Restaurant Fly Control Checklist: Drains, Doors, Bins & Light Traps

Fly control in a restaurant is never about a single device. Flies breed in drains, ride in on deliveries, slip through doors and feast on waste — so effective control means closing every gap at once. Use this checklist to audit your premises and keep flies out of the dining room and the kitchen.

Drains: The Hidden Breeding Ground

Drains are the number-one source of small flies in food premises. Organic film inside the drain is a perfect nursery, and no trap fixes that on its own.

• Clean and brush floor drains regularly to remove the organic film that flies breed in

• Use enzyme or bio drain treatments rather than just rinsing with water

• Check grease traps and gully covers for build-up

• Fix slow or standing-water drains that flies love

Check out IMEC products for hygiene cleaning solutions for best results.

Doors and Openings

Every open door is an invitation. The aim is to keep the building sealed and intercept anything that gets in.

• Fit self-closing doors and keep back doors shut between deliveries

• Add strip curtains or air curtains to high-traffic entrances

• Seal gaps around doors, windows and service hatches

• Install an insect light trap a few metres inside each main entrance

Bins and Waste

Waste is a magnet. Tight control here removes the food source that draws flies in the first place.

• Use bins with tight-fitting lids and empty them frequently

• Keep the external bin area clean and away from doors where possible

• Rinse recyclables before storage

• Position a dedicated fly trap near indoor bin and wash areas

Light Traps: Your Active Defence

Once the breeding sites and food sources are controlled, insect light traps catch what remains. Place glueboard units in food-safe positions and size them to each room:

• IK-TAC700 for mid-sized kitchens (around 40 m2)

• IK-TAC750 for larger areas (up to roughly 100 m2)

• IK-ZAPPER40W for loading bay area

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Keep traps running continuously and stock Maintenance Packs so glueboards and UV tubes are replaced on schedule — monthly glueboard changes are a good default for most restaurants.

Your Quick Daily and Monthly Checklist

• Daily: doors kept closed, bins lidded and emptied, spills cleaned

• Weekly: drains brushed and treated, bin area cleaned

• Monthly: glueboards replaced, catch counts logged

• Annually: UV tubes replaced before the high-fly season

Run through this list before any hygiene audit and you will rarely be caught out.

Why a Single Tool Is Never Enough

No one device solves fly control on its own. A light trap catches adult flies, but if drains are breeding new ones daily and bins are feeding them, you are always playing catch-up. The checklist works precisely because it tackles every part of the cycle at once: breeding sites, food sources, entry routes and the active catch. Skip one and the others have to work twice as hard.

This layered approach is also what auditors look for. Seeing drains treated, doors sealed, bins managed and traps logged tells them you understand the whole problem, not just the symptom buzzing around the room.

Train the Team, Not Just the Equipment

The best fly-control system fails if the back door is propped open every afternoon. Brief your staff on the simple habits that keep flies out, such as doors closed, bins lidded and spills cleared, and make them part of opening and closing routines. A short daily check takes a minute and prevents most problems before they start.

Make someone responsible for the maintenance log and catch counts so nothing slips through the cracks. When everyone knows their part, fly control becomes a quiet background routine rather than a recurring headache.

Talk to IKAWA Group

Want a fly-control plan built around your restaurant layout? We will recommend traps, placements and a maintenance routine.

WhatsApp us at +60 12-783 6038 (https://wa.link/72tyem) or visit ikawagroup.com. Enjoy free nationwide shipping on orders over RM500.