Resolve to Eliminate Pests in 2007
A Pest Management Checklist for the New Year

By ZIA SIDDIQI, Ph.D., B.C.E., Quality Assurance Director, Orkin Canada
 

While you’re thinking of ways to improve maintenance in your facility in the New Year, put pest management high on the priority list. As you make New Year’s resolutions for 2007, now is the perfect time to re-evaluate your pest management strategy and get on the right track for a pest-free year. 

Your facility can offer everything that pests like rodents, stored-product pests and cockroaches seek: food, shelter and water. Besides the fact that pests can contaminate products and damage property, a sighting by a health inspector or by a customer can result in negative publicity and even closing the facility. To protect your reputation and your bottom line, work with a pest management professional to guard your establishment against pests. Follow the 2007 Pest Management Checklist to get the New Year off to a great start.

 

Refect on 2006

Consult your pest management professional to review your pest management program for 2006 and make a plan for tackling the year ahead. Identify the pest concerns that were most prominent and steps you took to eliminate them. What prevention techniques worked well, and what can be improved this year? Preparation on day one is the key to help prevent pests during the next 365 days.

 

Inspect your facility from the inside out

Review your facility on an ongoing basis and eliminate all pest-conducive conditions such as openings in the exterior walls and leaking pipes. It is critical to keep a close watch on pest “hot spots” and sensitive locations like storage areas, the kitchen and trash drop-offs, which are more prone to pests. Your pest management professional can educate you on the signs of an infestation (pest droppings, exoskeletons, etc.) and sanitation practices that can deter pests from these spots. Examine the outside of your facility and inspect for pest entry points, including cracks and crevices in the buildings façade and unsealed doors and windows.

 

Implement a sanitation schedule

Create a sanitation schedule to eliminate pest breeding grounds and keep your facility inspection-ready at all times. Design a realistic plan for your facility ensuring that employees sanitize floors and equipment and empty garbage cans on a regular basis.

 

Make pest control a team effort

Educate staff members on pest control efforts so they can be team players in the program. Emphasize the importance of stringent sanitation, and teach employees the proper way to maintain floors and equipment, especially in sensitive areas. Make sure employees know the signs of an infestation as well as the protocol for responding to a pest sighting. Remind them that they are the eyes and ears for the pest management professional in-between visits.

 

When in doubt, take it out

Despite even the best control efforts, pests are sneaky and will often “hitch-hike” their way in via personal belongings and shipments. Inspect employee common areas regularly, as workers can unknowingly carry pests inside on their shoes or clothing. Pests can also make their way in on shipments, so monitor all crates and boxes that enter your facility. If a stored product shows signs of an infestation, remove it immediately and notify your supplier.

 

Don’t let an inspection catch you off guard

There is no reason to be unprepared for the inspector’s visit. Keep up with all documentation so that you’re always ready for a drop-in. Review your records with your pest management professional to keep all reports accurate and up-to-date. Documentation should accurately reflect any recent changes to the program, such as added traps or rodent bait boxes.

 

Keep your resolve

Successful pest management is an ongoing practice that must be maintained year-round. Regularly monitor your facility for pests and work with your professional to make sure they don’t have a chance of ruining your business in 2007.

 

- Dr. Zia Siddiqi is Quality Assurance Director for Orkin Canada. A Board Certified Entomologist with more than 30 years in the industry, Dr. Siddiqi is an acknowledged leader in the field of pest management. For more information, e-mail or visit www.orkincanada.ca.