In commercial facilities, bottle flies can quickly become a problem. These large flies are known for their metallic blue or green color and are also called blow flies. They may enter your facility through gaps in the exterior and then stay to feed on any decaying matter they can find. In a commercial facility, there are several problems associated with bottle flies. These insects frequent very dirty environments, including trash cans, human and animal excrement, decaying vegetation and carcasses. While in these environments they are capable of picking of diseases on their bodies and spreading them directly to foods and food prep surfaces. In addition, the obnoxious buzz of bottle flies in your facility can cause you to fail sanitation audits and lose customers, all of which can affect your bottom line.
How to Prevent Bottle Flies in Your Commercial Facility
So, what are bottle flies attracted to? Decaying organic matter. To prevent a bottle fly problem, one of the best control methods is to eliminate the environments that attract them. A clean environment is less likely to attract bottle flies, while eliminating possible entry points can also help to keep these insects out. Other helpful pest prevention tips for your commercial facility include:
- Have your trash removed from the building regularly and any trash stored on the property removed weekly. During the hot summer months, have the trash removed daily to prevent breeding bottle flies.
- Implement a stringent sanitation schedule to keep all areas of your facility clean. It is especially important to remember to clean trash receptacles and their covers as well as any facility equipment.
- Always use plastic bag lines in trash cans and replace them daily.
- Keep food and liquids stored in coolers or sealed containers so as to not attract flies.
- Install air curtains over doors to prevent flies from entering your facility when doors are opened.
- Keep dumpsters stored at least 100 feet away from the entry of your building and ensure they have tight fitting lids that close securely.
These tips can help keep problems with bottle flies to a minimum. Think you might have bottle flies in your facility? They are most recognizable by their shiny metallic green or blue thorax and abdomen. For more information on bottle fly control or to schedule an appointment with a Copesan professional, please contact us today.