One thing is for certain in these uncertain times: Pests are not curbing their desire to find food, water, and shelter in your business.
Many of you have seen the video of rats running wild in the streets of New Orleans because the food waste and trash they regularly feast on from the city’s closed restaurants and non-essential businesses has disappeared.
Similar scenes have played out in New York City and other major metropolitan areas, including those in California, as changes take place in rodent behavior, and there is a rise in rodent pressure. The same could apply to cockroaches and other pests that rely on garbage, food waste, and other human by-products to survive.
In businesses that have temporarily closed, or have reduced hours of operation, pests have been given a free pass to roam without the threat of human interaction, including regular professional pest management services.
Protecting California’s businesses from the threat of pests has been the mission of Clark Pest Control since well before the coronavirus pandemic. We want to do our part to maintain a safe food supply and provide essential workers with a safe environment to continue their important work.
Last month, we discussed why pest management services are essential for commercial properties. Now we would like to share some recommendations on how business owners and facility/property managers can mitigate the risk of pests becoming an issue:
- Consider a risk assessment: With the food processing and distribution chain currently under significant pressure to perform at maximum efficiency, and with the chain retooling production lines to respond to current consumer needs, assessing and identifying risk is more important than ever. Evaluating trends in pest activity and assessing the effectiveness of your pest management programs allow you to be proactive and adjust programs accordingly and satisfy third-party audit requirements.
- Remain audit-ready: The most common misstep a QA or facility manager can make when it comes to audits is lack of preparation. Make sure you continue to invest the time to properly prepare your facility and staff for upcoming audits, what auditors will likely be looking for, and what standards they are expected to meet.
- Don’t lock the doors to pest management: Even if your facility is temporarily closed or operating on reduced hours, allow your pest management service provider to continue regular inspections to make sure pests aren’t establishing themselves inside and causing more headaches down the road when you go to reopen.
- Do not let up on sanitation and cleaning: The need for consistent cleaning, sanitation, and possibly disinfection services are critical right now to eliminate or mitigate conducive conditions that attract pests. The leading cause of pest infestations is typically related to a sanitation issue – don’t put your products, customers, and employees at risk by taking your foot off the gas pedal.
- Prime pest season is coming: Pests, like humans, only tolerate so much heat, and they also will seek refuge from rising temperatures inside cooler structures. With the searing heat of summer looming, facility and property managers can take these proactive steps to mitigate pest incursions:
- Seal pest entry points around pipes, the foundation, loading docks, etc.
- Institute a no-prop door policy for employees.
- Install air curtains and/or screens on loading dock doors.
- Consider the use of halogen or sodium vapor lights on the exterior to discourage pests that are attracted to light.
- Maintain good landscaping practices and install a gravel or rock perimeter around the facility to discourage vegetation growth that could invite and harbor pests.
If you’re looking for a pest management partner that delivers exceptional results and understands your business, and can help you protect your products, employees, and customers from harmful pests, call or text Clark Pest Control at (800) 936-3339.
Stay safe and be well.
Clark Pest Control offers EssentialClean™
Anywhere commerce is conducted and people gather – whether it’s a facility engaged in food processing, warehousing, distribution, or retailing, or a healthcare or educational institution, or an office, manufacturing, or recreational property – should have the peace of mind to confidently claim it’s as pest-free and virus-free as possible.
Clark Pest Control’s EssentialClean™ is a new custom service using a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)-registered disinfectant labeled for use against a wide variety of pathogens, including other known coronaviruses (feline coronavirus and canine coronavirus), and is now on the EPA’s N-list of products that meet its criteria for use against SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes COVID-19. EssentialClean™ can offer the peace of mind and results your company, employees, and customers deserve.
For more information visit https://www.clarkpest.com/commercial-pest-control/disinfecting-service