Fly Screens, Air Curtains and Door Strips for Pest Exclusion

Fly screens, air curtains and door strips are physical barriers that stop flying and crawling pests entering your food premises through doors, windows and openings. Under Standard 3.2.3, premises must be designed and maintained to exclude pests, and these barriers are a practical first line of defence. Fit them to every opening used during trade, keep them intact, and check them as part of your routine cleaning and maintenance. Key takeaways: Physical barriers exclude pests before they get in, complementing baiting, monitoring and cleaning rather than replacing them.. Standard 3.2.3 requires food premises to be designed, constructed and maintained to prevent pests entering and harbouring.. Match the barrier to the opening: fly screens on windows and vents, air curtains and strip curtains on doors used during trade.. A barrier only works when it is intact and correctly fitted — torn mesh, gaps and mis-aimed air curtains let pests straight through.. Inspect and maintain barriers on a schedule and record the checks so you can show an auditor your exclusion measures actually work.. Why physical barriers are your first line of defence Good pest management works in layers. Baiting, monitoring devices, cleaning and waste control all matter, but they mostly deal with pests that are already inside or nearby. Physical barriers do something different and more valuable: they stop flies, cockroaches, rodents and other pests getting in through the doors, windows, vents and gaps that every kitchen relies on for airflow and access. The Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code makes this an expectation, not an optional extra. Standard 3.2.3 requires food premises to be designed, constructed and maintained so that pests cannot enter, harbour or breed. Fly screens, air curtains and door strips are among the simplest, most cost-effective ways to meet that duty at the openings pests use most. Exclusion is also the cheapest control you have. Keeping a pest out costs far less than dealing with contamination, a failed inspection or a product recall once one gets in. Treat barriers as core infrastructure and the rest of your pest programme has far less work to do. Barriers block entry; baits and monitors only catch what is already close.. Standard 3.2.3 expects premises to be built and kept to keep pests out.. Prevention is cheaper than reacting to contamination or a recall.. Fly screens for windows, vents and doors Fly screens are fine mesh panels that let air through while keeping insects out. They belong on any window or vent that is opened for ventilation, and on doors that are propped open during trade. In a food business the mesh should be close-woven enough to stop small flies, tightly framed with no gaps around the edges, and easy to remove for cleaning. Mesh only works if it is whole. A single tear, a corner lifting away from the frame, or a screen left leaning against a wall instead of fitted is an open invitation. Choose durable framed screens over loose netting in high-use areas, and fit self-closing screen doors where staff carry stock in and out. Build screens into your cleaning routine. Grease, dust and cobwebs clog the mesh, reduce airflow and attract more insects, so wipe them down regularly and inspect for damage at the same time. Damaged screens should be repaired or replaced promptly, not left until the next scheduled service. Fit close-woven, well-framed screens to opened windows, vents and doors.. Repair tears, gaps and lifting edges straight away — one hole defeats the screen.. Clean mesh regularly so grease and dust do not clog it or attract insects.. Air curtains: how they work and where they help An air curtain is a fan unit mounted above a doorway that blows a controlled sheet of air downward across the opening. That moving air stream forms an invisible barrier that discourages flying insects from crossing while still letting people, trolleys and deliveries pass freely. They suit busy doorways where a physical screen would get in the way — back-of-house delivery doors, high-traffic entries and pass-throughs. Air curtains only perform when they are correctly specified and installed. The unit must span the full width of the opening, be mounted at the right height, and deliver enough air velocity to reach the floor. A curtain that is too small, mounted too high, or aimed at the wrong angle leaves gaps that insects simply fly through, so follow the manufacturer's sizing and installation guidance. They also have to be switched on and pointing the right way to do anything. Set them to run whenever the door is open, keep the intake and grilles clean, and check the airflow direction periodically. An air curtain is a supplement to good door discipline, not a licence to leave doors open all day. Air curtains create a moving-air barrier that lets people through but deters flying insects.. Size, height and airflow must match the opening or insects pass through the gaps.. They only work when switched on, clean and correctly aimed — not as an excuse to leave doors open.. Strip curtains and door seals for crawling pests Strip curtains are overlapping vertical strips of clear, heavy-duty plastic hung across a doorway. Staff and trolleys push through them while the strips fall back into place, keeping a near-continuous barrier against flying insects, dust and draughts. They are common on cool room doors and internal openings, and are often paired with an air curtain on external doors for extra protection. Crawling pests such as cockroaches and rodents get in low, through the gaps most people never look at: the space under a door, worn weather seals, and holes around pipes and cables. Fit brush strips or rubber seals to the bottom of external doors so there is no gap a pest can squeeze under, and seal penetrations where services enter the building. Rodents can pass through surprisingly small openings, so close them properly rather than stuffing them temporarily. Keep strips and seals in good order. Cracked, missing or curled plastic strips leave gaps, and a perished door seal is as good as no seal at all. Replace worn components as part of routine maintenance so the barrier stays continuous. Strip curtains keep a near-continuous barrier while allowing easy passage.. Seal the bottoms of doors and gaps around pipes and cables to stop crawling pests.. Replace cracked strips and perished seals promptly to keep the barrier gap-free.. Choosing the right barrier for each opening There is no single barrier that fits every opening — the right choice depends on how the opening is used and what you are trying to keep out. Walk your premises and treat each door, window, vent and service gap as its own problem. Windows and vents that open usually suit fixed or removable fly screens. Busy external doors often need an air curtain, a self-closing screen door, or both. Internal and cool room doors are natural homes for strip curtains, while the low gaps under doors and around pipework need brush strips, seals and proofing rather than screens. Where a doorway must stay open for long periods in warm weather, combine measures: an air curtain plus a screen door or strip curtain gives far better protection than either alone. Remember that barriers are one part of a system. They work best alongside good waste management, prompt cleaning of spills, well-fitted bins, and regular monitoring by a licensed pest technician. If pests keep appearing despite your barriers, that is a signal to find and close the entry point, not just to add another bait. Checklist: Fly screens fitted to all opened windows and vents, with intact, close-woven mesh. Self-closing screen doors, air curtains or strip curtains on doors used during trade. Air curtains sized to the full opening, switched on when the door is open, and clean. Strip curtains complete, with no cracked, curled or missing strips. Door-bottom seals or brush strips fitted, and gaps around pipes and cables sealed. Barriers included in the cleaning schedule and inspected for damage regularly. Damaged screens, strips and seals repaired or replaced promptly. Checks and repairs recorded to show exclusion measures are maintained. Common mistakes: Propping doors open in warm weather with no screen, air curtain or strip curtain in place. Leaving torn mesh, lifting screen edges or a single hole that defeats the whole screen. Installing an air curtain that is too small, mounted too high, or aimed at the wrong angle. Switching air curtains off to save power, or letting the grilles clog with grease and dust. Focusing only on flying pests and ignoring the low gaps crawling pests use under doors and around pipes. Treating barriers as a one-off install instead of maintaining them and keeping records.