We kicked off Monday with a look into an essential part of cleaning FMs should be concerned about right now—pest control in shuttered retail spaces. Carl Money, Business Development Manager at Terminix Commercial National Accounts, highlighted the need for a comprehensive commercial pest management program during COVID-19 to ensure your facilities are pest-free.
· Pest don’t self-quarantine – they multiply
“As we all know – pest don’t quarantine, and they don’t practice social distancing,” joked Money. “They don’t know there is a global pandemic on right now. All they know is their world has changed. Their former food locations may have closed or become more restricted, and they’re adapting.
Take rodents for example; they’re looking for three major things: food, shelter, and a place to multiply. They don’t need much space to access abandoned buildings seeking shelter. Thanks to the last few thousand years, we’ve trained them well to live along side us.
They know there is food and shelter wherever we go. Ewe provide everything they need to survive and thrive. And, now that we’ve abandoned new areas, thanks to the pandemic, they’re becoming more brazen and invading quicker than ever.
· Inspect facilities weekly
If you suspect pest issues are occurring at your facilities, don’t hesitate to contact your pest control provider to come out and perform an inspection. Its your property to protect, and rest assured the pests don’t respect landlords.
If a location is closed – make sure you go inside the building at least once per week. Bring a flashlight to do a thorough inspection. You should look under and behind things, with an eye for pest invasion such as spiderwebs, rodent droppings and chewed materials. Rodents love nesting materials so cardboard boxes, curtains, etc., are all fair game and signs your facility is under attack.
· Ensure doors are closed tightly
You should also bring water with you to put into your floor and sink drains. This keeps the dew trap wet which prevents flies and roaches from infiltrating your location and creating new problems. If your location is open, do the same inspections, but do them more frequently.
Also ensure your doors are closed as much as possible and ensure good door sweeps are installed and work properly. A good way to determine if you need to replace a door sweep is to check to see if light comes through under the door while the door is closed. If you see light; it’s time to switch it out,” concluded Money.
Managing facilities during a pandemic is difficult. Establishing a routine pest control inspection and control program will enable FMs to protect their facilities more efficiently and avoid costs that could result from the damage pest can cause.
