Myles Standish officials say they are taking steps to combat a growing swarm of fruit flies in the dormitory’s dining hall, bringing in an outside firm to “take care of it.”
“As soon as I noticed them, I contacted our Dining Services Director of Safety and Sanitation and asked her to come to Myles to do an initial investigation,” Myles Food Service Director Joseph Cacciatore said in an email. “She inspected the unit and called a company that we work with.”
Cacciatore said he had received no complaints from diners, but students said they were bothered by the pests.
“There are more flies than you would want in the cafeteria,” College of Arts and Sciences junior Danielle Ligenza said. “They fly around the tables a lot and on the walls.”
Cacciatore and biology professor James Traniello said the flies have nothing to do with Myles’ assortment of “locally grown” produce, though diners said they have spotted the flies more frequently around fruits and vegetables.
Traniello said since adult female flies only lay their eggs in fruit about to decompose, fruit flies do not pose a serious threat to the near-ripe produce served in dining halls.
“Fruit flies are not on fruit in the fields,” he said. “In our environment, when they recognize cues to mate [which is the decomposing produce], they’re on top of it — literally.”
Cacciatore said the flies are harmless, and Myles is still a sanitary place to eat.
“We would not serve food if we felt that the environment we were cooking and serving it in was unsafe,” he said. “We work very closely with our safety and sanitation director to ensure the safety and well-being of both the BU community as well as our own staff when it comes to cooking and consuming foods in our dining locations.”
Although BU’s dining halls offer fresh produce, Myles is the only one with fruit flies, according to Dining Services officials. BU students who frequent the dining halls have made similar claims.
“I eat at Warren, and I haven’t noticed any flies there,” College of Communication sophomore Natalie Orphanos said.
Cacciatore said Dining Services will continue working to solve the fruit fly issue.
“We will continue to use preventative maintenance and spot checks to ensure that we are doing all we can to avoid having fruit flies,” he said. “We will also continue to thoroughly wash all of our fruits and vegetables as well as keep a clean and sanitary unit.”
Though the flies have pestered some diners, many Myles regulars said they still preferred dining there over other dining halls on campus.
“I like Myles more than Warren or Towers because it’s quieter [and] I know the staff — they’re super-friendly,” COM sophomore Cristina Cruz said.