Mallis Expert Insights: Q&A with Dr. Hanif Gulmahamad

Dr. Hanif Gulmahamad

Editor’s note: Welcome to Mallis Expert Insights. Each month, we will ask a Mallis Handbook contributor five pest control questions relating to his or her area of expertise. Connect with the experts by submitting questions and find their insights in upcoming issues. For third edition of the Mallis Expert Insights, PCT interviews entomologist Dr. Hanif Gulmahamad, author of the Flies, Gnats and Midges chapter in the 10th edition of the Mallis Handbook of Pest Control.

Q:  Why has revenue for small flies grown so rapidly in recent years?
A: The health craze in the U.S. is in full swing. Eating right is almost a cliché these days. More food establishments are offering fresh fruits and salads to their customers than ever before. Workers in these food facilities do not do a good job of disposing of fruit remnants, peelings, etc. largely because they have no experience dealing with this new category of foods. Drosophila flies in particular are really adept at entering these places and establishing themselves in fruit and vegetable debris.

In commercial establishments small flies often end up in food, beverages, and alcoholic drinks, a highly detestable situation. When indoors, small flies tend to hover and dart about people and food more persistently than their larger cousins generating more complaints. Small flies flying about salad bars and beer establishments are often perceived as a sign of unsanitary conditions so customers are going to complain about presence. Places where food are served, processed, prepared, handled, displayed for sale, etc. are sensitive environments and tolerance for flies in such situations is about zero.

Q: Why are small flies such a big problem for PMPs?
A: This is an old issue that is still plaguing the industry to this day.
The problem is not correctly identifying the fly causing the problem. If you misidentify the fly, you are going to be able to locate the source of the problem. If the diagnosis is wrong, the prescription will be incorrect. You need to identify the small fly correctly if you are going to try to locate the breeding source of the problem. If you do not find and eliminate the source, the problem will persist. You can damage your credibility and lose a customer by not identifying the fly correctly. This can result is not taking the right course of action to abate the nuisance.

Q: Have PMP recommendations for fly control evolved over time?
A: All recommendations for fly management must evolve in accordance with the advancement of science and availability of new information. You are a dinosaur if your recommendations today are the same as they were 10 years ago.

The success of all your prescriptions will be predicated on you correctly identifying the fly causing the problem. If the identification is incorrect, nothing else matters.  

There have been some major advances in the knowledge of the biology, behavior, breeding sites, attractiveness of sites, indoor light traps, baits and bait formulations and judicious use of them, and foraging ecology of flies. All these things have to be taken into consideration when attempting to prescribe treatments for flies. The more you know about flies, the better you will be at managing them.  Become familiar with and consult the Mallis Handbook of Pest Control. It will help you demonstrate professionalism, increase customer retention, and enhance revenues and profits.

Q: How important is it to use a multi-faceted approach to fly control?
A: In today’s world a diversified approach is called Integrated Pest Management (IPM). First, identify the fly correctly. Sounds like a broken record but as a consultant I have dealt with many fly problems over the years where this was the major issue. Do a thorough and complete inspection. Seek out the fly breeding source(s). Remove breeding habitats, correct sanitation issues and conducive conditions first. Evaluate trash handling and storage procedures for fly mitigation, effectiveness and efficiency. Try to abate the problem by using non-chemical tactics. Long term solution has to be based on strategies that are non-chemical. As a last resort, you can employ a low impact, low profile, reduced risk chemical intervention technique(s). Can baits be used effectively? A fly management strategy based on applying chemicals only will fail. Diversify your management strategies and practice habitat modification and environmental sanitation. Do not rely on any one tactic to solve the problem. 

Q: Are there new research findings that PMP’s can use in their fly management programs?
A: The answer to that question is absolutely yes. For example, there have been tremendous innovations in the design, tube wattage, deployment, and proper installation and use of insect light traps for fly management. PMP’s must stay current on these developments in order to stay professional in this area. Fly baits, bait matrices, bait toxicants, bait attractancy, etc. have all improved. Some of these baits are more effective, easier to use, and pose reduced risk to non-target organisms. Many fly baits are species specific so read and follow all label and safety data sheet directions carefully before buying or using fly baits. Flies, and in particular the house fly, are notorious for quickly developing resistance to pesticides. If you are planning to use chemicals in a fly management program, make sure you research what chemistries are still effective against a target pest fly in your particular area.

Q: What updates did you make to the Flies, Gnats & Midges chapter of the tenth edition of the Mallis Handbook of Pest Control?
A: If you have a copy of the ninth edition of the Mallis Handbook, I invite you to go back and look at chapter 14 on Flies in that edition. You will quickly notice that the entire chapter was rewritten in the 10 edition. It was a complete, thorough, and total update of the entire chapter. I am a firm believer in what you write is a direct reflection on who you are and your commitment to professionalism. If a task is worth doing it is worth doing well. I put 200 hours of time in rewriting the 77 pages of chapter 14 in the tenth edition of Mallis Handbook. That herculean effort was dedicated to bringing that chapter up to current science.

If people in the past might have told you that it is not worth procuring the new edition of the Mallis Handbook because it is the same as the old one, they were wrong. Don’t take my word for it. Go back and read chapter 14 on Flies in the ninth edition and compare it to chapter 14 on Flies in the tenth edition. You will be pleasantly surprised.

In order to stay professional, you must stay current, and you can’t stay current in the pest management industry without a copy of the tenth edition of Mallis Handbook. Remember: No one, not even the smartest among us, can remember everything. You need a good reference book to consult quickly from time to time. A word to the wise: Keep a current copy of the Mallis Handbook handy for reference purposes.

For more information about the Mallis Handbook, 10th edition, visit http://www.pctonline.com/Mallis_Handbook_10th_edition.aspx.