Priority Service – Flies

Review paperwork, both on your phone and on your service route log at the beginning of your day
and before you travel to the bid location. Pay attention to COW notifications, client concerns, or any other special remarks.

1. Park with the flow of traffic on the street. Do not block driveways when possible.
2. Review the Order Instructions and Location Instructions. Review your route log for hand-written notes.
3. Check the history of the account to see when the last time it was serviced.
4. Confirm the street address to make sure you are at the correct building(s).
5. Time into this account via mobile or on the paperwork.
6. Bring your inspection gear to the door. Do not cross over grass or landscape on your way if avoidable.
7. Ring the doorbell or knock; step back to give personal space.
8. Greet them, introduce yourself, and identify that you are with Good Earth Pest Company.
9. Ask them about what they have been seeing and if you can enter to inspect. Also, collect any samples they may have.
10. Inspect interior/exterior activity and confirm an ID if possible. Proper identification is vital to fly control.
11. If you cannot properly ID the fly in question on the spot, collect multiple samples and bring them back to the office. There, you will be able to utilize the microscope and reference books to identify the sample. If you are having trouble, consult the help of a senior tech or from your Service Manager.
12. Once you have a proper ID, you can move forward with control measures to alleviate the problem.
13. Below are some common fly species and the corresponding control measures:
    1. Blow/Bottle flies – These flies lay their eggs in decaying meat or dead animal carcasses, sometimes garbage or excrement. Inspect for breeding sites where larval development can occur. Removal and elimination of these sites and drying of the environment is typically the only control measures needed. Chemical application is rarely appropriate. Depending on the situation, these may involve a high level of participation from the client.
    2. Cluster flies – Cluster flies do not breed indoors typically because they are a parasitic fly of the common earthworm. Typically, they enter buildings to overwinter much like Box Elder Bugs and other occasional invaders. See PS.212 for service protocols.
    3. Fruit/Vinegar flies – These flies lay their eggs on the surface of fermenting fruits and vegetables or in decaying organic matter. They reproduce very quickly, with the whole life cycle only taking 8-10 days. The key to control is breeding site elimination. Common sites include old fruits and vegetables, garbage, recycling, and compost. Once the site is removed, the remaining adults can easily be trapped using a mixture of apple cider vinegar with a couple drops of dish soap in a bowl or dish. You can advise the client on putting such traps out, make sure the vinegar is changed every other day or so.
    4. Fungus gnats – These gnats are often found in soil and decaying plant litter that are able to support the fungi they feed on. Remove or replace the soil and adjust the watering to inhibit future fungal growth.
    5. House flies – House flies lay their eggs on decaying organic matter, but rarely do they reproduce inside. Elimination of the breeding site is recommended if possible. If the flies are entering from the exterior, you can perform a service. See PS.212 for service protocols.
    6. Moth/Drain flies – These flies breed in semiaquatic sludge-based habitats commonly found in drains or waste pipes. Sanitation and routine cleaning of the drains is necessary for control. In some situations where repeated infestations are an issue, we can perform drain treatments using various microbial/enzyme-based products for an additional cost. For commercial facilities that mop the floors regularly, we can sell them an additive for their mop water as well.
    7. Phorid flies – Phorid flies breed in organic material with standing water. Removal of the soil/breeding site is necessary for control. The presence of these flies can be an indication of a clogged drain, or broken sewer pipe if they are emerging from under a floor or concrete slab.

PT Alpine Pressurized Fly Bait can be applied to help control the populations of House Flies, Filth Flies, Flesh Flies, and Fruit/Vinegar Flies in some situations. This tool can help reduce the adult populations, but the breeding site must also be removed for complete control. Read the entire label before making an application.

14. Reconvene with the client and report all your findings, including the measures you took to address them. Also, make sure to set expectations for the improvement in the activity that they can anticipate. If the client is not home and you need to communicate with them, please call or send them a text. Make sure to leave a door hanger so the client can confirm that you were onsite.
15. Enter all required information on the material applied into PestPac Mobile. Also, enter notes on the service provided today as well as any client concerns, observations you made, or necessary environmental changes (see PS.102 Entering material information and notes into PestPac Mobile). Be sure to update the location instructions with any pertinent information that other techs should know. Remember: Clients have access to your notes so they should always be professional and appropriate.
16. If it was a particularly pleasant interaction be sure to send a review invite via the Podium app (see PS.150 Sending a review invite using Podium Mobile).
17. Check off the account on your service route log.