Bruce Dekker from ProTrain Training and Consulting Services shares a best practice approach to fly management.
Few things frustrate homeowners and food business operators more than the constant buzz of flies. They’re not just a nuisance, they’re a public health threat and a reputational risk for any restaurant, cafe or food manufacturer. Sustainable and effective fly management is more than just a series of treatments; it’s about getting to the root of the problem and understanding why the fly problem exists. Applying integrated pest management (IPM) principles is the surest way to deliver longterm results for clients. This means taking a considered approach, beginning with a thorough inspection.
Start with the inspection
Every good fly management plan must start with a thorough inspection. Regardless of whether it’s a residential property, aged care facility or busy cafe, you need to locate and document where flies are breeding, feeding and entering.
Flies will naturally congregate around sources of organic matter, making food waste bins and bin storage areas potential hotspots. Look for organic build-up in drains, grease traps and under benches. Moist soil or decaying vegetation near external walls or loading docks can be an area that’s often overlooked during inspections. Common fly entry points are through gaps in doors, unscreened vents or poorly maintained strip curtains.
During your inspection, identify which fly species are present and their location. House flies, vinegar flies, and blowflies each behave differently and have unique breeding preferences. Understanding their biology and behaviour will give pointers as to where the problem is originating. In some cases, the source of the fly problem might be a neighbouring business or property.
Assess the threat
Flies are more than just unpleasant, they are vectors for bacteria and pathogens such as Salmonella, E. coli, and Listeria. In food premises, a single complaint or a failed audit can damage a client’s reputation. For households, flies contribute to disease transmission and contamination of food surfaces.
Flies present a number of health risks, as they can transmit bacteria and pathogens by contaminating food and food surfaces. Assessing the threat they pose means determining the scale of the infestation. Once the scale is known, the potential risk to health can be assessed.
For commercial customers, you can ask yourself, “Is the client at risk of breaching food safety or HACCP obligations? Could breeding areas compromise nearby food production or storage zones? Are sanitation or structural issues contributing to recurring infestations?”
This threat assessment should form part of your inspection report. Taking the time to assess the risk posed by the pest problem is what separates professional IPM technicians from routine ‘surface spray’ technicians.
Non-chemical and cultural controls
Cultural controls are methods that we use to reduce pest numbers without the use of chemicals. So before reaching for the trusty sprayer, think about taking advantage of these kinds of effective long-term tools. Cultural controls should be clearly explained to the customer, with emphasis on how maintaining these measures will greatly improve treatment outcomes.
When it comes to fly management, good sanitation can provide significant benefits. This means regular cleaning of food preparation areas, drains, and waste systems. Tight-fitting bin lids keep flies out, and kitchens should have clear clean-down procedures for not only the kitchen areas but wheelie-bin storage areas too.
As with other pest problems, exclusion is a very effective measure. The use of insect screens, self-closing doors, and air curtains reduce potential fly entry points. If flies do gain entry, then UV fly units can be used near entry points (but away from food prep zones) to intercept them. Sticky traps can also be used in cases of high infestation.
on site
Appropriate use of chemical treatments
When non-chemical measures alone aren’t enough, targeted chemical treatments can provide short-term relief while other IPM controls take effect. However, this must be done with consideration for the situation. This might mean using a residual spray, fly bait, space treatment or drain cleaner, or a combination of them. For commercial kitchens, it’s essential to only use products that are specifically labelled for use in food premises. Chemicals should never be applied to surfaces that will come into contact with food, such as benchtops.
Houseflies are one of the pests that are known to develop insecticide-resistant populations, so it pays to understand your active ingredients. By rotating sprays or baits with different active ingredients, with different modes of action, fly populations can be effectively reduced, whilst mitigating the risk of resistance in regularly serviced accounts. Treatments should be applied strategically to the resting and breeding areas identified during the initial assessment.
Remember: the goal is not to kill every fly in sight but to reduce the population below the level where the flies pose a threat. Make sure you have realistic expectations of what the selected product can achieve and communicate this clearly with the client. Your report should include details of the treatments including where the products were applied. For food handling establishments, additional compliance documentation will likely be required.
Monitoring and continuous improvement
Ongoing monitoring is an essential component of an IPM program. Sticky traps, fly counts, client feedback, and regular site reviews will reveal whether the control measures taken are working or if breeding has reestablished elsewhere.
A good approach is to ask clients to adopt a partnership mentality: they maintain hygiene and exclusion standards, while you provide professional monitoring, data analysis, and targeted treatments. This shared responsibility leads to better results and repeat business.
By integrating inspection, threat assessment, nonchemical control, and targeted chemical use, pest managers are able to deliver more than a quick fix; they solve the problem in the long term.
So next time you’re called out to a ‘fly problem’, don’t just treat the symptom; take a systematic IPM approach, identify the causes, and deliver a solution that lasts. That’s what separates a technician from a true pest management professional.
Bruce Dekker, Trainer/Assessor/Auditor, ProTrain Training & Consulting Services
