Read our latest blog to find out which pests are attracted by badly maintained garbage areas in complexes and offices, and what you can do about them.
Integrated pest management is based on four principles: exclusion, restriction, destruction and monitoring, and is something we have discussed often in previous blogs. In a nutshell, it means that great pest control starts with eliminating things that attract pests: most importantly food and nesting sites.
Proper waste disposal helps control pests
If elimination isn’t your starting point, then your pest control strategy is doomed to fail. By eliminating the the things that attract pests, you’ll have far fewer pests to eradicate. And your garbage area at work or in your complex acts as a pest magnet! Rubbish bags offer a smorgasbord of culinary delights for commensal pests like rodents and flies.
Commensal is defined as “sharing one’s table.” Rodents and flies are known as commensal pests, because they eat what we eat. This also means that our rubbish is a veritable buffet for them, and why proper waste disposal acts as the starting point for a solid pest control strategy.
Commensal Pest: Flies
Flies are not only attracted to rubbish areas as sources of food, but also as places in which to breed. And if you’ve ever had the unfortunate experience of opening the rubbish bin after a hot weekend to find it crawling with maggots, you’ll know that the hot weather accelerates what is an already pretty speedy cycle of egg-to-maggot-to-adult-fly.
Flies breed quickly and in large numbers in waste or refuse areas, increasing the risks of fly-transmitted diseases such as E.Coli and Salmonella.
Fly control solutions:
Apart from making sure that all your office and complex rubbish bins have tightly fitting lids (to prevent flies from getting inside to the bin to feed and breed) – we recommend installing a Rentokil Fly Box.
The Rentokil Fly Box targets the flies external breeding sites and is specifically designed to control the number of flies around external refuse areas – before they enter the building and potentially spread disease.
The sturdy, metal Fly Box unit is placed on external walls strategically located close to bins, refuse or waste areas (including compactors). As the unit does not require electricity to work, offering greater flexibility in locating the unit for the most effective results.
If used in conjunction with adequate fly screening it can be pivotal in reducing the risk of flies entering the property.
Commensal Pest: Rodents
Preventing rodents is important in order to avoid a number of serious diseases which rats are known to transmit. In addition to disease, rats can be very persistent and if they manage to gain access to your premises they can not only spread disease, but also cause considerable damage to insulation and wiring – causing electrical fires. Rats can also undermine hill sides, retaining walls and other similar structures through their burrowing activity.
Rodent control solutions:
The most important thing you can do to prevent rats in the rubbish area is to place your outdoor rubbish bags in metal bins (rats can easily chew through a plastic rubbish container) with tightly fitted lids to stop them from being able to access and feed from the contents of the bag.
However, if you have already spotted the signs of rats, such as droppings, prevention may already be too late. Taking matters into your own hands may not always be prove effective as an infestation can quickly escalate and will require the help of professionals. In this case, it’s best to call in the experts.
Odour management for pest control:
The smell of a poorly maintained garbage area is not only a magnet for pests – it also affects productivity and the creates an extremely poor first impression of your business or complex Putting those tips on odour prevention into practice, you’ll not only be preventing odour, but also restricting pests access to food and water, thus making your premises less inviting and containing the spread of pest infestations throughout your complex or business.
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