Pest Control Tips for Businesses
- Perform quarterly exterior inspections of structures to look for gaps, cracks, and holes. Pests can enter through the smallest of access points! Fill cracks larger than ¼-inch with pest-proof materials such as silicone sealant, copper mesh, aluminum flashing, or hardware cloth.
- Screen HVAC, vents, and other airflow points to prevent giving pests easy access to your building. Speak to your HVAC professional about screening options that don’t interfere with airflow.
- Gaps under doors give pests the ability to crawl right in. Do routine inspections of exterior doors to identify those in need of door sweeps. Look for openings/gaps around doors and ensure any loading dock or bay doors are flush when the ground when shut. Do routine inspections of exterior doors to inspect for door sweeps. Doors with existing door sweeps should be included in the inspection to make sure they are functioning properly. Make a list of all doors that need sweeps or sweep replacements.
- Install signs to discourage propping doors open and educate employees on how this can lead to pest problems. Often employees will prop doors open to increase airflow, when outside on a break, or when taking out the trash. Open doors invite flying insects, mice, rats, and even small birds to make their way inside easily.
- Ensure that all trash receptacles have intact, tight-fitting lids, including exterior and interior trash cans and dumpsters, to help deter insects, rodents, and wildlife. Where possible, using self-closing lids can limit the likelihood of a lost lid.
- Be sure that dumpsters and trash compactors are cleaned regularly and that any drainage plugs are in place. Dumpsters may be able to be replaced by your sanitation company. Don’t forget to clean the dumpster pad regularly, too!
- Keep dumpsters at a distance from any structure. Trash can be highly attractive to flies (they can detect odors from up to 4 miles away!), rodents, birds, and wildlife pests. The closer a dumpster is to your building, the more likely it is that any pests attracted to it could find their way inside your building.
- Food businesses, such as restaurants, supermarkets, grocery and convenience stores, should be sure to practice First In, First Out (FIFO) rotation to ensure that the oldest product is used first. This applies to produce and fresh foods as well as packaged food products, including pet foods. Rotting or spoiled food can attract flies and small flies, and undisturbed packaged foods can allow stored product pest issues to develop.
- Want to zap a fruit fly problem? If you have a fountain drink station or beer taps, start there! The sugars in soda pop, beer, and other beverages are highly attractive to fruit flies. Make sure that drip trays and underneath drip trays are cleaned DAILY. Drink lines themselves can also accumulate residue, so having them cleaned or replaced regularly can help reduce problems.
- If your business mops floors each night, consider using a high-powered floor fan to accelerate drying time. Floor fans can help dry problem areas quickly, such as under equipment or where tile/hard flooring meets carpeting.
- Mop heads can also create issues with small flies if they are not replaced frequently. Mops accumulate organic debris and moisture, making them a perfect environment for fruit flies. Hang mops so that the mop head is up to increase drying time and replace mop heads regularly.
- In warehouses, distribution, and logistics facilities, ensure that an 18-inch zone exists between any product and walls. This will allow your pest management provider to access the area easily and clean up spills easily.
- Designate a specific area for employees to store personal items such as backpacks, purses, and coats. Having designated lockers, cubbies, or other shelving can ensure that any pests inadvertently introduced to your business are likely to be limited to one area. Practice a monthly full clean-out of any employee personal item storage area to allow for it to be serviced by your pest management provider.
- Fix or replace broken/missing tiles and grout in food service environments as soon as possible. Food, moisture, and organic debris can become trapped in these cracks and crevices, creating the perfect conditions to attract pests like cockroaches and flies.
- Routinely open electrical boxes and look for living or dead insects or signs of rodent damage. Some species of ants can be highly attracted to electrical boxes. Rodents can also gnaw on plastic wire coverings, which can also pose fire hazards. However, we recommend reaching out to a professional if you discover any problems in an electrical box. Pest control treatments should be handled delicately in areas with electricity.
- Structures overseen by property or facilities management companies, such as offices, shopping centers, malls, or other businesses with shared walls, hallways, and ceilings, may share problems with rats and mice. Rodents will gravitate to undisturbed ceiling voids and can freely move from business to business – making your neighbor’s rodent problem YOUR rodent problem. Be sure that your pest management provider is regularly inspecting your ceiling voids and consider having them install extra monitoring devices and pest management measures there to help catch problems early.
- Utility and boiler rooms are often a source of pest issues, but they are routinely locked for safety purposes. Make sure that your pest management provider is able to access these areas for service.
- Plumbing leaks and moisture issues can rapidly create pest issues with a wide variety of pests, including termites which cause extensive damage. Fix any plumbing issues, air conditioning and HVAC condensation issues, or exterior issues that are causing leaks inside immediately to prevent problems.
- Loading dock areas can be high-risk pest entry points. Whenever possible, be sure that roll-up doors stay closed when not in use. If doors must remain open, consider the use of roll-up bug screens to keep pests out. Additionally, make sure that your pest management provider implements appropriate stopgaps, such as rodent bait stations or correctly positioned insect light traps to help protect your business.
- Dock levelers and loading dock pads can become damaged and accumulate debris that can be a major food source for rodents, birds, and insects. Be sure that these are working properly, replaced when needed, and cleaned regularly.
- Clean up any spills on or around the loading dock quickly. Anything left behind can become attractive to birds, rodents, wildlife, and insect pests, bringing them closer to your facility and increasing the chances that they’ll find a way inside.
- If your business has long-term or short-term residents where sleeping areas are present, such as multi-family apartments or townhomes, senior living facilities, healthcare, or hotels, be sure to educate both your staff and residents on how to identify bed bugs or the signs of a bed bug problem. With bed bugs, early notification of a problem can make all the difference. Also, be sure that all staff knows what to do if a bed bug issue is reported.
