FRUIT FLIES IN YOUR COMMERCIAL KITCHEN?

ONCE YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT SMALL FLY YOU HAVE, THE SOLUTION IS EASY!

DRAIN FLY / "CLOGMIA ALBIPUNCTATA"

OVERVIEW

These small flies are found in floor drains and floor sinks, especially when P‐Traps are broken. These flies are not commonly found in restaurants.

PREVENTION

“Prevention is best accomplished by removing food sources such as hair clogs in drains”…Wikipedia. If you have these drain flies in your restaurant use a mixture of ½ Chlorinated
liquid sanitizer ½ H20 to clean your drains along with a bristle brush. Special products such as liquids and drain inserts may work but cleaning the drains and making sure the P‐trap has standing water to hold back odors, bugs and drain flies will solve the problem. A P‐Trap that does not hold water means you have a broken pipe.

RED EYE FLY / "DROSOPHILA MELANOGASTER"

OVERVIEW

This is the most common small fly in restaurants that are rarely found in floor drains or floor sinks. The Red Eye Fly is drawn to organic matter, alcohol, soda, fruit or anything sticking.

PREVENTION

Prevention is achieved by cleaning surfaces that are sticky with particular focus to such locations as bars, soda stations and dry storage rooms. Use as mixture of
½ Chlorinated liquid sanitizer and ½ H20 to kill fruit fly eggs and stop the cycle.  

Red Eye Fruit Flies infest establishments where fruit, soda, alcohol and organic matter are found . The Red Eye Fly is the MOST common fruit fly found in restaurants. Removal of an infestation can be difficult as larvae may continue to hatch (up to 400 eggs) from a single adult fly. 

The Red Eye Fruit Fly typically reproduces in indirect drain lines (the drains that lead to from the soda machine or counter tops to a floor sink), fruit and moist areas. Typically these flies do not dwell or reproduce in floor sinks drains or floor drains due to high water flow and chemical discharge used from cleaning equipment making it undesirable for this fly.

Evidence can often be found where these flies are hanging out by the droppings they leave on ceiling tiles and walls (black specs). Removing the smell of organic matter that these flies are drawn to will stop continued infestation. Once a deep cleaning is performed a pest company may be needed to “knock down” the adult population that are active. (A “knock down” is done with a safe fogging chemical that fills the room killing these flies. While this fog treatment will kill the fruit flies that are on walls, ceilings or airborne, it will not kill the eggs nor take away the need for deep cleaning).

HELPFUL HINTS

Find out what kind of fly you have. Believe it or not, when shining a flashlight on these fruit flies you will see its red eyes. Buying products such as chemical disks, liquids, and drain inserts (drain inserts are designed for masking an odor of a failed p-trap) will prove to be ineffective. Experimenting with these varied products to kill the red eye flies will find that the infestation has not been eliminated. Ask yourself. “If floor drains or floor sink drains are the source, why don’t all drains in restaurants have the problem?” You may have heard about sticking cellophane over the drain hole to catch flies. Try it, you be shock to find the drains not the issue! If you do catch any small fly it will most likely be the “Drain Fly” not the “Red Eye Fly.”

WHAT TO CLEAN
 INDIRECT DRAIN LINES
(COUNTER TOP DRAINS LEADING TO FLOOR SINKS)
 BEER SCUPPER & BAR GUN DRAINS
 STICKY ALCOHOLIC BOTTLES /BOTTLE TOPS
 COUNTER TOP SURFACES
 SODA TOWERS & THEIR DRAINS
 PLACE FRUIT IN SEALED LEXAN CONTAINERS
 FOAM IN SODA CHASE IS DRY
 CLEAN WALLS & CEILINGS
 STICKY SODA LINES
 UNDER CABINETS & WITHIN CUBBIES
WHAT TO REPAIR
 CLEAN & CAULK CABINET SEEMS
(WHERE ORGANIC MATTER CAN BUILD UP)
 RECESSED GROUT & BROKEN TILE
 REMOVE PROBLEMS OF STANDING H20