From damaging property to causing a health hazard for customers and staff, getting pests out of your business premises — and keeping them out — is priority when infestations strike.
SoGlos speaks to Dan Price and George Fisher of Cheltenham Borough Council's pest control service The Pest People to find out the most common causes of pest problems for businesses, along with what staff can do to help keep them at bay.
What are the most common causes of pest problems for businesses?
Dan: The most common cause of pest issues are poor hygiene standards, including not emptying bins regularly and storing waste on the floors, along with poor building maintenance, both structurally and controlling the overgrowth of vegetation.
Which types of pests are the most common at commercial properties?
George: The most common pest infestations we deal with in commercial properties would have to be rats and SPIs (stored product insects), you can, however, have issues with other types of pests.
Every premises is different depending on the business type, such as food; industrial and manufacturing; or office-type premises.
What kinds of issues arise from pest infestations at different types of commercial premises?
Dan: Rats, for example, in a property left untreated can explode into a major infestation, as a female rat typically births six litters a year consisting of 12 rat pups — although five to 10 pups is more common.
Rats reach sexual maturity after four to five weeks, meaning that a population can swell from two rats to around 1,250 in one year, with the potential to grow exponentially.
Issues which follow this are damage to property like chewed electric cables (which can cause fires); and contamination of food and stock — also any types of pest in the workplace would fall under the health and safety at work act 1974, so employers may be liable.
What can owners and workforces do themselves to help keep their business premises pest free?
Dan: Owners and workforces can help themselves and prevent pest issues by maintaining high standards of cleanliness; ensuring there are no structural issues with the property which will allow pests in; and consider having a regular pest control contractor to offer continuous advice and to monitor for any issues.
How soon after noticing pests should businesses seek professional treatment?
Dan: The sooner a pest is identified the easier it will be to treat. Pest species can multiply and get out of hand very quickly.
Some pests can be difficult to treat, too. If treatment is not carried out correctly, they can develop behaviour resistance and chemical resistance.
Why should business owners pay for professional treatment to deal with pest problems, rather than having a go themselves with over-the-counter solutions?
George: Pest control professionals have the knowledge and experience of dealing with pests and access to professional-use products which can make a huge difference in the overall success of the treatments.
Not only this, but experts are up-to-date with the ever-changing legislations surrounding pest control.
Also when using things like poisons that are accessible to the public, such as anticoagulants, if not used responsibly or correctly they can have detrimental effects on the environment through secondary poisoning.
How quickly can The Pest People respond to callouts — and what help is available for businesses which have reoccurring issues?
Dan: We aim to respond on the same day and sooner for high-risk situations.
For ongoing maintenance, we offer tailor-made packages with regularly scheduled visits at highly competitive rates designed to suit needs of the individual business.
Finally, can you give us some examples of the biggest — and smallest — infestations you’ve been called out to deal with by local businesses?
Dan: We deal with all kinds of infestations, from fruit flies in a bar to waste management sites with several different infestations at the same time.
We have customers in well-maintained houses and homes with hoarders — pests will make any properties their home!
