As a producer of food products, the thought of pest infestations in your food processing premises can keep you up at night. The nightmare includes decreased production, high losses, brand damage, and health risks from contamination and pest-borne diseases.
Identifying an infestation in your food processing plant is crucial. As with most health concerns, early detection can save lives, and it’s no different for health and safety in relation to pest control.
Understanding pest behaviour
To start with, you need to understand the basics of pest behaviour. Simply put, these invasive creatures need 3 things: shelter (relatively undisturbed locations to live and nest), food and water. Pests aren’t as picky as humans, so food production sites frequently provide all 3 of these. However, if we remain vigilant we can mitigate the risks of infestations occurring and spreading to other areas.
Let’s take a look at 9 red flags that you have a pest infestation in your food processing premises.
9 Signs of pests in your food processing plant:
Let’s begin on the outside of your facility and work inwards.
- One man’s rubbish is another pest’s buffet:
Your waste area is a food source and is usually the least protected area in your facility. If you find that your rubbish is disturbed or eaten, you can be sure that pests have found their way into this area. Pests that are usually active in waste areas include: flies, cockroaches, ants, and rodents. Please ensure that you are careful when treating this area as non-target creatures – such as stray cats and dogs – may also be foraging in your rubbish. - Mud tubes and mounds:
These are signs of termite infestations, and usually occur on the exterior of the building but can also be found on piping, plumbing, floorboards, and small cracks internally. Termites are one of the most expensive pests to treat, and so we recommend that if you do see mud tubes or mounds you book a termite inspection immediately. - Damage to the fabric of the building:
Damage noted on the building exterior – such as gnaw marks – are a warning sign that rodents are active on the site, and damage to the roof will indicate a bird problem. - Shed skins, exoskeletons or egg cases:
Insects shed their outer layer of skin or exoskeletons as they grow through their specific type of metamorphosis. Examples of insects which shed their skins are carpenter ants, spiders, and cicadas. Cockroaches, however, will shed their exoskeleton as they grow from the nymph phase into adulthood. In addition to this, if you find egg casings from any insect, you can be sure that there is an active infestation on site. - Damage to packaging:
Holes and gnaw marks on food packaging and containers speak volumes about the presence of a rodent infestation on your site. - Droppings:
As pests eat and nest on site they are bound to leave faeces, so it is important to be able to identify the different types of pests from the droppings they leave behind. - Live infestations:
These can take the form of eggs, larvae, pupae, or adults. Infestations can be noted in almost any area, however where the needs of pests are being met is usually where you will find them. Examples will be storage areas, canteens, kitchens, locker rooms. In addition, you might find nesting material, droppings, or sharp odours. These signs all mean that there is an infestation that needs to be addressed. - Rodent runways:
Smudges or grease marks on walls or skirtings are a sign that rats are using that area frequently to get into the various areas in the production site. - Webbing:
Moths use webbing for nesting, protection, and camouflage. Usually, facilities storing products for longer periods of time note this kind of activity. Moths, as stored product insects (SPIs), vie with termites for the dubious honor of being the most expensive pest.
What should you do if you see these signs of pests?
Knowing the basic needs of pests (harborage/shelter, food, and water) should guide you here. Very simply put, if we restrict access to what pests need, it’s very difficult for them to survive. There are a few simple things you can do to ensure that living conditions become almost impossible for pests. Making these part of your production operations, in conjunction with your pest management program, is your best defence against ongoing pest problems.
So here is what we recommend you do if you see any of the above signs
- Educate your teams: give them the training they will need to identify pests or signs of infestation. Rentokil offers pest awareness training and we have that can assist staff in pest identification.
- Continuous cleaning processes: this includes your waste area. You don’t want to attract pests to your waste area because they will eventually make their way into places you really don’t want them.
- Product and stock rotations: these restrict pests from gaining access to your products and raw materials. Frequent movement discourages nesting.
- Proofing and housekeeping: a well kept and maintained site without cracks and entry points restricts entry and shelter for pests.
- Communication: If any person on your site notes an infestation, communicate the concern to your pest control service provider immediately.
Choosing your pest control partner to help prevent pest infestations in your food processing premises
Pest control is a two-way relationship between you and your pest control provider. Treating it as a partnership allows better management of problems caused by pests. Communication regarding your food processing plants and the operations are crucial to pest prevention. Rentokil will work with you to formulate a pest control plan that will help ensure a pest-free environment.
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