The Most Common Bugs in Restaurants and How to Prevent Them!

The Most Common Bugs in Restaurants and How to Prevent Them! Bugs in restaurants…even the thought of having to deal with creepy crawlers around your food can make the most determined foodie run for the hills. The fact is, even the most pristine commercial kitchen can suffer the occasional invader, much to an owner’s dismay. Below you’ll find some of the most common bugs in restaurants and some tips on how to avoid having them take up residence.

COCKROACHES

Most of you probably already saw this one coming! Cockroaches seem to be the one insect that’s absolutely bomb proof and can survive even the most lethal environments. These creatures love to be around humans for the food and water that they can supply, along with all of the comforts of home. Prevention means a lot of diligent, but it’s certainly something that can be achieved. Keep the kitchen as spotless as possible, remove clutter before it creates a great hiding place, and check the building for holes or broken seals where cockroaches might find an easy entrance. Having regular inspections done by pest control can solve a problem before it starts.

ANTS

These little critters are so tiny that they can be very easy to miss until they’ve arrived and settled in large numbers. Not as feared as cockroaches, but still with their own set of issues, ants are highly attracted to sugary and greasy substances. Keeping surfaces wiped down and watching for spills is very important to keep ants at bay, along with cleaning the often forgotten underside of surfaces and appliances. Remove trash regularly.

FRUIT FLIES

Most homeowners have in all likelihood experienced an unfortunate bout with fruit flies, and restaurants are as big a draw as your own fruit bowl. If you notice a fruit fly in your commercial kitchen, chances are that with some hunting, you’ll find a very large family of them has moved in. Obvious places to check are the veggie or fruit storage, but take a peek at your garbage and even behind your appliances. There are traps you can set out, but these might not be the most convenient type of extermination in a bustling kitchen area, so pest control is probably your best bet.

PANTRY PESTS

This is a broad term used for a variety of pests including weevils, beetles, and meal moths. They are found in dried goods like flour and beans, and can be hard to locate since at times they get into the dried goods before they leave the factory. They also happily thrive on dried goods that spill behind or between appliances, and in tiny cracks in food storage areas. Good ways to prevent pantry pests are to inspect all dried goods for signs of these pests and to store your dried goods in insect-proof containers.

DRAIN FLIES

Drain flies can include a number of different fly species; each one of which will live and breed in a drain where they thrive on decomposing food. Drain flies are best dealt with by a pest control professional, since it is hard to determine which drain the flies may be originating from.