If your facility is dealing with a pest issue – rodents, birds, flies – the problem may not be originating solely from your facility or property.
Pests are foragers – they are constantly on the prowl for reliable sources of food and shelter. They are also not keen observers of property lines and will willingly trespass on your property and facility in search of a meal, water and place to stay.
As pest-pressure rises during the summer, we need to look beyond the four walls of the plant facility or warehouse, and assess what’s in your surrounding neighborhood when it comes to pests.
Neighboring properties can provide conditions conducive to pests and those pests can become your problem and you might not even know it. While you may not have access to treat adjacent properties for pests, here are steps you can take to protect your facility.
What to Look For
- Walk the exterior of your facility and observe the types of businesses next door or down the street. A furniture warehouse will pose a lesser threat of flies or rodents than the commercial bakery across the street.
- Scrutinize natural features such as ponds, streams, overgrown vegetation or agricultural fields that support pest activity.
- Are there railroad tracks, dumpsters, excessive exterior lighting or vehicle washing stations on adjacent properties? These areas can offer a variety of pests food, water or harborage, and those pests can easily make their way next door.
What You Can Do
Halting pests at the exterior of your facility is easier and more cost-effective than trying to eradicate them once they get inside.
To keep pests from accessing your facility and threatening the products and people inside, take these preventive steps:
- Create a pest-barrier around your facility by keeping landscape plantings away from the structure. Cut back excess vegetation and tree limbs, and regularly mowing grass.
- Remove any sources of standing water on your property as they can attract flies and mosquitoes.
- Switch to LED, halogen or sodium vapor bulbs on your exterior lighting to reduce their attractiveness to flying insects.
- Install door sweeps and air doors on exterior doors and loading docks, and screens over ventilation and utility openings.
- Educate employees about the importance of keeping doors closed, regularly emptying garbage and recycling containers, and following good sanitation protocols.
Being a keen observer of the area surrounding your facility and identifying potential pest “hot spots” will allow you to proactively protect your facility, products and employees from pests and the harmful diseases they carry.
Need a second set of eyes to spot potential pest threats on adjacent properties? Call the experts at Sprague and we can be your partner in pest prevention.