Pest Control Advice For Businesses

Pests have the ability to spread disease, damage products and eat the produce in a commercial business that stocks such items. If pests are found in the workplace it can lead to a loss of reputation or even prosecution. If you think that you have a problem with pests, it is your responsibility to put measures in place to protect your business and your customers.

 

Signs There Are Pests In The Workplace

 

Knowing the signs that there are pests in the workplace is important, this way you can treat the problem before it gets worse. These are some signs to look out for:

 

Droppings

Pests droppings can sometimes be hard to spot, it is important that when cleaning, you look carefully to ensure you can’t see anything that may resemble droppings. Although not as visible, urine trails and smells can also be another sign.

 

Gnawing

In the kitchen, you may notice that fruit and veg may have bite marks in it or even a chocolate bar that was left in the cupboard. However, this is not limited to food, the bite marks can be seen on wooden surfaces such as doors or desks as well as on any plants and in some cases wires too. It is important to not only look for these signs but listen out for them too.

 

Bites/Skin Reactions

This is more related to finding insects namely fleas or bedbugs rather than mice or rats. If bites are appearing mainly around the ankle then it is a good chance that they are fleas. If you see three or more bites in a line then they are probably bed bugs.

 

Damage

Physical damage like holes can be due to mice or rats. They love to chew so make sure to keep an eye out. Bite marks on cables can do a lot more than a loss of reputation or prosecution. Broken wires could end up causing fires and in turn damaging the property so make sure to watch out for this.

 

Grease Marks

Rodents have oil in their hair naturally just as we do. If a rodent tries to squeeze through the same place multiple times these oils will leave a dark grease stain on the surface. These marks are usually seen on, the top of kitchen kickboards, white electric cables, or in internal air vents. To test if this is a rodent, wipe the mark off the surface and see if it returns in a few weeks.

 

What You Can do to Prevent Pests

 

We have covered what to look for when there are pests in the business but ideally, you want to make sure that they never get there in the first place. These are some tips to follow:

 

Keep Eating or Catering Areas Clean

Make sure that cleaning is done regularly and thoroughly, this can either be done by a member of staff or a dedicated cleaner. Washing up dishes in a dishwasher rather than a sink is also a great option but make sure you do this daily. Finally, you should ensure that all food is stored away in sealed containers so pests can’t reach it.

 

Good Hygiene Habits

Make sure that staff do not store open food in any desks, draws or lockers. As well as this, having a designated  ‘dining area’ makes it a lot easier to control, so all bins can be emptied that have food in at the end of the day. Having separate bins for food, recycling and other waste could be a good system to have in place.

 

Hygiene Guidelines

Every workplace should have some sort of hygiene guideline in place, it can sometimes be in the employee handbook. This means that everyone in the workplace will have the same responsibility to keep the workplace clean.

 

Act Quickly

If you suspect there are any pests in the business, call someone in as quickly as possible to check it out, that way it might be able to be prevented before the problem gets worse. If you aren’t sure whether pests are present, it might be worth booking in an annual check just to be sure. Our base are in Bedford, but we also provide services in Biggleswade, Ampthill, and surrounding areas. So if you would like someone to come and take a look, give us a call at Ace Pest Control a call on 01234 838 391 and we will be able to assist you in any way we can.