The food industry is especially susceptible to pest infestations due to flies’ natural attraction to food. Thus, it is critical for every food establishment to establish restaurant fly control standards, as a fly infestation can leave a lasting bad impression on the business.
This article will cover the best products and practices to help eliminate flies and prevent them from driving your customers away and costing your business.
Best Restaurant Practices To Keep Flies Away
To effectively combat a fly infestation in your restaurant, it is important to establish certain standards that address all potential sources of contamination or attraction. These include the following:
Cleaning and Sanitizing the Premises Regularly
Maintaining high hygiene standards around your facilities is essential for preventing flies from lurking. To do this, you may store food in airtight packages or cans and keep raw food in refrigerators when not in use. Spilled food or food residue on countertops and surfaces also attracts flies and other insects, so cleaning up immediately reduces the risk of a fly infestation.
Flies breed and are attracted to moist and dirty places. Hence, practice regular and proper garbage disposal to keep flies at bay. You may throw them in sealed containers or dumpsters several feet from your restaurant. If possible, work with a waste management company to regularly pick up your trash or on per need basis.
Installing Insect Lamps
Regular sanitation practices and prompt waste disposal are essential to restaurant fly control. However, additional precautionary measures should be taken to ensure long-term fly prevention.
Insect lamps from Gardner Products are ideal for helping help control and prevent flies from causing issues inside a restaurant setting. Setting up effective traps around areas where food is served or stored can help reduce fly populations significantly.
Install insect light traps in darker regions away (from bright lights and sunlight) — at least 15 feet away from doors and other entryways — to make them more visible to the flies in the room. To reduce the chance of food contamination, place the traps at least 5 feet away from locations where food is prepared.
Keeping Openings Closed or Screened Off
The aroma in a restaurant setting, be it in the kitchen or the serving area, can also attract flies. Thus, it is important to always close doors and windows to prevent flies from entering the premises. You may also install window and door screens to maintain open ventilation while keeping flies out.
Likewise, installing screens on vents and other openings would be best. You must also take the time to inspect where and how these flies enter your establishment to install the necessary preventives in these areas.