How do pests access “clean rooms” with their high-tech air filtration systems and strict access requirements? The answer is simple: in most cases pests have just enough dumb luck to wander into clean rooms while foraging for food or shelter.
The most common pests threatening clean rooms includes ants, night flying insects (midges, mayflies, etc.), fungus feeders, flies, spiders, and over-wintering pests such as boxelder bugs and beetles. Pests are often attracted to clean rooms by lights or air current leaks, and due to their small size can sometimes avoid being caught in the air filtration system.
What can facility managers with “clean room” environments do to safeguard them from unwanted and potentially damaging pests? The Sprague Pest Experts recommend paying close attention to the following areas:
- Keep exterior landscape well-maintained (cut grass, trim trees and bushes, remove excess moisture build up, etc.) to prevent pest harborages from building up.
- Make sure the building’s exterior lighting is not conducive to pests; use sodium-vapor lighting that is less attractive to pests.
- Make sure screening on windows, doors, and ventilation openings is in good repair.
- Make sure garbage and recycling receptacles are emptied regularly.
- Exclude pests from entering a structure by sealing holes and openings