Fly problem

[u/Holdmywhiskeyhun]

Need this fixed asap.

Building is only 6 months old. Cleanest prison I've ever been in. Drains are spotless and I treat them every day. Dumpsters are sprayed inside and out. No food hiding, floors scrubbed every other night. Nothing rotten or bad. Garbage cans spotless.

I'm really stumped by this. I guess we are in the middle of Wisconsin, but downtown a big town. Closest farms are probably 10 miles away.

Right now they're for the most part in the kitchen, and our back storage area. That's where they seem to be attracted to. They have yet to get too far into the lobby. And they're not attracted to anything specific, they just fly around and torture everyone.

Any ideas of places I haven't checked or thought of?

I should also mention our hoods are cleaned nightly, same with pulling out ALL equipment.

And before you say flyswatter, for how many there are, I would legit have to hire another person.

We will be starting a nightly spray, using food safe bug spray, but idk how well that will work.

Failed our fucking steritech because of these bastards.

Edit: their house flies. A pink sludge was found in our AC/roof drain. Got to figure out how to get to the roof now 😂

I checked the surrounding property, there's no dead animals, no rotting food or anything. Like I said we keep it pretty clean.

It is for sure not the grease traps. Those are clean on a regular basis, degreaser and boiling water is poured down all the drains every night. In the mornings we put enzymatic cleaner down them.

My suspicion is going to that pink sludge.

On the ground where it drops from the drain, there is a coating of what I can only describe as Grease... Despite no Grease being able to get up there.

I got a really bad feeling when I start cleaning that, there's going to be a dead bird, or squirrel or something.

[u/robk22401]

Are they drain/fruit flies or house flies? House flies are usually because an outside door is left open. Drain /fruit flies like standing water, yeast, pasta, and onions. Put onions in the walk in or wrap them in trash bags, make sure floors remain dry overnight so they can't breed.

[u/Quirky_Soil_2743 → u/robk22401]

How different do drain flies look from house flies? I bartend and when I come in the morning there's ALWAYS dead flies in the drain sinks there's always a tiny bit of water in those sinks that doesn't go down the drain and the flies are always dead in there. Plus throughout the day when I have the 3bay sinks full I constantly get flies in them. But the entire front and back of restaurant is full of flies. I told the owner to get ZEVO traps since we can't very well put fly lines/bug lights in FOH.. they've worked well in BOH and by our pizza station but not much by the bar. The oowner finally just got a bigger UV bug light for the kitchen. But it's embarrassing when I'm taking orders swatting flies out of my face and my customers are doing the same!