Flies in the Kitchen
Arizona Community Integrated Pest Management
Figure 1. House fly adults are about 1/4” long. Image Credit: Salvador Vitanza-Hedman
Figure 2. House flies leave specks of fecal matter and regurgitated stomach content on surfaces.
Figure 3. Moth fly adults are about 1/8” long (left). Image credit: Backiris, Adobe Stock. Larva (right). Image credit: Matt Bertone, North Carolina State University.
Figure 5. Some good and problematic external trash receptacle placements
Figure 6. Avoid propping doors open, and screening windows that are routinely opened with 18 X 18 mesh will effectively exclude most flies.
Figure 7. Several common fly species are capable of transmitting pathogens that cause stomach upsets. Covering prepared food is an easy way to reduce risks.
Figure 8. Several fly species can thrive by feeding on microbes that grow in moist areas, especially if both moisture and organic matter are present.
Figure 9. Food storage and food preparation equipment in storage areas is especially prone to pest infestation. Monitoring these storage areas is very important.
Figure 10. Careful waste management practices that consider our waste as a pest resource is a critically important part of pest management in buildings. Here organic matter is building up in the bottom of a trash receptacle (left), and organic matter in the green trash can has supported an exploding population of house flies (migrating larvae and pupae can be seen center and right).
Figure 11. The smaller fly species can utilize moisture and organic matter that seeps into, and under flooring, potentially necessitating very costly remediation. Missing grout and damaged tile shown here is still providing flies with a valuable resource despite previous repair attempts.
Figure 12. Examples of poor, and good cleaning equipment storage.
Figure 13. Condensate lines generate biofilms which support some fly species.
Figure 14. Five of the drains above were poorly maintained and generating fruit or moth flies. The drain
Figure 15. The soda dispenser images show a buildup of sugary pop, mostly invisible unless someone looks for it.
Figure 16. Poor waste management examples on the left show over capacity, overflowing dumpsters (top left), open lids and food remnants behind the dumpster (lower left). Good waste management examples on the right show good placement, clean areas around dumpsters, and lids closed (top and lower right).
This material is from the AZ Home and School IPM June-July Newsletter.