![\"IPC](\"http:\/\/international-pest-control.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/IPC-Jul_Aug13_Advances-in-flying-insect-control-....T-Rashid_p200_201_page1_image1.jpg\")
<\/a><\/h4>\nFlying insects in food safety<\/h4>\n
It has been an established fact for many years that flying insects are carriers of bacteria and viruses that can introduce disease at all points within the food chain. Indeed, a study by researchers in Denmark estimated that as many as 30,000 flies could enter a poultry house over the course of six week period(ref. 3) – the consequences can be lethal.<\/p>\n
Researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in the United States recently found evidence that houseflies may contribute to the dispersion of drug-resistant bacteria and thus increase the potential for human exposure to drug-resistant bacteria. \u201cFlies are well- known vectors of disease and have been implicated in the spread of various viral and bacterial infections affecting humans, including enteric fever, cholera, salmonellosis, campylobacteriosis and shigellosis,\u201d said lead author Jay Graham, PhD, who conducted the study as a research fellow with Bloomberg School\u2019s Center for a Liveable Future. \u201cOur study found similarities in the antibiotic-resistant bacteria in both the flies and poultry litter we sampled”(ref. 4). The implications of such studies has a wider social impact than the impact a single product recall has on a brand or manufacturer, and indicates how far reach- ing the impact of poor sanitation and flying insect control practices can impact.<\/p>\n
Research on the implications of flies within the food chain continues and this increasing knowledge helps to improve working practices in the pest control and food industry.<\/p>\n
Food safety management and flying insect control<\/h4>\n
Hazard Analysis Critical Control\u00a0 Point or HACCP is the systematic preventive approach to food safety that address\u2019s the physical, chemical, and biological hazards as a means of prevention rather than finished product inspection. Originally developed in the 1960s for NASA to take food into space safely, HACCP is now widely used in the food industry to identify potential food safety hazards, so that key actions can be taken to reduce or eliminate the risk of the hazards being realised. Effective hazard identification is seen as so vital as it leads to appropriate control measures later on in the HACCP process.<\/p>\n
Within the HACCP process, an effective flying insect control strategy is essential; with one of the key tools used in this being an insect light trap. The insect light trap can be used to undertake effective hazard identification, provide on-going monitoring of critical control points and verify the success of corrective actions \u2013 three of the key areas within the HACCP program.<\/p>\n
Grant Chaplain, Chief Marketing Director of market leading manufacturer Brandenburg, comments: \u201cthe traditional thinking of an insect light trap only being used to catch flies misses the key point. Flies are there for a reason and, by analys- ing the contents of the glue board, species type can be determined as well as volume. From this information, it will be possible to identify the source of the infestation and take remedial action to reduce the likeli- hood of recurrence.\u201d<\/p>\n
Effective flying insect control and corrective action \u2013 performance efficacy is critical<\/h4>\n
Researchers\u00a0 have\u00a0 discovered\u00a0 that\u00a0 fly behaviour is both complex and unpredictable and is influenced by a variety of factors including temperature, humidity, ambient light levels, time of day, level of ultra-violet light, the sex and age of the fly. So, in order to obtain a meaningful assessment of the performance of a given fly trap design, it is necessary to carry out testing under tightly controlled conditions which may be replicated in other laboratories. At Brandenburg, the research and development protocol demands that multiple independent tests are conducted around the world, using both laboratory and wild strains of a given fly species. Due to the large variations in fly responses to a given set of stimuli, it is also essential to repeat the trials several times to make a valid statistical analysis of the results possible.<\/p>\n
Following the release of the Genus\u00ae range of insect light traps in 2011 and its subsequent expansion with a raft of new models, Brandenburg undertook a series of product tests to analyse the performance of their ILTs to benchmark efficacy in relation to competitors in terms of rate of catch.<\/p>\n
Results proved extremely positive, with an average catch rate of 86% of house flies across the Brandenburg units tested compared to 67% for similarly powered competitor units after 180 minutes. Three products within the range \u2013 Genus\u00ae\u00a0\u00a0 Fli, Orbit, and Optica demonstrated outstanding efficacy in the initial stages of the tests, catching 30% of flies after 30 minutes, compared to 14% for the competitor units.<\/p>\n
Fast catch rate essential for increasing hygiene and minimizing risk<\/h4>\n
Having established the importance of a fly trap as an important tool within food safety, the next challenge is to ensure the correct specification of model and placement within the facility is chosen. The presence of a fly trap in an enclosed space would\u00a0 eliminate all flies eventually, however industry expert Dr. Stephen Howe, comments that \u201cin sensitive environments such as the food industry, the effectiveness of a trap should be demonstrated by the rate at which flies are eliminated, not that they are simply eliminated eventually.\u201d<\/p>\n