Effective and quality pest control is a must in any environment, whether it be in an office, kitchen, home, or school. Any infestation can be damaging to your reputation and lead to serious risk for your business. This is why special precautions and careful action needs to be taken to keep those pesky insects from threatening your life and your business. Proper pest control solutions are an important step in a business’s quality assurance process. It’s all about keeping a proper pest control management and prevention system. Poor sanitation conditions could increase the likelihood of pests and, if left unmanaged, can be a nightmare to deal with and ultimately cost your business greatly. For example, in offices, infestations could damage your building, both structural and stock, with computer equipment and cables being particularly at risk from rodents. In food processing environments infestations can have grave consequences. This type of infestation will put your products and your customers at risk, nobody wants to find something on their plate or in their food product that wasn’t on the menu or label. Unfortunately, ignoring your pest and sanitization issues might lead to an array of problems that could ruin the name and good image of any business. Every rand spent on effective pest control and prevention will return bigger rewards and reduce product or asset loss.
How are pest infestations caused?
The first step to effective pest control in your business, whether they’re insects, spiders, or rodents is to understand how and why they get there in the first place. You can be subject to any type of pest infestation. Unfortunately, many of them have accentuated their skills of surviving pest control products. However, this does not mean that they are fully successful in the change of their endurance. This means that it is imperative that extra precautions are taken at all times. Let’s start by looking at the most common pests we find in our country, and how they sneak their way into our lives.
The most common pests that can be found in South Africa are:
- Cockroaches
- Mice
- Termites
- Rats
- Cloth Moths
- Wasps
- Ants
- Bed Bugs
- Spiders
- Flies
So, how are these pests getting in? There can be an array of causes, starting most importantly with poor pest control prevention and poor sanitation. Seasonal change is also a common factor in pest infestations, as they seek shelter from extreme weather conditions or make their way to a favorable habitat, which unfortunately happens to be your business. Sometimes, when doors and windows are left open, especially overnight, it can be an open invitation to a pest infestation. Another way that pests find their way in is if you bring them in. This is unintentional, of course. Typically, they’ll find their way into a jacket, shoe, or bag, and then you carry them right into their new playground. Humidity can also be a factor, as bugs require a lot of water and are overall attracted to humidity. We know that pests enter an environment for three main reasons: food, moisture, and protection. The easier it is for them to find these things, the more likely they will want to move in. In a food processing environment, pests will attract themselves to dirty dishes, leftover bins and, you guessed it, all the food.
Taking action for effective pest control
Effective pest control starts with the inspection. The places that would need regular inspection are the roof, outdoor walls, and indoor walls, openings like chimneys or windows, ceilings, and carpets. In a food processing environment, continuous inspection is necessary for cracks and corners, fridges, bins that contain leftovers, piled dirty dishes, and dirty floors. Once you have done your inspection, you can identify what pests you have lurking around. Different pests have different behaviors. Once you know what species are invading your space, you can now begin to find ways to eliminate the threat efficiently while causing the least harm to other organisms. It is also important to know exactly where your problems are coming from. Is there debris or moisture accumulated somewhere on the property? Are they finding their way in through the floors and walls? What about incoming shipments that have been infested?
Now that the vulnerabilities have been identified, the species have been named and the sources can be traced, action needs to be taken. The best practice is to consult a professional who will be able to take the necessary steps. But if you’re going to practice effective pest control yourself, It’s important to use the right treatment for the right pest infestation and the right place. Treatments can range from gels and waxes, and concentrated solutions to aerosol cans. Cold foggers along with the correct solution can be a handy pest control product for large areas of infestation. If you’re looking for small-scale pest control products, another great idea is to use ecomatic aerosol cans. They can be used in conjunction with an Ecomatic Cirrus Dispenser, which is designed to use release Ecomatic cans on a timer basis. For the bigger pests, such as rodents, wax blocks are a great treatment for effective pest control. They are made from A-Grade flavor-enhanced cereals bound with wax.
At the end of the day, you need to find the right pest control products to effectively get rid of the headaches that pest infestations can cause. It is always important to practice good hygiene and regular inspection for prevention. The true treatment for pest infestations is, after all, prevention.
