Whether you operate a food processing, food retail, or foodservice facility, flies are a problem. Although fly lights (also called insect light traps or fly lights) are a valuable component of a comprehensive fly protection program for food businesses, the devices provide value as a monitoring system, not as a control device. Not only can flies cause food safety issues, but they can also repel customers, and even cost you points or fines in a third-party or regulatory inspection.

Whether you operate a food processing, food retail, or foodservice facility, flies are a problem. Although fly lights (also called insect light traps or fly lights) are a valuable component of a comprehensive fly protection program for food businesses, the devices provide value as a monitoring system, not as a control device. Not only can flies cause food safety issues, but they can also repel customers, and even cost you points or fines in a third-party or regulatory inspection.

This is why it is essential to have a comprehensive program provided by a knowledgeable pest management provider that follows the flight of the fly. The program must begin on the exterior and work to the inside, as a lack of exterior management strategies will lead to more flies on the interior, which can’t simply be controlled by fly lights alone.

It is this strategy on which Ecolab Pest Elimination’s Outside-In Fly Management Program is grounded. Through science-based protocols and expertise, we devise programs that apply our understanding of pest biology and behavior; we conduct research to evaluate commercially available products and equipment and develop proprietary solutions; and we take our knowledge to the field to get real-world data and feedback to ensure we stay at the leading edge of pest elimination. We pass this knowledge to our in-field service specialists, who customize your program to optimize results in your operation.

While the outside-in approach is beneficial to the exclusion of all flying insects, it is particularly directed toward large flies, which primarily live and breed outside. The approach focuses on finding the root cause of large fly activity, reducing fly pressure around the building, and solving issues before flies reach the interior.

The Outside-In Approach includes three key steps:

1. Preventing fly entry opportunities includes minimizing open-door time; but we understand that this in not always possible, so other options must be considered, such as vestibules, air curtains, plastic strips, etc.
2. Reducing exterior fly pressure through good sanitation, targeted treatment of exterior surfaces, and use of fly stations and traps.
3. Reducing exterior fly pressure through good sanitation, targeted treatment of exterior surfaces, and use of fly stations and traps.

To accomplish all this, Ecolab partners with you to address both the exterior and interior:

• Exterior: While it’s nearly impossible to eliminate all exterior fly breeding sites due to their high mobility and off-site breeding, your service specialist performs inspections to find breeding sites, fly attractants, and entry points, then provides recommendations on how to correct those conditions. We treat fly resting sites using our proprietary STEALTH Fly Station, as well as large fly traps where needed to reduce local populations and mitigate pressure around the perimeter.
• Interior: Your service specialist will eliminate any flies that do make it inside with science-based protocols using targeted treatments, proprietary equipment, and proven inspection techniques to solve fly problems — helping to prevent risk and eliminate flies. Ecolab proprietary equipment will be strategically placed to monitor/catch flies, including our newly updated STEALTH CFL, with improved effectiveness.

Tackling the root causes of fly activity for a fly-free environment is the goal of Ecolab’s Fly Program, incorporating a comprehensive outside-in approach that utilizes fly lights for monitoring but does not rely on them for control. This approach not only helps in keeping your facility fly-free; it helps protect your bottom line, food safety, guest satisfaction, and ultimately your brand.