[Blog] Flies…Flies…Flies. Have humans become a minority in your commercial kitchen? DIY tips for Fly

Customer: “We’ve got flies! HELP!” PCT: “where?” Customer: “They’re EVERYWHERE! Clients are leaving and the complaints have left our heads spinning…What do we do?” Above is a typical panicked conversation that most PCT’s have experienced the frustration of. Today we will look at this problem and provide easy, in house preventative measures that can be taken to identify and aid in overall control practices. Making your business healthier, your clients happier and your pest control budget more financially responsible. Flies can make or break a restaurant. Flying insect spot treatments are expensive, typically need to be completed at night (which is again- NOT CHEAP) and without integrated client efforts- are not effective. So in this blog, we will tell you how to identify the source of your flies, how to eliminate flies, and how to prevent flying insect activity from occurring in the first place. First things first. Flies are black and white. No grey area exists in any cases. From a management perspective it is imperative that flies be considered an early warning of sanitation issues at your establishment. Flies come from waste- identifying the fly gives you a head start in eliminating it. What we need to establish is; 1. What kind of fly are you dealing with?

• Fruit Fly

• Black Eyed Fruit Fly

• Drain or Moth Fly

• Blow Fly

• House Fly

• Phorid Fly

2. What do these flies represent?

• Fruit Fly: Fruit Flies have easily identifiable large red eyes. Feeding on recent or light decomposition these flies are representative of an early sanitation issue.

• Black Eyed Fruit Fly: Black Eyed Fruit Flies have large black eyes. Feeding on heavily decomposed waste these flies are representative of a sanitation issue that has existed unaddressed for a number of weeks or months.

• Drain or Moth Fly: Moth flies have large triangular shaped wings. Active within the areas of drains these flies represent waste debris or stagnant water issues in your drains.

• Blow Fly: Blow flies are shiny green, blue, red and silver. Blow Flies prefer almost completely decomposed waste. Feeding on feces and decomposed organic matter these flies are representative of an exterior refuse issue.

• House Fly: House Flies are roughly the same size as Blow Flies. However, they are grey or black in color.Prefer early to middle stage decomposition these flies are typically attracted to waste bins, drive through windows, lights, and recycling bins. Blow flies are representative of early stage sanitation issues around the exterior and entry/exit points.

• Phorid Fly: Phorid Flies are often noted to have a “hunched back” and tend to scatter around areas of activity. Attracted to standing water and areas typically missed in mopping/dry mopping. Phorid Flies can be representative of heavy sanitation concerns or in more extreme cases plumbing or grease trap structural concerns.

3. Once identified what do you do?

Honestly the simplest way to answer that question isn’t always the most well received advice. However, stepping back in this blog we will refer again to the fact that flies are black and white. Flies exist where a sanitation issue exists. Easiest way to deal with this quickly and effectively? Prep. Clean. Dispose. Clean. Repeat. It is imperative that a business is prepared for the event that a sanitation issue exists and is doing everything possible to prevent this from occurring. Flies are most active from May through September. Therefore, integrating targeted cleaning practices that address flies specifically will aid your PCT in control and most importantly limit chemical application and cost.

4. How do you target your cleaning to prevent flies during active months? Prep is critical here. Now we could fill another whole blog with prep advice. Instead we’ll just provide you with a commercial prep sheet created by theBugGuys.ca to aid in targeted cleaning practices. Feel free to institute these practices in your kitchen. Healthier kitchens are a benefit to us all! Tomorrow…Tomorrow we’ll post theBugGuys.ca Extended Fly Control Prep Sheet. Make sure to check back.

Hopefully it helps! LIKE US ON FACEBOOK to get 15% your next one-time or yearly service agreement!