How to Prevent Large Fly Problems

To protect your business from the health risk posed by large flies such as houseflies and bottle/blow flies, there are steps you and your pest management provider can take to minimize food safety risks. An integrated pest management (IPM) program aimed at large flies will include sanitation, exclusion and suppression.

Sanitation 
Good sanitation practices on the outside can reduce fly pressure on the facility and good sanitation practices inside reduce the reasons for flies to enter, ensuring there is no breeding opportunities inside. Large flies can actively move to warm areas and can spread to your facility from adjacent properties. They breed in garbage, trash compactors, and overripe or rotting vegetables. By keeping your environment clean, flies have little incentive to come in or near your facility.

• Keep garbage areas clean and away from the building when possible; close receptacles with tight-fitting covers.
• Bag and seal garbage in durable plastic garbage bags; under-stuff and tie off garbage bags to eliminate spillage.
• Pave or seal area beneath and around dumpsters.
• Remove standing water, weeds, tall grass, and other excessive vegetation to reduce breeding and harborage areas.
• Remove clutter and items stored on the ground near the building.
• Periodically walk the property to pick up discarded food containers, spilled foods, and other garbage.

Exclusion 
Exclusion helps keep house flies from entering the facility:

• Inspect, seal, and maintain doors in good condition.
• During deliveries, don’t allow doors to be propped open for extended periods of time. 
• An exterior STEALTH™ Fly Station can target flies around dumpsters, garbage bins and other nearby breeding sights.
• In high fly-pressure locations, loading dock doors and service entries should have air curtains in place where possible. Air curtains should be inspected frequently to ensure proper function and to make sure they are not being turned off by day staff.
• Windows that open to the outside should have properly fitting, 20-mesh screens.
• Keep doors closed as much as possible, or use double-door vestibules, air doors, self-closing doors, or plastic-strip doors where needed.
• Check positive/negative air pressure of entry ways. Negative interior pressure can pull flying insects into the facility. HVAC system adjustments can often correct this.

Suppression 
Suppression helps quickly remove large flies that have entered the facility. 

• Clean up food debris and keep floors cleaned/mopped to not allow standing water or accumulated condensation.
• Ensure that sanitation practices include periodic deep cleaning beneath lines and equipment.
• Discreet fly lights installed inside your facility offer a non-pesticide approach to reducing indoor populations.

The best solution for fly prevention is to give them no reason or way to come in. Ecolab Service Specialists are trained to monitor and address fly activity, identify sanitation and structural issues related to large fly presence, and provide recommendations on improving conditions to reduce fly activity.