Sanitation Issues Trigger Roach and Drain Fly Infestation in Eatontown, NJ Restaurant
Challenge
Recently, I went out on a service call for a new commercial client, a restaurant in Eatontown, NJ. The owner contacted us because of a heavy drain fly infestation in the kitchen and near the garbage room.
Drain flies are so-named because they often feed off and lay their eggs in the accumulated “muck” that accumulates on drain surfaces. Drain flies are small black or brown gnat-type flies that are often confused with fruit flies, which also breed inside drains. Dain flies are about 1/8th inch, with short fuzzy bodies. A key identifying trait is a unique pattern of veins in their oversized wings. Although drain flies are not known to bite or transmit any diseases, should fly larvae find their way into an open wound, myiasis, a parasitic infestation in which the developing larvae feeds on the tissue inside the human host can occur.
As I began my inspection near the garbage room, I noticed that the mops in the nearby janitor’s closet weren’t hung properly and debris was seeping out of the mops onto the floor. As I moved one of the mops, I was greeted by a swarm of drain flies that flew out of an uncovered drain. While not the most pleasant way to find one of the breeding ground of these filthy flies, I am still glad I found it! While inspecting other areas in the building, I observed a number of sanitation issues, including a buildup of grease behind the cover panels on the kitchen steam tables. This type of grease buildup of grease is a major attractant for pests and could easily lead to future pest problems. There were also numerous areas throughout the kitchen where food and garbage debris had accumulated underneath the equipment.
During my inspection, I came across another pest infestation — German cockroaches. German cockroaches are one of the most common roach problems we deal with, and these roaches are among the filthiest, posing a serious health hazard. German cockroaches can carry and transmit a number of disease-producing pathogens. These roaches are 1/2 to 5/8 inch long, tan to light brown, and are best identified by two dark parallel lines running from the back of the head to the wings. Although they have fully developed wings, they do not fly. These roaches thrive in warm, humid conditions. German cockroaches produce odorous secretions, and when cockroach populations are high, you can actually smell the infestation!
Solution
This first-time customer had an exceptionally heavy infestation, and the restaurant needed a heavy-duty treatment. With periodic inspections and future preventative treatments, these pest problems can be avoided. But for right now, I needed to treat this infestation, and before I could even start treatment, these pest-infested areas needed to be cleaned first!
I reviewed the sanitation issues with the owner and stressed the importance of quickly fixing them. Immediately, the restaurant staff began cleaning the affected areas. Once the affected areas were sanitized, I first targeted the drain flies by removing all the organic “muck” from the drain in the janitor’s closet with a bio-foam solution that effectively removes build-up, odors, and scum in the drains, cracks, or crevices to eliminate the drain flies and prevent a re-infestation. A bio-foam solution contains natural microbes, enzymes, and citrus oils that dissolve organic build-up and eliminate fly-attracting odors.
Now it was time to turn my attention to the cockroaches! First, I placed several bait stations throughout the kitchen to attract and eliminate the roaches. With this product, the roaches will travel back to its home location and share the product with other cockroaches. Finally, I treated all the baseboards, cracks and crevices in the kitchen with gel bait. With all the areas in the kitchen properly treated, the roach infestation will soon be resolved.
The restaurant owner did not want to deal with another pest infestation like this one. We discussed the importance of instituting a cleaning program that would keep sanitation at a top level and prevent insect and rodent infestations or, at least, minimize their severity. He will be immediately putting sanitation protocols in place for the staff to follow with specific accountability for each task. This infestation was a wake-up call for what can happen when sanitation is not kept up to par in a commercial kitchen.
