Travelers in the Dead Sea region report a plague of flies: “It’s just a nightmare!”

Travelers in the Tamar Regional Council who are staying in the area during the Sukkot holiday report a plague of flies in the area. “I stopped at a coffee cart to buy something to snack on and I couldn’t stand straight,” says Orit, who was traveling with his family in the Dead Sea region. “The whole time I was dancing and jumping on the spot so that the masses of flies that were on me would move away from me. I have never seen anything like this in my life, I don’t understand how people manage to live in this area. We were hiking there and it just ruined the trip – you are constantly fighting flies. They also sting, it Just a nightmare!”.Due to the many events that take place in the Dead Sea area these days, including the date festival held in Masada during the holy month, tens of thousands of Israelis visit the area. Naama from the central region, who came to the festival, talks about the nuisance: “During the performance we didn’t feel the flies, but where we sleep we can’t sit outside. The place is extremely crowded with flies and even though the weather is perfect, we have to stay in the rooms.”

Orit adds that business owners in the area are also dealing with the phenomenon. According to her, one of the managers of the dining room at the hostel located in the Ein Gedi area, approached the guest while she was trying to open a window during breakfast and warned her not to do that: “You don’t open a window here, there are flies and pests here and we forbid it, close it quickly!” he said Her, according to her. She says that he hurried to close the window himself.

“may transmit intestinal diseases”

The website of the Ministry of Environmental Protection explains that houseflies are everywhere where there are humans. They alternately land on feces and food products intended for humans, so they may transmit intestinal diseases. According to them, the flies interfere with maintaining a reasonable level of hygiene in kitchens, factories and restaurants, and may also harm tourism. They also note that houseflies breed in moist organic matter in a state of decay or fermentation, such as unprocessed animal manure and rotting fruits and vegetables.

The office adds that the effective treatment of fly hazards is preventive, and time is of the utmost importance in its success – sometimes the window of opportunity to prevent the development of adult and annoying flies is only one week. They point out that the most common pests in public areas are mosquitoes, flies, wasps and rats, and emphasize that the responsibility for preventing and treating these pests rests with the local authority that owns the area, and that you can contact it and demand that it take care of the hazard. If, despite repeated appeals to the local authority, the problem is not resolved, you can contact the pest control centers at the Ministry of Environmental Protection.

Tamar Regional Council: “We are not aware of any inquiries on the subject. The council deals with the issue of the amount of flies, as well as other phenomena that occur due to climate change and the intense heat in our region in October. The flies come from Jordan, so our handling capacity is limited. The flies come from Jordan due to the form of their waste in the agricultural areas adjacent to the agricultural areas in proper moshav The square and Ein Tamar”.