Pests We Treat Photo Album: Poor Sanitation and Fruit Flies in Middletown, NJ
We went out on a service call for a new commercial account, a bar/restaurant in Middletown, NJ, after the owner called our office complaining about fruit flies.
Poor Sanitation
Upon inspection of the bar area, we found a build-up of various liquids and food debris on the floor, walls, and the floor drains underneath the work equipment.
Hardly Ever Cleaned
We reported our findings to the manager who informed us that those areas rarely get cleaned. We informed him that proper sanitation behind the bar is very important and needs to be cleaned often. Fruit flies feed and breed in decaying and bacteria-ridden areas and will then land on food and food-contact surfaces where they can transmit foodborne bacteria and spread different types of foodborne illnesses.
No Filter Caps
Above the equipment, we noticed that all the alcohol bottles had a paper cone cup to cover the tops of the bottles. We informed the manager and the entire staff that this was a bad idea as the fruit flies could still get into the bottles of liquor and they should get tighter fitting caps.
An Expensive Lesson
The owner immediately instituted a sanitation procedure for his staff to follow and they began to sanitize the bar area and dispose of all contaminated products. We then scrubbed all the drains and applied a liquid application that removes the bad bacteria from the drain that fruit flies breed in.
Blinded By the Light
We then applied a bio-foam solution that removes the organic build-up, odors, and scum in the drains and a residual fly bait underneath the sinks and pipes. We also installed a bug light behind the bar to help fight against fruit flies and other flying insects.