Tons of Dirty Dishes Contributing to a Fruit Fly Infestation in Brick, NJ
Challenge
We were sent out to a restaurant in Brick, NJ that was suffering from a dark-eyed fruit fly infestation. When we arrived and inspected the area of concern (the kitchen) it was no surprise why the manager was having a problem. There were several stacks of bus trays filled with dirty dishes from the previous night! There was also a cleaning tray underneath the main sink that was filled with dirty liquids. Apparently, the late shift forgot to empty those trays and left them over in the corner. This was like ringing the dinner bell for the fruit flies!
Dark-eyed fruit flies are brown with dark eyes and are a little more difficult to control than regular fruit flies. They thrive in moist, smelly organic debris that is out of sight. They are most common in bars, restaurants, and delis where they breed under equipment, near drains, sinks, and beverage taps where water can settle and allow a buildup of organic matter. While this species of fruit flies cannot bite or transmit any diseases, they can carry around bacteria from one place to another and contaminate food.
Solution
We brought these sanitation issues to the managers' attention and she immediately had her staff remove all the dirty dishes, clean them, and sanitize the area. Removing the conducive condition of the infestation will exterminate the fruit flies. While they were cleaning, we applied a liquid application in all the floor drains and then scrubbed them out with our heavy-duty scrubber.
Next, we applied a bio-foam solution that removes the organic build-up, odors, and scum in the drains. Lastly, we treated the infestation areas with a fly bait to control the adult fruit flies. Once we finished, we spoke to the manager and mentioned a few, simple sanitation procedures that will prevent any future pest issues.
