hundreds of black flies stuck to one of these ingenious devices. Flypapers are still available today, but unlike some of the earlier versions they no longer contain arsenic.
Around the 1920s, hand operated spray pumps atomised and dispensed chemical spray. The pumps were fitted with a small tank that could be refilled with liquid spray from bottles or tins. These uniquely shaped tin objects often advertised brand names such as ‘Fly-Tox’ and ‘Kix’.
Hand operated spray pumps became redundant after the introduction of aerosol fly spray cans in the 1950s.
The insecticide brand Mortein aired its first television commercial for aerosol fly spray featuring ‘Louie the Fly’ in 1957. Louie was an animated villainous character, and when paired with a jingle in 1962, he proudly sang of his own dirtiness – “Spreading disease with the greatest of ease.” Louie the Fly became a household name across Australia transcending many decades.
The introduction of effective chemical powders and sprays was groundbreaking and in 1948 a Nobel Prize was awarded for the high efficiency of DDT as a contact poison. DDT (Dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethane) was a colourless, tasteless and almost odourless chemical compound developed as a synthetic insecticide and used in many homes across the world.
Although effective, it became apparent that DDT was dangerous to the environment, particularly wildlife, and was also a suspected carcinogen in humans, leading to its total ban in the USA in 1972, and Australia as late as 1987.
Fly killing innovations have come and gone. The battle against flies remains and is now part of our unique Australian culture, along with Aerogard, cork hats and the ‘Aussie Salute’.
