SAN DIEGO (KGTV) - Some restaurant owners located near the Del Mar Racetrack say the flies are worse than ever.
Pam Schwartz is the co-founder of Ranch 45 on Via De La Valle, directly across from the stables.
The racing season ended Labor Day, and since then she says the flies have been terrible.
"They invade the restaurant space, they invade outdoors, they land on the food, this year we had problems with flies biting customers," said Schwartz.
She thinks the recent heat exacerbated the problem.
"We've closed early. We've lost business, even at night generally, the flies start to go away at sunset, and this year they hung around so even our dinner business was affected when in years past it hasn't been," said Schwartz.
She says since opening the business four years ago she's spent thousands of dollars on products trying to find a solution.
"The fly fans that I found on Amazon are the best but it's more of a deterrent that it least it shows our guests that we're trying and that we're aware of the problem, but that's the best we can do," said Schwartz.
She'd like to know what's done at the track when the racing season ends to help prevent this from happening every year.
"To try to do a better job cleaning up, let us know that they're doing, something so at least we can communicate that with our customers," said Schwartz.
10News contacted a spokeswoman with the Del Mar Race Track Tuesday morning who was working to provide information about their fly mitigation plan. She issued the following statement:
The Del Mar Thoroughbred Club (DMTC) has an extensive fly mitigation plan that is implemented each year, which includes comprehensive treatment and prevention -- as well as disposal of waste straw, shavings and manure -- before, during and after the racing season. In the summer of 2022, a higher level of humidity was noted, due to warmer Southern California weather, which likely increased the population of flies, however, many measures were diligently put in place by DMTC to address the issue, including the following:
- Setting out ARBICO Organics Solar Fly Traps with bait before horses arrive for the season
- Treating each straw and shavings pile with Fly Eliminators from ARBICO weekly, once horses arrive to the facility, in order to target developing (pupal) stages of manure-breeding flies
- Hanging fly bags from shed row overhangs after the last day of racing, which stay in place for weeks after the last meet
- Utilizing Crosscheck to spray down all surfaces, stalls, stall walls, living quarters, shavings piles, balconies, stairways and more after the last day of racing
- Treating every stall with gypsum powder to reduce moisture in the soil that flies feed on
Local pest control companies say the flies have been especially bad all over the north county.
Tony Gallardo is the owner of San Diego's Mosquito Joe. He says cleaning up after pets and securing trash can help reduce the flies, especially in homes with turf instead of grass.
"The pet’s urine soaks down into underneath the turf and then the heat really brings out that smell," said Gallardo.
The fall racing season begins November 11th, but Schwartz is hoping the cooler weather will keep the flies at bay.
