COMMERCIAL PEST CONTROL - PEST CONTROL FOR RESTAURANTS

Commercial pest control services is different from residential pest control in that it is dependent on the building’s physical layout, sanitation practices, maintenance, and storage. In your home, food storage is much more minimal than that of a restaurant, and your home is much smaller compared to a manufacturing facility. The more space a building has, the more entry points and places for pests to hide. At Environmental Pest Control we implement successful programs to ensure product safety and effective risk management principles with our established commercial pest control services.

In this blog we are going to focus on the importance of preventative steps that restaurant owners can use to guarantee results by employing a professional pest control company. There are many different reasons to have pest control for restaurants. A professional pest control technician will be able to:

• Inspect the building regularly

• Identify problems and pest entry points

• Establish an effective plan of action

• Measure and manage results on a continual basis

TYPES OF PEST

There are a variety of pests found in food establishments that can compromise restaurant food safety. These include but not limited to, mice, rats, cockroaches, and flies. Since restaurants are the perfect environment for pests and rodents to thrive, it is very challenging to ensure restaurant food safety while maintaining a pest-free workplace. Having pests in your restaurant, not only can deter business with one bad review, it can also cause health problems and put your restaurant at risk for temporary health closures, resulting in lost income. Commercial pest control services can maintain the level of cleanliness that your restaurant needs in order become compliant with Canadian Food Inspection Agency guidelines.

AREAS AT RISK

• Kitchen

• Bar

• Patio

• Utility room

• Loading dock

• Laundry room

• Dumpster

• Soffit and eaves troughs

• Landscaped areas

PREVENTATIVE MEASURES

There are many preventative measures restaurant owners can do to minimize the infestation of rodents or pests and ensure restaurant food safety.

• Keep all non-essential doors closed

• Use ‘FIFO’ (first in, first out)bags or waste to decrease the shelf life of products sitting in storage

• Assign sanitation roles to employees that correspond with their jobs

• Sanitize and clean the dumpsters regularly

• Put all garbage in dumpsters immediately, do not leave bags or waste outside unattended

COMMON RESTAURANT PREDATORS

Rodents

Rats and mice are notorious for penetrating the interior and exteriors of restaurants. Restaurants are the perfect location for rodents because of the many food and water sources in and around the building. This is especially true during the fall and winter months. Rodents, such as rats and mice, seek shelter and warmth during the colder weather. Not only can they enter and make your restaurant their home, but rodents are widely known as food contaminators, causing foodborne illnesses and compromising restaurant food safety.

What to look for: Keep an eye out for droppings, greasy rub marks on walls, and gnawed pieces of pipes or electrical wire. These are initial telltale signs that rats or mice are taking shelter in your restaurant.

Cockroaches

Cockroaches are very elusive pests and they will hide anywhere and everywhere they can. You will find them in dark crevices, including inbetween appliancesand cooking equipment. Cockroaches are nocturnal and scatter when exposed to light, allowing them to roam freely at night when your restaurant is closed. Cockroaches can multiply very quickly as some females are able to produce an extremely high number of eggs in their lifetime while others only need to be impregnated once to be able to lay eggs for life. Cockroaches are carriers of a variety of germs and bacteria which can compromise restaurant food safety. Disease producing bacteria can lead to foodborne illnesses including diarrhea, food poisoning, pneumonia, and leprosy. Commercial pest control services will decrease the chances of these disease carrying, bacteria producing pests.

What to look for: Keep an eye out for cockroach feces. Small roaches produce droppings that resemble coffee grinds whereas larger roaches produce cylindrical droppings. Some cockroaches emit unpleasant smells, and a strong oily or musty odour might be present if you have an infestation.

Flies

Not only are flies annoying, but they are also known as carriers of vector-borne diseases and harbours of pathogenic bacteria. female filth flies make their wayindoors to lay eggs. Flies in their larval stage are maggots, the two main locations where you might find maggots in your restaurant are the kitchen and dumpster area. Fruit flies and drain flies are among the most common in the bar area. Daily sanitization practices can help deter fruit flies from infesting your bar and maintain restaurant food safety.

Common types of flies found in restaurants:

• Fruit Flies

• Drain/Moth Flies

• Filter Flies

• House Flies

What to look for: Signs that you might have a fly infestation in your facility include frequent sightings of the flies indoors, around food, and near dumpsters. If you notice maggots (flies in their larval stage), sightings of maggots could indicate a possible fly breeding site in your facility.

GOVERNMENT REGULATIONS

Commercial pest control services help for those restaurants looking to keep a pest-free facility. Not only is it recommended but it is illegal for a restaurant operator to not implement a written pest control program for the premise. In Canada, in facilities where food is handled, prepared, distributed and stored for public consumption, restaurant owners must operate under the guidelines set by The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA). Pest control for restaurants is needed, and if a restaurant owner fails to do so they can face closure.

SUMMARY

Commercial pest control services differ from residential pest control in that the spaces are much larger and used by more people.  

The goal remains the same as residential pest control services; to identify points of entry, to eliminate breeding grounds and food sources, and continually monitor.

If you are developing a new program or evaluating an existing plan, Environmental Pest Control can help navigate you through the entire process. We can custom develop a plan for your specific needs and processes. We have all the tools and technology available to you. Our focus is to provide total pest control solutions using our Green Pest Management System, contact us today!