This is a busy time of year for the green bottle fly, the house fly and cluster flies. In fact, it is so busy, August has been unofficially named National Fly Month. If you haven’t yet heard the buzz on what works to prevent these pests from spreading illness in your business, kitchen or facility, it is time you did. Flies aren’t just an obnoxious irritant. They pick up harmful bacteria from trash and decaying organic materials and transfer them to food prep surfaces and food storage areas. This is another buzz you should know about, one that can cause your business to fail a sanitation audit and lose customers. Here are some of the current best practices for resisting fly activity.

Trash Control

  • Remove trash daily from food prep areas. Don’t give organic material time to decay, and don’t give flies a chance to breed. In warm weather, fly eggs can take as little as 12 to 24 hours to hatch.
  • Seal all indoor and outdoor trash.
  • Make sure all trash cans are lined with plastic bags and replace them at least daily.
  • Keep all areas of your facility clean, especially trash receptacles after they have been emptied.
  • Store all foods and liquids in coolers or sealed containers.
  • Install air curtains over doors to resist flies when doors are open.
  • Make sure dumpsters are at least 100 feet from entry doors to your building.
  • Remove trash weekly from all areas on your property.

Insect Light Traps

Your first line of defense against all fly species are insect light traps (ILTs). As part of a pest management plan, these traps are also useful for monitoring pest pressures inside your facility. Make sure your ILTs are at least 3 to 6 feet off the ground and easily accessible. Be sure that they are not put over areas where they can contaminate food. Most ILTs come with their own glue board. These should be replaced monthly.

When August heat rises and fly egg incubation periods decrease, be sure to be more vigilant in keeping up with all sanitation efforts. If you need help identifying which flies you have in your facility or you would like a comprehensive pest management program developed for your business, schedule an appointment with your local Copesan professional. Don’t let the buzz about your business come from flies; make it happy customers with help from Copesan.