If you own a business or run any type of institution, you know how important it is to keep pests out. Whether the pests are a health risk, a nuisance, or terrorize your clientele, you need commercial pest control to keep your establishment safe.

Commercial Pest Control [infographic]

Pest Control for Office Buildings and Businesses

The most common location for commercial pest control is office buildings and businesses. If you run an office or an office building, it is crucial that you keep your premises clean and free of pests. Ideally, pest control should be a regular part of your maintenance plan. It should be budgeted for and kept current at all times.

To keep an office free of pests, you should have a pest control professional inspect the premises and perform pest control and eradication about once a month. Breda Pest Control conducts all of the pest control services you need. They are also TrustDALE certified, so you know you are getting the best service and the best value.

Landscaping and Pests

As spring approaches, many businesses are thinking about their landscaping. Clean, neat, well-maintained landscaping is a great asset for any business. It helps present the business as serious and reliable. Moreover, messy landscaping can send the wrong message to tenants and customers. It can make you look sloppy and careless. But as you prepare to reinvigorate your landscaping this spring, keep pest control in mind.

Often, landscaping can provide a safe haven for all sorts of pests. Trees, bushes, and foliage provide a safe hiding place as well as an excellent nesting location for rodents, flying insects, beetles, and other pests. Keeping bushes trimmed and away from the building can help keep these pests out of your offices.

In addition to foliage, mulch can be a boon to pests. It can create a safe nesting ground for rodents and crawling insects, such as beetles and ants. It also holds moisture. All creatures need at least some moisture to survive. By providing a moisture source close to your building, you are increasing the population of unwanted pests.

Finally, foliage can actually become a highway leading straight into your building or onto your roof. Make sure that trees, bushes, and power lines stay at least six feet away from your building. Rodents can jump quite a few feet from a tree limb to your roof, and make a lovely home in your crawl spaces. When a bush or powerline actually makes contact with your building, it can create safe passage for ants and other crawling insects.

Pest Control For Food Establishments

Food establishments and any establishment with a commercial kitchen have added concerns about pests. In addition to everything we mentioned about keep a commercial building pest-free, commercial kitchens have the hazards of grease, moisture, and food waste.

The first step in keeping your commercial kitchen pest-free is to monitor your trash. Food garbage can quickly become an abundant food source for all sorts of pests, ranging from tiny fruit flies to large rats. Don’t let employees pile up garbage by the back door. Instead, make sure that all trash is emptied into a proper receptacle, like a dumpster or trash bin, as soon as the bag is full.

Another often overlooked challenge is floor drains. Floor drains are crucial in a commercial kitchen, allowing spills of all sorts to wash away. However, if they are not cleaned regularly, floor drains can become a buffet for a variety of pests. Make sure that drains are clear and not clogged so that all waste can drain completely. Also, make sure to scrub the drains at the end of each day to remove oils and grease that accumulate in the drain cover.

Many commercial kitchens have a dedicated cleaning crew that cleans the kitchen after hours. Make sure that the cleaning crew is aware of potential pest hazards and knows how to clean accordingly.

Commercial Pest Control for Schools

Schools pose a unique challenge for commercial pest control professionals. Schools are full of young children every day, and their health and safety is a top priority. However, children can be messy, leaving trash and food waste throughout the building. Also, most schools include a commercial kitchen. Many high schools also include water facilities, such as a pool and locker rooms, that require special attention. Finally, schools tend to have a higher concentration of individuals in all parts of the building compared to an office building or other business.

Bed Bugs

Many people assume that bed bugs are only a danger to beds and linens. That’s not a bad assumption, given their name, but it is only partially true. In fact, bed bugs can infest all sorts of cloth, including clothing, upholstered furniture, rugs, etc. Bed bugs can’t travel far on their own, but they are great hitchhikers. They are able to jump from an infested area onto a person and travel great distances that way. In a school, where lots of people are in close contact, bed bugs can spread quickly.

A bed bug infestation can be difficult to control. The best way to deal with bedbugs is with prevention techniques. Make sure that all upholstery, rugs, and carpeting are regularly deep cleaned.

Cockroaches

Cockroaches exist everywhere humans do. They are great at colonizing all sorts of human dwellings, and schools are no exception. Cockroaches often live in and eat trash, including human and animal waste, where they can pick up all sorts of diseases. They can carry those diseases into classrooms, kitchens, or food items they get into. In addition to the diseases, cockroach skins and feces are known to trigger asthma in some young people.

The best defense against cockroaches is keeping a school clean. Cockroaches like to live in dark, moist, undisturbed areas. In a school that may mean utility closets, basements, or trash areas. Keeping those areas free of accumulated debris can provide fewer places for cockroaches to hide. Quickly fixing leaks and water damage will also discourage cockroach infestations since cockroaches need water to live.

Mice

Mice are less common in schools, but they can get in sometimes, and if they do, they pose a severe health risk. Mice carry many diseases that can infect humans, as well as fleas that carry even more diseases. Their urine can also make people sick.

The best way to keep mice out is to make sure that the school is sealed from the outside. Make sure that door jams are tight and weather stripping is intact. Also, try to keep doors open as little as possible. Often, schools leave doors propped open for extended periods. Keeping that to a minimum will help prevent rodents. A school can also make itself less appealing to rodents by not providing a food source. Keeping food waste in sealed trash receptacles is crucial to preventing rodent infestations.

Meal Moths

Meal moths infest food. In a school kitchen, meal moths can ruin large amounts of food by laying their eggs in it. If food is infected, it should be taken to an outdoor trash receptacle immediately, and the storage area should be cleaned to avoid new infestations.

If your place of business needs commercial pest control, check out these TrustDALE certified pest control services. They have all undergone Dale’s intensive 7-point investigative review. They are also backed by Dale’s trademark Make-it-Right Guarantee™.

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