Fumigation efforts to control the fruit fly population in the Usdan University Center will continue this month. The measures, intended to ensure health and sanitation within Usdan, shut down Late Night dining on Tuesday, Sept. 30, and will take place again on Tuesday, Oct. 21.

Administrators informed members of the Wesleyan Student Assembly (WSA) of the presence of fruit flies in Usdan at a meeting days before the first fumigation. According to two WSA members, administrators told the WSA to keep the fumigation plans confidential in order to prevent knowledge of it from spreading around campus. However, Bon Appétit Resident District Manager Michael Strumpf challenged the allegations that Usdan experienced a full-on fruit fly infestation.

“While we do have fruit flies, the rumors of an ’infestation’ are incorrect,” Strumpf wrote in an e-mail to The Argus. “We are simply controlling, with the assistance of the Middletown Department of Health, what all food service providers must deal with when fresh produce is delivered to location from outside vendors.”

Notices posted throughout Usdan and on the student-run blog Wesleying in the days prior to the Sept. 30 fumigation indicated that the building would be closing at 9 p.m., instead of its usual 2 a.m. closure time, due to “required maintenance.” There was no indication of what the maintenance would be for or what it would involve.

Fruit flies are attracted to ripened or fermenting fruits and vegetables and will also breed in drains, garbage disposals and cans, empty bottles, mops and cleaning rags, according to information available on the University of Kentucky’s Entomology Department website. Infestations can occur after flies are brought in with previously contaminated food products or fly in through inadequately screened windows and doors. While flies are primarily considered pests, they can potentially contaminate food with bacteria or other disease-producing organisms that they carry.

According to Strumpf, however, the fumigations are not so much a response to the flies as they are a precautionary measure. He says the fruit fly situation should soon be under control.

“We are working side by side with Middletown Department of Health and they are in approval of our maintenance plan for cleaning and spraying of the facility and food safety,” he wrote.

The closure of Usdan, Strumpf added, was necessary for effective fumigation, as its mechanical systems may interfere with the process. It is also unsafe for people to remain in the building while fumigation is occurring. Once completed, the fumigation does not pose a health hazard to people or food.

Many students were unaware of why Usdan closed for Late Night dining back in September, or of the fruit flies in general. Some who heard, however, were alarmed.

“It’s disgusting and concerning, especially considering it is a newly-built structure,” said David Goldman ’12. “I wouldn’t expect it in something supposedly so well-kept.”

In addition to the fruit flies, other maintenance issues have recently occurred in Usdan.

“Prior to air flow adjustment in Usdan’s basement kitchen, the Health Department determined that there was mildew…growing on tiles that were very damp due to humid conditions,” Strumpf wrote.

The conditions leading to this mildew have since been corrected. However, some staff workers have expressed concerns about the health hazards the presence of mildew poses.

“We take the concerns of our staff very seriously and have hired an independent consultant to come in to do air quality testing, to which we expect a good report,” Strumpf wrote.

Strumpf emphasized that the health and safety of the students and Usdan staff remains the most important consideration. He added that both the Sept. 30 fumigation and the follow-up fumigation scheduled for Oct. 21 comprise the first two steps of a professional extermination plan.