Photo Album: Fruit Fly Problem in Point Pleasant Beach, NJ
Filthy dishes attract flies
As a pest management professional, an important part of our job is communicating with our clients. For example, here, after conducting an inspection to evaluate the facility's sanitation and hygiene, I brought my findings to the attention of management so that improvements could be made that will prevent pest infestations from taking hold in the first place.
Left out fruit is food for insects
Fruit flies, rapidly breeding, annoying little gnats, can be a year-round problem, but they are especially common during late summer and early fall. These flies are attracted to ripened or fermenting fruits and vegetables, especially unrefrigerated products starting to "go bad" like bananas, potatoes, and onions.
Food left in garbage brings in fruit flies
Fruit flies can be a problem wherever food is allowed to rot and ferment, so we often find these infestations in homes, restaurants, and supermarkets. These flies lay their eggs in any moist organic material - sometimes directly on the food, and sometimes in hidden places like drains, on appliances, or garbage cans where organic materials are collecting. And these pests are prolific breeders - a single fly can lay up to 500 eggs during her lifetime and multiple generations of flies develop quickly. The lifecycle of a fruit fly is lightening fast, going from egg to adult in about a week.
Discarded food left overnight is an attractant for flies
With commercial accounts like restaurants where pest problems can be devastating for the business, teamwork between the kitchen staff and the pest control company is critical for both preventing pest infestations as well as ensuring their quick and timely resolution should they occur.
Dirty drain is a breeding ground for flies
For a pest control technician dealing with fruit fly infestations, it is important to find the breeding source of this pests. Just eliminating the adult flies will not fully resolve the infestation. You have to remove the larvae that's breeding in the organic material - whether it's inside a drain or decomposing food hidden behind a piece of equipment.