Flies can ruin reputation, harm health and hit business

People despise houseflies as it is common knowledge that these insects can spread communicable diseases like typhoid, cholera and dysentery, and are thus a menace. Houseflies swoop down upon dumps, sewers and garbage heaps, all home to germs from decomposing organic matter such as faeces, garbage and animal carcasses, and then end up depositing these germs on uncovered food meant for human consumption. That is how diseases spread, and even lead to epidemics. In fact, these insects need only a little carelessness and can breed even in garbage cans, compost heaps and areas where we keep our pets. A housefly is not as innocuous as it looks; in fact, those well aware of what a havoc these little creatures can wreak are justifiably horrified to see such insects flying around in the house, particularly in the dining area or kitchen. What could be more horrifying than finding flies in an eatery? RESTAURANT But that is exactly what this writer recently came across during a trip to Johor, a state at the southern tip of the Peninsula. Driving down south, she decided to stop for a quick bite at a fast food restaurant but to her utter shock and amazement, as soon as she walked into the restaurant, she found flies swarming around the premises. There were flies almost everywhere in the eatery, and a few right on the cash register at the restaurant counter. Some flies were merrily perched atop the paper cups stacked next to the soft drink dispenser. "Why are there so many flies in this restaurant?" a patron was heard asking the young woman manning the cash register at the counter. Though it seemed a very reasonable query, this writer, who was queuing right behind the horrified patron, heard no reply from the woman. What underlined the apathy was the fact that she made no attempt to even chase away the flies perched on the cash register that she was manning. CLEANLINESS In Johor, this writer stopped for some ice-cream at an ice-cream parlour, and predictably saw some flies there. "Flies can be found here as there are a large number of poultry farms nearby," the staff at the parlour located along the North-South Highway in Johor told this writer when asked about the swarm of the deadly disease carriers. However, there was a fly zapper with ultraviolet rays in the parlour, but still there were some flies that could be seen flying around freely or were yet to be killed. What should one do to keep these flies at bay? The most common advice is to keep the premises, whether shops or homes, clean, remove trash regularly and make sure that all garbage bins are well covered. Any restaurant that has flies on its premises runs the risk of losing business as customers may shy away due to concerns that they may end up being infected by the various communicable diseases that such insects spread. A home with flies will embarrass its owner as this reflects the level of hygiene in the house. All the aesthetics and investments on interior decoration can go down the drain if there are flies around. FLY CONTROL Adenan Ariffin of the NADZ Pest Control that has been operating in the Klang Valley since 2005 was asked about pest control practices among Malaysians. The query was about individuals (for pest control at home) and for business operators. "Many Malaysians are concerned about termites attacking their homes and offices and we receive assignments for termite control. Some also express concerns about other pests such as cockroaches and rats. However, only a few asked us to carry out fly-control procedures," Adenan told this writer. Clearly, awareness levels seem lacking when it comes to house flies. He said only those who wanted to organise wedding functions or a feast in the open approach the firm for pest control services that include ridding the area of flies. According to Adenan, pest control exercises for such functions were carried out before and after the occasion. "It should be done at least two days before the function and not later than a week after the event," he recommended. Clearly, a proactive approach is needed. Only a die hard optimist can believe that a housefly buzzing around is looking for a way to get out. We need to get them out, and fast, before they get us.