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All too often, we swat flies away and mistakenly consider them little more than a nuisance, undermining the extent of the damage they can cause to our business.
This is because we often think houseflies are far too common to cause any substantial harm and while not all flies will cause alarm bells to ring, some houseflies can be a considerable threat to businesses, especially those in the food industry. They can have far-reaching effects on staff and customer health, revenue, business reputation and legal compliance.
Below, we outline the 5 main ways flies can impact your business and targeted fly control solutions to shield your business against them.
Compared to other pests, such as rodents and cockroaches, flies are responsible for causing the highest number of staff illnesses. But why is this?
Well, houseflies (along with other species of filth flies) spread various diseases. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates houseflies can transmit at least 65 illnesses. These can have an impact on both customer and staff health, resulting in damage to income, brand reputation and staff retention.
Houseflies are known to carry and spread the following:
The most common transmission is by consuming any food or drink a housefly has: regurgitated, defecated, urinated or landed on. Transmission can also occur from using contaminated cooking utensils, cutlery and eating utensils.
You can also catch a housefly-transmitted disease through direct contact and by touching an infected product then touching your eyes or open wounds such as scratches or sores.
A fly infestation can also tarnish your business’ reputation if your customers share their pest sighting and negative experience with others – and they often do. For example, fly infestations can cause product recalls that mar a business’ reputation.
Indeed, any insect or pest on your premises can defame your name, but flies tend to be more noticeable than other pests and are hard to miss when they’re constantly flying around and landing on customers and their food.
Customers are unlikely to ever return if a fly ruins their experience and so are their friends and family.
45% of businesses that had fly infestations between 2014 and 2019 report a high or moderate concern about loss of income. The reason is multifold and fly infestations can affect revenue in more than one way – exacerbating the impact on your business.
Firstly – as aforementioned – when customers see flies, they and their friends and family are less likely to return to your premises, taking a hit at your profits. Furthermore, flies on your premises could lead to a fine from the government and, in severe cases, your business may have to close.
There’s also the associated worry of compensation claims, with 64% of companies citing this as a concern.
Businesses spend a global average of $9,000 a year dealing with flies and they can cause a significant loss of revenue.
Ultimately, left unchecked, flies can be a costly problem.
Flies’ impact isn’t limited to their negative effect on your revenue alone – the effects can be far more extensive. Flies can also hinder or halt the production process and contaminate stock.
They pose a bacterial contamination risk to food and their strong flight ability allows them to carry and transmit various bacteria, including antimicrobial-resistant and pathogenic bacteria from numerous sources.
They can transfer this bacteria quite easily to humans through food by touch, in their vomit and the excretion from their alimentary gland. It doesn’t take them long to contaminate a food source after landing on it and their physical contact with food, even for a brief time, can be perilous.
Businesses handling food must comply with an increasingly complex web of regulations and standards to ensure food safety. They’re under scrutiny to ensure they uphold the highest standards. However, this isn’t always easy, especially when even a single fly on your premises carries a food safety risk.
Effective fly control isn’t just about good hygiene, but is essential to comply with regulatory standards for commercial and public premises.
According to the Food Hygiene Regulations 2006, it’s a legal requirement for businesses to implement a food hygiene plan based on the HACCP principles. All businesses that manufacture, prepare and store food must enforce appropriate fly killer, screen and doors to protect food.
Therefore, you risk food safety regulation failure and sanctions if fly infestations are unchecked.
You can prevent flies and housefly diseases by taking proactive measures in and around your business. For example, adhering to the necessary food standards – to help eliminate any bacteria spread by flies – and eliminating common breeding sites to help mitigate the risk of flies picking up disease-causing microorganisms. A proper waste management system should also be in place to ensure waste units aren’t overfilled and are regularly emptied.
However, the most efficient way to prevent housefly diseases is with the help of a professional pest control company that offers proactive services and solutions to control and deter houseflies. For example, Rentokil, the experts in pest control, have developed Lumnia – a new, innovative pest control solution that effectively exterminates flies hygienically by eliminating the risk of contamination.
Professional, discreet fly elimination services, keeping your business premises hygienic and fly-free