Fruit Flies Attracted by Decaying Residue in Marlboro, NJ Restaurant Kitchen

Challenge

While performing a routine servicing in one of our commercial kitchen and bar accounts in Marlboro, NJ, I came across fruit flies, specifically, dark-eyed fruit flies (Drosophila replete). Believe it or not, there are different species of fruit flies that are identified based on eye color. The dark-eyed fruit fly is a relative of the red-eyed fruit fly, a common pest that seems to emerge out of nowhere whenever there is overripe fruit sitting around, especially overripe bananas. The red-eyed fruit fly is rather easy to eliminate. In most cases, all you need to do is to discard the infested fruit that’s causing the problem. However, from my perspective as a pest control technician, control of the black-eyed fruit fly is more challenging because you must eliminate their breeding habitat. And these flies can breed pretty much anywhere there is wet, decaying organic matter. Organic matter may be collecting and decaying in a wide variety of out-of-sight places — in and around kitchen equipment, floor drains, sinks, beverage taps, gaps in floor tiles, missing tile grout (or even floors that are angled or have depressions in them), and around trash receptacles, just to name a few. In addition, since wet or damp areas are also potential fly breeding sites, it is important to look for excess condensation on refrigerators, ice machines, and pipes.

Solution

To successfully treat a dark-eyed fruit fly infestation, it is essential to locate and eliminate their breeding sites, especially since these flies have a very short reproduction cycle and their populations explode quickly. Keeping areas dry and free of food spillage must be part of the daily sanitation protocols for any food service establishment. Equipment and the areas around them must be cleaned daily, floors thoroughly cleaned or power-washed daily, drains kept clean, and cracks and crevices around sinks and dishwashing equipment sealed.  

The long-term solution to fruit fly problems and other pests requires that restaurants and other food-related businesses address the structural and sanitation issues that trigger these problems in the first place. However, in the short-term, of course, you must treat any active infestations to get rid of the pests. Here, during my inspection, I located an area under a commercial bar that had an excess build-up of sugary residue. This was an ideal breeding site for dark-eyed fruit flies. I treated this area with a bio-foam that breaks down the organic matter. With the fly breeding site eliminated, the infestation will be resolved quickly.