Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
of any animal excrement or rubbish so that
fl ies cannot use these materials in increasing
their populations is the best way to avoid fl y
problems.
Rotting fruits and other materials should
be disposed of properly, preferably in sealed
containers or by incinerating, to avoid any
possibility of fl ies fi nding suitable breeding
media and to prevent the development of
infestation sources. If little rubbish is
produced, such as occurs in private homes,
composting the organic rubbish locally
may be an option. In facilities where the
quantity of organic rubbish is too large for
composting locally, this material needs to
be accumulated in an area or container that
is sealed completely and then disposed of
as often as economically and practically
possible. Rubbish bins are one of the main
sources of fl ies in urban areas, with a single
rubbish bin being suffi cient to breed several
thousand fl y larvae per week given the right
weather conditions. Thus, rubbish
accumulators should be emptied at least
twice each week and thoroughly cleaned of
residues.
Fruits, vegetables and other attractive
food items should be sealed in jars and
containers and refrigerated if possible.
Small fl ies such as fruit fl ies are small
enough to penetrate fi ne mesh screens so
window screens are not enough to prevent
infestations with these and other minute
fl ies.
It is most important to have a complete
daily clean up of any areas where food and
other potential breeding media could
accumulate. In kitchen areas and other food
establishments this clean up must include
the removal of organic matter and spilled
liquids that may fall under or behind
appliances, machinery, other equipment
and furniture, or into cracks and crevices.
These are places that can be easily over-
looked until the emerging fl y populations
reach alarming levels. After cleaning activ-
ities, all utensils and equipment used, such
as fl oor mops and rubbish-laden water in
sinks, should be properly emptied and
dried, bleached and hung up to dry.
Other areas that deserve special attention
in terms of sanitation are sewer lines,
drains, septic tanks and areas where fl y
larvae can develop feeding on accumulated
organic matter or bacteria and fungi that
grow in these locations. Regular cleaning
out of sewer lines and drains will prevent
excessive accumulation of breeding material
and will remove any developing fl y larvae.
In locations especially prone to the
development of fl ies in drains and pipes,
cleaning out should be done every few days
to prevent complete development of the
fl ies to the adult stage. Because many small
fl ies can develop in less than a week
depending of the climatic conditions, short
periods between clean outs guarantees the
elimination of growing populations before
fl ying adults emerge. Preventing repeated
cycles of fl y development is the only reliable
way to avoid the pest population from
building up to unbearable levels.
Drains in modern constructions are more
complicated and not just a hole in the fl oor
for water to fl ow out. Depending on the
construction and use, drains have different
elements and internal structure that make
them very hard to clean properly. It may be
necessary to take drains apart in order to
clean everything completely. However,
several commercial products exist that
facilitate drain and sewage systems cleaning
including microbial drain treatments
designed to eliminate the substrate that
could serve as breeding media for fl y larvae.
Many of these products contain special
enzymes that break down organic deposits,
and they can be foamed, poured, injected or
sprayed into drains and sewage lines, or
added to the cleaning solutions used in the
sanitation process, which will then fl ow
into drains and sewer lines and continue
the cleaning action. Some products can be
injected automatically into sewer lines
using timed devices. Steam and steam
machines are also very useful tools for
cleaning drain systems. In some cases, it
can be more complicated than this.
Grass clippings, plant cuttings and
clippings and animal faeces and manure
heaps should be disposed of regularly, or
properly composted by spreading thin
layers that can dry rapidly thus avoiding
attracting adult fl ies and the development of
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