Why your warehouse needs pest control?

The old adage that prevention is better than a cure is no truer than when it comes to warehouses and pest control.

A pest invasion can damage large volumes of commercial goods and halt operations for multiple days. This can end up costing businesses hundreds of thousands of dollars, with a recent Pest Animal Strategy report stating that the national economic impact of pest animals in Australia ranges between $720 million and $1 billion annually.

The size and scope of warehousing facilities also make pest control decidedly more complex. This means that you’ll require a warehouse pest management specialist to carry out inspections and treatments. Without a professional such as Competitive Pest Control to thwart and monitor pest problems, you leave yourself exposed to the often devastating and invariably costly consequences of a pest invasion.

In this article, we discuss why your warehouse needs pest control and illustrate the advantages of implementing an Integrated Pest Management plan into your operations.

The types of warehouses that require pest control

All warehouses require pest control in one form or another, but those that store food, dry goods and beverages are particularly susceptible to pest problems.

Either a new or renovated building with a design that incorporates pest minimisation features can prove incredibly useful in helping to deal with these pest problems, or even avoid them altogether.

For a building to be considered optimised for pest prevention, builders and architects should ensure that potential entrance and harbourage points are limited and that all areas can be easily accessed for cleaning and pest management.

Other warehouse types and businesses that would benefit from a design or layout that’s optimised for pest control include wholesalers, manufacturing spaces, transport and logistics companies, medical storage units, data warehouses and refrigerated warehouses.

Risks of having pests in your warehouse

The risks that pest pose to a warehouse in Australia include the following:

⦁ Contamination of working surfaces and products
⦁ Spreading of dangerous bacterial and infectious diseases
⦁ Irreparable harm to reputation and public opinion
⦁ Damage to property and/or stored products
⦁ Closure of business due to pest invasion
⦁ Staff Morale

The most common types of warehouse pests

Learn all about the types of pests commonly found in warehouses below:

Rodents

Rodents cause considerable damage to warehouses due to their propensity to chew everything in sight and the harmful diseases they transmit e.g. salmonella and leptospirosis. What they do gnaw will have to be repaired or even replaced, which means you’ll be up for additional costs. The fact they can potentially harm employees or customers via the spreading of bacteria also makes them a health hazard if they’re not dealt with quickly and effectively.

Flying insects

What flying insects lack in size, they make up for in sheer numbers. The most common types of flying insects in Australia are flies, followed closely by mosquitos, wasps, bees, winged ants, termites and moths. The number in which they invade makes them hard to trap and treat. If ignored, they will continue to breed and multiply, spreading disease through contamination, wreaking havoc on timber structures and potentially harming your employees or customers.

Cockroaches

Cockroaches carry a large number of disease-causing bacteria that can be easily spread throughout warehouse environments via their bodies or excreta. Because cockroaches shelter in hard to reach places, they are notoriously difficult to eliminate using standard cleaning methods. Machinery, equipment and appliances are all areas that cockroaches like to hide. If you spot one or more cockroaches in your warehouse, chances are there a plenty more you can’t see.

Birds

Birds have a particular fondness for warehouses due to their open spaces and tall ceilings. Unfortunately, removing birds from your premises isn’t as easy as simply shooing them away. Preventative measures can repel birds and ensure they don’t take up residence in your warehouse. However, failure to remove them can result in health code violations, property damage, contamination and other workplace hazards such as slip and fall risks due to droppings.

The good news is that the dangers these pests pose can be mitigated with a proactive warehouse pest control procedure, such as Integrated Pest Management.

What is Integrated Pest Management (IPM)?

Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is the process of using eco-friendly and efficient pest management techniques that are tailored to your particular requirements and designed to prevent the risk of a pest infestation. As opposed to standard pest control practices, which could be considered more reactive, IPM is a proactive measure that has the potential to save you money and time on dealing with the catastrophic consequences of a pest invasion.

The benefits of using Integrated Pest Management

When applied correctly and by a trained operator, Integrated Pest Management can deliver the following benefits:

⦁ Decreased risk of health hazards for suppliers, employees and customers due to targeted treatment methods
⦁ Financial savings stemming from decreased usage of unnecessary chemical applications
⦁ Greater control of the overall pest management strategy
⦁ Long-term benefits to reputation between suppliers, employees and customers due to your decision to undertake an environmentally friendly treatment option
⦁ Minimisation of operational interruptions

How does Integrated Pest Management work?

Competitive Pest Control utilises a multistep process when applying Integrated Pest Management strategies to your warehouse.

Initial consultation and review

We begin by sending a highly-skilled IPM team member to undertake a meticulous evaluation of your site. While there they will look for existing pest problems plus any health and safety hazards. They will also assess the possibility of future pest issues.

Customised pest management plan

After treating your immediate pest problems using sustainable eradication methods and state of the art technology, we then develop a site-specific plan of action. The scope of your problem in addition to your particular business environment are both taking into consideration when developing this plan. The goal is to promptly stamp out any and all potential pest issues with minimal disruption to your daily operations.

Scheduled monitoring

Due to their ubiquitous nature, a once-off treatment is rarely enough to fully remove warehouse pests from your premises. This is where scheduled monitoring appointments come in handy. By regularly revisiting your site, we can ensure our pest control solutions are actually lessening the risk of future infestation. We also provide proper sanitation and storage recommendations based on local legislation during these visits.

Record-keeping services

The most important aspect in determining the success of a PMI plan is record-keeping. Unfortunately, it is also the most overlooked and underutilised. By preparing detailed service reports of our progress, we can evaluate how well a particular treatment method works and fine-tune our approach to better meet your needs. The main advantage of accurate record-keeping is that we are able to ensure we don’t waste time or money repeating ineffective pest control procedures.

Your 10-point Integrated Pest Management checklist

If you’re concerned that your warehouse is prone to invasion, or you’re currently experiencing a pest problem, the following checklist can provide peace of mind by walking you through the next steps to take.

1. Designate a pest management specialist
2. Brief employees about IPM
3. Provide a floorplan of your warehouse to your IPM specialist
4. Work with IPM specialist to identify existing pest problems
5. Discuss appropriate treatment objectives to eradicate pests
6. Take measures to prevent future pest problems
7. Develop new sanitation and storage protocols based on the professional recommendations
8. Establish a scheduled monitoring plan in conjunction with your IPM specialist
9. Adhere to the agreed-upon plan
10. Continue to promote a clean and tidy workplace in order to prevent future problems

Remember that prevention is always better than a cure, so do not hesitate to contact Competitive Pest Control at the slightest indication that pests have infiltrated your warehouse. We have the capacity to respond quickly to warehouse call-outs and address the root of your pest problem using a sustainable and cost-effective approach.

Call us on 1300 766 614 today to organise a pest inspection of your warehouse.