Prevention of entry into food establish-
ments can be accomplished by prompt and
thorough removal of waste materials from
food areas. Air screens, mesh screens (at least
16 mesh, recommended by the U.S. Public
Health Service), and double doors discour-
age fly entry. Doors should be opened for
receiving and/or shipping for a minimal
amount of time, and air screens should be
operational. Self-closing doors should
remain open for a minimal amount of time.
To reduce attraction of flies around a food
establishment, outdoor garbage storage
should be as far away from doors as possible.
If garbage is stored inside, this area should
be separated by a wall from other locations
and refrigerated to reduce decay and fly
activity. Garbage should be stored in closed
containers.
If flies have entered a facility, they can be
controlled by the use of an electric flytrap or
by other commercial traps, which attract
adult flies to blue lights, killing them in elec-
tric grids. Electric flytraps should be used all
day, and the catch basin should be cleaned
daily. Chemical control through aerosols,
sprays, or fogs, using chemicals such as
pyrethrins can aid in fly control. The limited
results are temporary, and use of chemicals
is restricted in food facilities. Therefore, one
should try control by exclusion and by the
use of flytraps. At the time of this writing,
flytraps that contain the insecticide nithi-
azine appear to be effective against fly con-
trol outside of buildings.
Fruit flies (Drosophila melanogaster),
which are smaller than the housefly, are
also considered seasonal and are most
abundant in late summer and fall. Adult
fruit flies are approximately 2 to 3 mm
long, with red eyes and light-brown bodies.
They are attracted to fruit, especially
decaying fruit. These pests are not attracted
to sewage or animal waste; thus, they carry
less harmful bacteria.
The life cycle and feeding habits of fruit
flies are similar to those of houseflies, except
that these insects are attracted specifically to
fruits. These pests proliferate most rapidly in
late summer and early fall, when rotting
plants and fruits are more abundant. The life
span of a fruit fly is approximately 1 month.
Total eradication of the fruit fly is diffi-
cult. Use of mesh screens and air screens will
decrease entry into food establishments.
When entry occurs, electric traps are some-
what effective. One of the most effective
methods of controlling these pests is to avoid
accumulation of rotting fruits and ferment-
ing foods.
Thecigarette beetle, one of the most com-
mon stored-product insects, infests tobacco
and dried plant materials such as herbs,
spices, and dried flowers. Although this
insect is frequently mistaken for the Drug-
store Beetle, it is distinguished through its
serrated antennae vs. the clubbed antennae
of the Drugstore Beetle. When viewed from
the horizontal position, the Cigarette Bee-
tle’s head points downward, giving it a
“humped” appearance. This insect generally
lives 30-90 days, and the larvae feast on the
surrounding food supply. This pest is
attracted to subdued lights, insect light traps,
and pheromone traps. Monitoring grid pat-
terns and trend analysis reports can deter-
mine infestation points. These insects can be
controlled through identification and
removal of infested stored materials and
product storage. The value of methyl bro-
mide for control is limited because of its
complexity of use, cost, and anticipated
phase-out. A potential technology to control
Cigarette Beetles is heat treatments. Thermal
treatments in which ambient air temperature
is increased to 48ºC and held for 24 hr is
lethal for most insects (Hirsch, 2004).
Miscellaneous insect pests that plague
food processing and foodservice operations
are ants, beetles, and moths. The last two arePest Control 239