---
title: "QSR Magazine: Why Restaurants Should Care About Zika"
url: https://burnaze.com/article/43a79060-e57f-47be-ac83-543d86eb4716
source: "1851 Franchise"
original_url: https://1851franchise.com/qsr-magazine-why-restaurants-should-care-about-zika-5784
category: "QSR"
industry: "Restaurants"
segment: "QSR"
published: 2016-09-09T18:13:00.000Z
modified: 2026-11-01T04:13:15.119Z
image: https://newimage.1851franchise.com/cdn-cgi/image/quality=85,format=webp,width=1280,height=720/story/featureImage/c6fe08c3c1b14dda94a02a2bd8d86f595314160909121053.jpg
---

# QSR Magazine: Why Restaurants Should Care About Zika

**TL;DR:** Restaurants need to take preventative measures against mosquitoes due to the threat of Zika, which can negatively impact outdoor dining. Mosquitoes can breed in standing water found in areas such as gutters, mop buckets, and trashcans, making restaurants potential breeding grounds.

*originally published in 1851 Franchise on 2016-09-09. [Read the original](https://1851franchise.com/qsr-magazine-why-restaurants-should-care-about-zika-5784).*

## Story

Mosquitoes and the possible presence of Zika make for an unpleasant dining experience. According to a recent QSR Magazine article, Zika has caused customers to limit their outdoor time and restaurants need to take steps to prevent becoming hot zones for mosquitoes.

“Summer is the higher breeding time for mosquitoes. There’s a lot more rain, too. We do have a lot more standing water in the summer,” says Desiree Straubinger, an etymologist and the Southeast market director with Rentokil North America, which provides pest control services for businesses.

Mosquitoes have life spans from around eight to 14 days, but during that short lifetime will lay up to 200 to 300 eggs in standing water. Restaurants that have places that collect water—gutters, mop buckets, dumpsters, and trashcans---can all be susceptible to becoming ideal breeding grounds for mosquitoes.

Contrary to popular belief, the species that carries Zika flies during the day, as opposed to the nighttime when many people might be expecting to take precautions.

Barrier treatments of larvacide and even fans can help since mosquitoes are not strong fliers. While experts say it is rare for them to breed inside of a restaurant, stray bugs can make their way into establishments when doors open and close.

## Entities

- 1851 Franchise (publication)
- Restaurants (sector)
- QSR Magazine (publication)
- mosquito prevention (topic)
- outdoor dining (topic)
- zika threat (topic)

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Originally reported by 1851 Franchise (https://1851franchise.com/qsr-magazine-why-restaurants-should-care-about-zika-5784). Summarized by Burnaze (https://burnaze.com/article/43a79060-e57f-47be-ac83-543d86eb4716).