Pests We Treat Photo Album: Drain Flies Harbor in Floor Drain in Rumson, NJ
The Source of the Problem: Accumulated Food Debris
As I began my inspection around the bar area, I observed a small army of drain flies circling around a floor drain. Taking a closer look inside the drain, I I found a thriving colony of drain flies in the drain. Drain flies live and breed in the accumulated "muck" (organic debris) that can coat drains if not periodically cleaned. The inside of this floor drain had a substantial food debris.
Forgotten Festering Food Often Leads to Drain Flies
Often, when the kitchen staff or cleaning crew is cleaning the floor, food and other objects are swept into a floor drain where thy stay hidden and start to rot. This accumulation of food debris combined with moist, warm conditions creates the ideal breeding ground for drain flies. These annoying gnats are named drain flies for a good reason.
Time to Clean Out the Gunk
Before applying any type of solution, I needed to remove the gunk in the drain first. For any application to be effective, the gunk has to be cleaned out. I used a heavy-duty brush to thoroughly scrub the floor drain and the catch-all. This takes away the attractant for these flies.
Remove the Bad Bacteria
After removing all the gunk, I sanitized the drain by applying a liquid application that removes the bad bacteria from the drain. Bad bacteria is the foundation for a drain fly's breeding ground. Eliminate the bad bacteria, and you eliminate their breeding habitat.
Foam it Up!
Next, I applied a bio-foam solution. This bio-foam solution effectively removes the organic build-up, odors, and scum in kitchen drains and other areas where these flies are breeding. What drain flies lack in size, they more than make up for in sheer numbers. With exponential breeding rates, they can soon overwhelm a commercial kitchen, and become a major problem. After cleaning and treating the drains, I talked to the owner about implementing a few simple sanitation procedures that'll keep these pests out of his restaurant by not giving them the breeding materials they need to thrive. Prevention is the best and most cost-effective way to deal with drain flies or any other pest infestation.