How do I prevent fruit flies in a restaurant?
Remove fermentation sources: empty beer-tap drip trays nightly, sanitize mop buckets, wash under bar mats. Fruit flies need a moist substrate; eliminate it and they leave in a week.
Why it happens
Fruit flies are drawn to fermentation, which occurs in moist, decaying organic material. While often confused with drain flies that breed in the gelatinous biofilm inside pipes, both pests thrive in the same unsanitary conditions common in commercial kitchens. Eliminating their food source and breeding sites is the only permanent solution.
What to check
Beyond bar mats and drip trays, focus on drains. Regularly clean sink overflows and tailpieces where biofilm accumulates. Ensure floor drains are free of standing water and organic buildup. A gelatinous film inside any drain can serve as a protected breeding ground for larvae, making surface sanitation insufficient.
When to call a professional
When a persistent infestation survives diligent cleaning, the breeding source is likely inaccessible. Hidden moisture and organic matter behind equipment, inside wall voids, or deep within drain lines may require professional tools to locate and eliminate, as surface cleaning will not reach the source.
How Luften handles it
Luften addresses the problem at its source inside the drains. We apply a foam treatment that expands to coat the entire interior of the pipe, reaching the biofilm where larvae live. This breaks the breeding cycle where surface sprays fail. Our programs also use bioaugmentation to continuously consume the organic waste that feeds pests, preventing re-infestation.
Drain odor and drain fly treatment program