[Annual Fly Control Issue] Inspiration Point

Small flies in commercial establishments present pest management professionals (PMPs) with a daunting task. In my experience, there are two reasons small flies in commercial accounts are so challenging. First, small fly infestations require intensive inspection to identify ALL possible harborage sites. Usually the PMP has the skills to identify these sites, but lacks the appropriate time to conduct such a thorough inspection. Second, the need for customer cooperation for the elimination of small flies is arguably greater than the cooperation needed for the elimination of any other pest. Some PMPs lack the necessary soft skills to persuade their customers to take on such an arduous and dirty task. In other cases, some PMPs dismiss small fly infestations as a problem that is not within their direct control and defer all responsibility to the customer. By focusing on several key communication skills the PMP can actually inspire the customer to commit to some dirty work which, in turn, can create a sustainable solution for small flies and a constant revenue stream for the PMP.

 
Find the right person. Sometimes communication breaks down because we are not talking with the appropriate person. In these instances, the simple solution comes down to getting your message across to the decision-maker or to the individual that has a vested interest in pest control. The cook that you meet at 5:00 a.m. may have the best of intentions, but deep cleaning may not be a top priority. Additionally, relying on them to relay the message to the decision-maker is risky. The message you intend may not be the same as the one being delivered.

You may need to arrange a time to personally show the restaurant owner what has been done followed by the appropriate recommendations. Otherwise, his perception is that they have a major fly infestation and you are not doing anything. Our goal is to find the person who can “get things done.”

Show emphaty. Keep in mind that these commercial accounts are a customer’s livelihood, and small fly infestations cannot be dismissed. The health implications of small flies are often underestimated, not only by the public, but many times by PMPs and public health professionals alike. Restaurant patrons may demand a refund if they encounter a fruit fly hovering around their $80 bottle of wine. The fact of the matter is these flies breed in organic matter that may be harboring harmful organisms that may cause food-borne illness. These flies then become mechanical vectors that can carry these organisms to food handling surfaces and our food. Additionally, the presence of small flies can lead to steep fines and restaurant closures. Express your empathy for the situation and demonstrate a sense of urgency that you will bring this problem to a satisfactory and speedy conclusion. In this way, you diffuse the customer’s ill feelings and increase their chances of working with you.

Demonstrate appreciation. If you read “How to Win Friends and Influence People,” by Dale Carnegie, you will find people have an unquenchable thirst to be appreciated. Just as important, people abhor being criticized or condemned. So goes the saying “…if you are going to shave someone, lather them up first.” Customers are going to be more likely to follow your instructions if you compliment them. With small flies, you possibly will be making some lofty recommendations such as repairing grout or removing rancid organic matter from under the tray line. Find something to compliment the customer on (no matter how small). Whether you see less standing water or note that the mops are hung up correctly, make sure their efforts have been noticed. These “pats on the back” go a long way.

Ease off the pesticides. Pesticides will kill exposed adults. However, consider this: When we apply pesticides, we are creating the perception in the customer’s mind that the pesticide application is the solution. Whether you apply a 1/16th of an ounce of pyrethrin, or a 25(b) product or a gallon of a residual product, you run the risk of sabotaging your control efforts. Additionally, you are more susceptible to be called out on multiple occasions to “spray for the fruit flies.”

The flies will continue to harbor and multiply as long as food and breeding sources remain intact. Beneficial bacteria cultures multiply and digest light layers of many types of organic substrates the flies breed in. As long as heavy organic matter is physically removed, and caustic cleaners are not being used (which kill off the beneficial bacteria), microbial cleaners are a beneficial alternative to traditional pesticides.

Showtime. The job is not over once you have conducted an intensive inspection and applied a microbial product.

Show Them What You Did. You must physically show the customer what has been done. All too often, the pest management professional conducts an excellent inspection and report, but fails to physically show the customer the inspection that has been conducted. In turn, the customer fails to see the value in the service that was performed. If you are showing the customer that you are willing to get down on your hands and knees and remove some of the organic matter, you are demonstrating that you are not asking them to do something that you would not do yourself. It also benefits you to show the areas that were treated with microbial cleaners. Seeing the microbes in action on the organic matter demonstrates that the product is indeed working.

Show Them What to Do. Most people are visual learners, so it is critical that you show the customer the conducive areas and the necessary recommendations. If you do not show the customer they may not be completely aware of what is being asked of them. Keep the recommendations to no more than three. In some cases there will be a litany of conducive areas, but listing all of them is often too overwhelming to the customer. Additionally, the three recommendations should be based on how critical the condition, and how likely it is to be addressed. For example, mentioning “the drains” is usually a default diagnosis and is usually not a critical harborage site. However, the wet organic matter behind a table leg that contains maggots and pupal casings is a critical condition. Showing maggots usually gets things done. Furthermore, if you do not find the larvae or pupae, you have not truly found the source of infestation. In regards to the likelihood of areas being addressed, start off with sanitation needs before focusing on structural corrections such as grout repair. When the customer follows the recommendations of using less water to clean (which is easier to do) and they start to see the fruits of their labor, they will be more likely to address some of the more difficult repair work later on. Create “small victories” first.

Tell Them Why They Need to Do It. Finally, reiterate the reason why customer cooperation for small flies is imperative (as opposed to other structural pests). The reproductive potential is grossly underestimated. If one female can lay up to 500 eggs, the life cycle from adult to adult is 10 days, and newly emerged adults mate in 2 days, that renders 125,000 adult fruit flies in 3 weeks (in ideal conditions with unlimited resources). Consider this fact: a 99% reduction in this population still renders 1,250 adults! This is why it is paramount to eliminate any and every source the flies can possibly breed. If there is little to no commitment to this tenet, the infestation will never truly be eliminated.

Services/Equipment. The following services and/or equipment additions also might be necessary.

Master Cleaning. It is helpful to incorporate microbial products into your customer’s cleaning program. It is also helpful to observe how the customer is cleaning and correct it, if necessary. Power washing creates a vast magnitude of stagnant water, creates harborage out of dry particles that were originally not conducive, erodes grout and wallboards over time, and pushes particles into deep recesses. In other instances, the customer uses traditional mopping techniques, but they still use too much water in the process and do not properly ring out the mop. The bottom line is: use less water, use more microbial cleaner.

Fans. Although fans may not completely eliminate an infestation, they effectively accomplish three parts of the program. They create enough circulation that keeps adult flies away from customer-sensitive areas, from potential breeding sites, and they help dry out harborage sites.

Follow up. Solving small fly infestations involves frequent oversight. It is not unheard of to follow up with the customer on a weekly basis until the problem is solved. Considering, the goal is to eliminate all breeding sites and evaluate the cleaning methods, several visits are usually necessary to ensure customers are on the right track and to determine if any changes are necessary to the program.

The End Game. Solving small fly infestations in commercial facilities is difficult, but with practice it can become an effective service. Make sure that you are allocating the appropriate time to conduct an effective inspection and charge accordingly. Continue to a have a frank and honest conversation with the decision-maker. Compliment, but at the same time don’t “pull any punches” on what needs to be done. Be demonstrative. Show them what you did and show them what to do. Use lots of bacterial cleaners and fans, and evaluate the customer’s cleaning program. Lastly, follow up often. If you incorporate these communication practices into your routine services I believe you will have more success in conducting an effective small fly program. A sustainable program consists of communication, deep cleaning and patience.

The author, a board certified entomologist (B.C.E.), is training director at Anderson Pest Solutions, Elmhurst, Ill., and can be contacted at tdobrinska@giemedia.com.