Integrated Pest Management Solutions for Your Business
Pest proofing is the key to a successful integrated pest management (IPM) program in a quick service restaurant or food outlet. And preventing a pest infestation is more cost-effective and comes with fewer hassles than trying to eliminate pests after they’ve gained access to your restaurant.
A pest infestation can have a significant impact on a quick service restaurant’s brand reputation, financial performance and ability to remain open for business.
“Pests can gain access to quick service restaurants and outlets in a variety of ways,” said Sprague regional entomologist Bobbie Orr, B.C.E on a recent client webinar. “They are resourceful and creative when it comes to getting inside a restaurant or food outlet in search of food, water and shelter.”
German Cockroaches – Cockroaches can live inside items – like cardboard packaging – and be easily transferred between locations. They are often brought inside in deliveries and can also access a restaurant through sink or floor drains.
Rodents – Rodents can gain entry to a restaurant in a variety of ways. Openings the size of dime or quarter are enough to let them in. Gaps underneath doors, cracks in the foundation, openings around HVAC units on the roof or inside incoming shipments are common ways rodents gain access.
Flies – Large flies can get inside a restaurant through a drive through window, an open door during a delivery or through an opening in a ventilation screen. Small flies (fruit flies) can be brought inside freshly decaying fruit and set up residence inside beer taps and soda lines.
Pest proofing also includes identifying conducive conditions in the landscaping around the structure and in exterior storage or waste disposal areas.
Once inside pests are often found in attic spaces and drop ceilings, equipment, drain lines and floor sinks, under floor tiles, in cracks and crevices and wall voids.
A pest proofing program starts with a thorough inspection both inside and out. The goal of the inspection is to identify structural (cracks in the foundation, missing vent screens, missing door sweeps and weather stripping) or operational deficiencies (poor sanitation practices, failure to inspect incoming shipments) that create pest conducive conditions.
Vulnerable Areas for Pest Access
There are numerous areas in and around quick service restaurants and food outlets where pests look to gain access and where they will live once inside. Restaurant owners and managers should partner with their pest management service provider to ensure pest proofing and exclusion is done regularly. Restaurant staff should be trained on how to spot and avoid creating pest conducive conditions.
Exterior Areas
- Foundation areas
- Roof and roofing materials
- Ventilation and utility openings/chimneys
- Exterior landscape
- Eaves and soffits
- Exterior doors and windows
- Loading docks
Interior Areas
- Inside equipment including ovens, coolers, refrigerators, etc. Motor compartments and insulation are favorite spots.
- Floor and sink drains
- Beverage lines
- Tile floors
- Wall voids
- Food storage areas
- Utility closets
- Employee locker rooms and break rooms
- Bathrooms
For more information on how Sprague Pest Solutions can assist you create and deliver an effective integrated pest management program for your quick service restaurant or food outlet, call 855.805.0755.