No matter how popular your restaurant is, no matter how good your tapas are or how many awards your signature dessert has won. If you have a pest infestation and you require commercial pest control services but keep putting it off until next month, there may not be a next month. Australian restaurants have been fined in excess more than $350,000 for not maintaining a clean business, most are shut down on the spot. If you are unsure of what to look for or have some questions regarding commercial pest control, here is a short guide of the most common pests and how to avoid them.
Rodents
Unfortunately for rats, mice and restaurant owners, rodents do not have access to Uber eats. So they will often reside close to open food sources. Rodents are also quick to procreate. It isn’t long after papa rat has found a good bit of real-state that the extended family will soon settle in.
Rodents carry disease and bacteria in the path they walk from urine, droppings and filth from the area they inhabit. A common sign of a rodent infestation is damaged electrical cables, seals, food containers, be sure to be on the lookout for rodent droppings as well.
To avoid these fury vermin in your restaurant, ensure to keep all food in sealed containers, pay extra attention to cleaning all surfaces especially surfaces in which food comes in contact with, eliminate all areas rodents may be seeking shelter. For the most effective preventative and maintenance, use professional pest control services to prevent the rodents from inhabiting your restaurant.
Cockroaches
A sure way to turn your clients away from your restaurant and hastily close your establishment. Cockroaches are the most common creepy crawly to infest restaurants and food handling areas. The German Cockroach in particular, small in size has the ability to easily hide inside the smallest of places, will eat anything and reproduce faster than our furry friends mentioned above.
Cockroaches carry multiple diseases from feasting on fecal matter and deceased animals, potentially spreading this bacteria into kitchens and other places such as food and serving areas.
To prevent these pests infesting your establishment, ensure to sanitise all areas after cleaning. Remove all food scraps, dry any pooled water and always take the bins out at the end of service. As bates and general spraying may not abide by guidelines in a commercial environment, the use of professional grade commercial pest control is recommended.
Fruit Flies
The term “size doesn’t matter” couldn’t be truer when it comes to fruit flies. Although small, fruit flies can be a big problem in your commercial kitchen. These winged weapons are known to contaminate food by carrying bacteria from food source to food source. Having the obvious ability of flying, this can cause a serious problem fast and should be addressed quickly.
Firstly, eliminate the source. Find where the fruit fly has originated from, check the areas where your fruit and vegetables are stored before moving onto areas where these ingredients have been prepared or utilised (stocks, purés etc.) limit what you can, unfortunately, you may need to dispose of some of the fresh produce you have picked up that morning but your customers health should be of most importance.
To ensure your kitchen is and will remain fruit fly free, enlist the service of a known professional pest control company who specialise in restaurant pest control.
Ants
If you come across a number of ants in your commercial kitchen, don’t put it down to the possibility that rain is on it’s way. Ants are attracted to all things found in a kitchen, salty, sugary, faty, fresh and lets not forget the silicon seal against the tiles. Ants will sometimes help by directing you to areas that have not been cleaned properly, however, it is best practice to ensure everything is cleaned at the end of the shift so you don’t enter the next day to an entire colony moving into your commercial kitchen.
If Ants can’t find a way in they will make one. Ants are very determined and will burrow through grout to make a convenient way into a food source. A piece of scrap food smaller than a 5 cent piece is a lot of food to ants, therefore we recommend cleaning all food scraps, crumbs and leftovers so there isn’t a single trace left.
If you have a reoccurring Ant problem no matter how much you clean or reseal a crack in your commercial kitchen, we do not recommend trying any ant bait. Even the smallest particle of ant bait mixed with food could potentially cause harm to one of your clients.
Call a professional commercial pest control service like Top Dog Pest Control. We have a solution for your pest problem.
