Pest Management ABCs

When it comes to lighting on the outside of your building, make sure you don’t “set the mood” for pests. Flying insects are attracted to certain wavelengths of light and you can either encourage or discourage that attraction based on where your lights are placed and what type of lighting you use.

Exterior lights should be mounted away from a facility so that they shine back toward the building. This helps draw insects away, while still providing adequate light. When lights must be used close to the building, the best practice is to use sodium vapor bulbs as this type of light is much less attractive to pests.

Some food and beverage processing plants have hundreds of people on the production floor at a given time. In many cases, employees use entrances and exits around the clock, so it’s easy to see how the simple act of opening and closing a door could impact pest presence in the facility. Pest management professionals and plant managers should ensure all doors form a good seal to the outside when shut and try to avoid leaving doors propped open as this provides easy access to pests.

If your plant has ample windows, the same rule should be applied. They should not be left open and should include properly installed screens that are intact. In fact, no pest – not even the smallest gnat – can break through a properly affixed #16 mesh screen.

Rooftop Reinforcement

As you examine the outside of the building, make sure this includes a roof inspection. The rooftop of a commercial facility can provide a variety of harborage areas or access points for pests.

An inspection checklist for the roof should include a look at your HVAC units. Often these units are mounted on top of two pieces of wood, leaving a harborage area underneath that is accessible to pests like rodents and birds. All HVAC units should have a vinyl seal around the bottom to keep pests from living and nesting underneath them.

Check rooftop utility penetrations to make sure they aren’t providing entry to pests. Be on the lookout for standing water and take note of the edges of your building as unwanted birds may perch there. Roof spikes installed in potential perching areas will discourage birds.

Once you’ve taken a close look at the exterior of your building it’s time to move inside and see what else can be done to ward off pests. An HVAC system can help prevent pests on the inside of the building too. If the system is set up properly, it can create “positive air pressure,” meaning air flows out of the building every time a door or window is opened. This helps repel flying insects from open doors and windows.

You can test to see if your building has positive airflow by holding a match or a lighter at an exterior door and opening the door. If the flame blows toward the outside, you have positive air pressure.

The most effective pest prevention tool on the interior – and a cornerstone of an integrated pest management (IPM) program – is good housekeeping. Facilities that follow a strict sanitation schedule will have fewer pest problems – it’s that simple.

For the sake of efficiency, the sanitation schedule should focus on potential pest “hot spots” inside the facility. Production and storage areas – anywhere foodstuffs are found – are obvious hot spots. For food safety reasons, production areas are typically on the regular sanitation schedule, but storage areas can be an easy target for pests. Be sure to check for pests, regularly in storage areas and immediately clean up any spills, especially those involving food ingredients.