Why They Happen and How to Eliminate Them:
By: Russ Thibeault
You know the deal – warm weather is your busiest time of year and your taproom is filled with thirsty customers -- and annoying fruit flies.
While it is still winter and the warm weather is (sadly) several months away, NOW is the time to create a fruit fly prevention regimen in your tap rooms! We want to help you to identify and eliminate the conducive conditions that create fruit fly problems in the first place.
Let’s begin by saying that fruit flies are a sanitation problem – not a pest control problem.
Why is this? Fruit fly larvae feed on yeasts that primarily grow in freshly decaying materials – spilled beer, food, lemons, limes, etc. This debris, once moistened, provides a perfect breeding ground for fruit flies. Clouding the issue is the fact that equipment behind the bar is often “fixed” and immovable making a DEEP cleaning virtually impossible.
Beer splashes onto the floor, sides, and legs of the equipment, etc. Mops do not bend and hard to reach areas are often neglected creating conducive conditions when “triggered” by warm weather. Moreover, taprooms and restaurants are notorious for power-washing or putting too much water down creating pooling where larvae can flourish. When mopping at the end of each nightly service, be careful not to leave puddles of water. Standing water in the tap room or beneath hanging mops in the mop closet creates a VERY conducive environment for fruit flies.
Sanitation and fruit fly control in your taprooms can be addressed most effectively and in a “green” manner by adopting a bioremediation program utilizing probiotic cleaners. These products utilize natural, soil derived microbes to digest organic matter and eliminate odors. We love a product called InVade BioFoam Concentrate by Rockwell Labs. Just four ounces of concentrate added to a gallon of cold water in a foamer (Rockwell calls its foamer, Foamer Simpson. But any quality foamer will do) will last for months. The BioFoam includes microbes that digest fats, oils, and grease (FOG), carbohydrates, proteins, cellulose, etc. And if some of this product ends up in or near your brew house, it will NOT contaminate your beer.
At the end of each service, the foamer is utilized to spray all areas of the tap room including taps, runoff lines, equipment, floor, baseboard, soda holsters, etc. This should be performed three times per week. The best part? Simply spray and forget about it. The foamer will penetrate into areas that mops cannot reach, bringing much-needed attention to highly conducive areas including back walls and cracks in floor tiles. We at Pestex have introduced hundreds of breweries, tap rooms, bars, and restaurants to this bioremediation plan and it works beautifully. The biggest challenge is getting “buy in” by closing staff so the sooner you begin this process, the better. The BioFoam and foamer are available online or we can assist you.
A quick note about runoff lines. Be sure they are positioned at the right angle so product flows downward. Look for areas where the hose is sagging and creating a pooling effect in the line. Also, be sure to replace older and sticky drip lines often.
NOW is the time to get this started. Creating and putting into action a proactive bioremediation program during the winter will ensure your taproom customers will focus on your incredible craft brews rather than swatting at fruit flies come summer.
Questions? Reach out:
russ@pestexinc.com
