Executive Housekeeping Today - November 2008 - (Page 11)

Monday Night is Fly Night Small flies are oftentimes a nuisance to the hospitality industry, and these flies (drain, fruit, and phorid) are conducive to breeding inside a foodservice environment. The key to eliminating these flies is to break up the breeding cycle, and a plan can be developed that is simple and very cost effective. This plan entails killing the adults and larvae at the same time. These groups of small flies breed in moist, decaying organic matter, such as produce, wet drywall, loose floor tiles, floor drains, filth build-up, standing water under bars, and behind equipment and many other places in commercial kitchens and bars. The following steps must be followed to eliminate the small flies and not allow them to reproduce again: 1) All floor drains should be cleaned with hot soapy water and a floor drain brush. 2) All floor drain covers should be cleaned and run through the dishwasher. 3) All large floor drains with multiple drainage from ice bins and sinks should be cleaned with a brush and hot soapy water. 4) All garbage cans should be thoroughly cleaned with hot soapy water. 5) A solution of 20 percent bleach and 80 percent water should be prepared in an inexpensive onegallon sprayer. These sprayers can be purchased at any hardware store. This solution will solidify fly larvae on contact. The solution should then be applied in areas s by Andrew Burger The key to eliminating small flies is to break up the breeding cycle, which involves killing the adults and larvae at the same time. These groups of small flies breed in moist, decaying organic matter, such as in loose floor tiles, as pictured above. 8) If you store produce in Lexantype containers, make sure to clean them out thoroughly between deliveries. This will help you rotate your stock, but most importantly will not allow the small flies the opportunity to reproduce. Hanging onion bags are notorious for small fly reproduction, so hang onion bags in a cool, dry environment. 9) Small stationary fans should then be placed in areas that are notorious for small fly breeding. The constant air motion will not allow adult flies to land and lay their eggs. After following the above nine steps, you will have broken up the breeding cycle. Step four should be repeated nightly for five days until the problem is completely eliminated. Once the problem is solved, this procedure should be repeated every Monday night in order to maintain the fly-free environment—making Monday night “fly night.” that are conducive to small fly breeding. Examples of these areas are loose floor and baseboard tiles, under bar equipment, in dish rooms, under ice machines, in wait stations with soda dispensing equipment, in tile grout, and in floor drains. With a rag, this bleach and water solution should be wiped under equipment, such as ice bins, that have constant water condensation. Pipes and hoses in bar areas, as well as soda dispensing machines should be treated with this solution. Flies breed wherever they are given the opportunity. 6) In the area where you are having small fly issues, place all exposed food in the walk-ins or in another area and cover all dishes with plastic garbage bags. Have your exterminator do a light fogging in breeding areas to knock down the adult flies. To save the expense of the exterminator making a special trip, you can do it yourself. At any hardware store, grocery store, or your food supplier, you can purchase a can of bug spray. Make sure the active ingredient is pyrethrum. Do a proper preparation and spray in the general areas where you see these flies to knock them down and to begin to eliminate the breeding cycle. 7) Small flies love to breed in filthy mops, brooms, and dustpans. Make sure that your mops and brooms are cleaned with the bleach and water solution. After use, it is imperative to hang them upside down so they dry properly. W Andrew Burger is President of “Bugs” Burger Bug Killers, Inc. in Miami Beach, FL. “Bugs” Burger Bug Killers, Inc. developed the above low-cost system to eliminate all types of small flies. For more information, call 86MY-BUGS-NOW (866-928-4766) or visit www.bugsburger.com. November 2008/Executive Housekeeping Today http://www.bugsburger.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Executive Housekeeping Today - November 2008

Executive Housekeeping Today - November 2008 Contents Executive Corner The Most Unwelcome Guests Good Housekeeping: Eliminating Pests from the Equation Frugal Housekeeper Director-at-Large Distribution Don’t Just Clean up After Birds—Get Rid of Them! Monday Night is Fly Night Green Pest Control Practices Executive Profile The Green Scene Keeping Hard Floors Clean For the Holidays Inside the Industry Product Highlights New Members Joint IEHA/ISSA Members Advertisers’ Index Calendar of Events Inside IEHA What IEHA has Done for Me

Executive Housekeeping Today - November 2008

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