Photo Album: Pest control in New Brunswick, NJ

I was dispatched to one of our commercial accounts, a restaurant in New Brunswick. The customer had a large influx of drain flies (also moth flies or sewer gnats) in their kitchen. As indicated by their name, these flies are commonly found around drains where they infest and breed in grease and rotting food. Like fruit flies, which can also found around drains, these are small gnat-type insects that are only about 1/8 inch long. Drain flies are brownish-gray or black while fruit flies are tan or brown with red eyes. For me, the easiest way to identify a drain fly are their distinctive wings, which are pointed, leaf-shaped, and white-speckled. Also, their bodies and wings are covered with long dense hairs giving them a “furry” moth-like appearance. When resting, these flies make their own roof by folding their wings over its body.

Broken tiles house food for flies in New Brunswick

Several portions of floor tiles throughout the kitchen were either broken or missing, and the gaps allowed for accumulation of food debris and dirt.

Dirty counters are breeding grounds for flies.

I inspected the kitchen to identify all of the possible fly breeding areas - and there were many. There were numerous structural and sanitation issues that needed to be corrected. I observed standing puddles of dirty water, drains coated with grease and food, dirty garbage cans, and flooring in need of repair.

Organic food matter feeds flies in New Brunswick, NJ

I applied a microbial bio-foam to specific areas of concern. This foam cleans and continuously breaks down the breeding grounds for these flies, and will substantially reduce their population. However, for long-term fly control, this restaurant will need to be much more vigilant about keeping the kitchen area clean and sanitary.

Debris around a drain is a source of food and water for flies.

The manager promised to address the needed repairs to the floor areas soon, and would institute stricter sanitation and hygiene protocols with the kitchen staff. In the meantime, I borrowed their wet-vac and soaked up as much of the water and decaying organic matter off the floor as I could.

Grease build-up is a fly feast in New Brunswick

Food and grease everywhere will attract flies and other insects.

Dirty floors in New Brunswick, New Jersey

I pointed out these problems to the manager as well as organic materials that had accumulated behind and under the kitchen appliances . This kitchen in its current state had numerous health code violations and its conditions, if not corrected, would lead to insect and rodent infestations.