Pests are a serious concern for restaurant and takeaway businesses. They are attracted to food and have numerous entry points to all buildings – making them a menace when you are trying to prioritise food safety and sanitation. Pests’ presence can deteriorate your business’s reputation and jeopardise food safety. Unfortunately, they are attracted to buildings as well as food businesses so steps must be taken to reduce the risk of pests targeting your business and eliminating the risk should this occur. Working with pest control experts. We can support you in managing and deterring pests as well as eliminating them before they can pose the risk of an infestation.
This article discusses all of the main pests that you can face when running a restaurant or takeaway business as well as how pest control experts and your team can negate or eliminate the risk of pests affecting your business. We cover the major pests that often target food-related businesses as well as the steps to reduce their impact or work with pest control experts to eliminate them entirely.
L&R Pest Control is the leading provider of Pest Control in Newcastle and the surrounding areas. If you have an issue with pests affecting your restaurant or takeaway business, get in touch with our team to arrange for a free quote today.
Rodents – Rats and Mice
Rodents are the most common issue that affects businesses in the food industry due to the fact that they infest walls and seek food residue and food sources on which to feed. The sight of a rat or mouse in your establishment can seriously affect your business’s reputation – despite the fact that they are a highly common pest and prefer to target buildings where food is present. It’s imperative to remove a rodent infestation because they will contaminate and eat food sources, and cause serious discomfort for your customers.
Rodents also cause havoc to cabling, their teeth are powerful and they can chew through metal and most materials. They can quickly cause serious damage and they need to be dealt with quickly should you fear the chance of an infestation. This is a significant issue because they like to burrow, navigate, and establish their nest with a wall transportation system.
Identifying a Rodent Infestation – Look out for obvious signs that rodents are living or have made a nest within your business premises. Rodent droppings are an indication that you may have an infestation in the building and you can also hear rodents within the walls. Mice will tend to have holes within walls whereas rats will scurry through pipes and other areas.
Resolving a Rodent Infestation or Invasion – If you think that you have a rodent infestation then it’s recommended to call in the experts. Our team will confirm the event of an infestation or nest within your building and set up the appropriate equipment to mitigate the risk of rodents roaming into your food preparation or storage areas. We will then identify the source of the nest and deal with the nest appropriately to remove the infestation.
Maggots & Flies
Flies and their larvae (maggots) are the second most common infestation for a restaurant or takeaway business. Rotting food may attract flies that will plant their larvae which will then proceed to spawn maggots to repeat their reproduction process. Without careful management and disposal of waste especially in the summer months, flies and maggots can cause a constant annoyance to your staff and your customers.
It is very clear when flies are present within your building and you should establish an effective waste disposal system that ensures that waste is not allowed to fester, which allows flies to plant their larvae.
If you have an extreme issue with flies, we can install systems that trap and eliminate the flies that are affecting your business. Flies have an extremely short lifespan and they try to plant as many eggs as possible. Appropriate waste management is vital to ensure that they do not reproduce and cause issues for your staff and customers.
Cockroaches are rare in the UK and they rarely cause a risk of infestation.
Silverfish
Silverfish are another common pest that affects the restaurant and takeaway industry. They like to feed on books and paper and they are small and make no noise which can make them hard to detect or identify.
Identifying a Silverfish Infestation – If you spot several dead silverfish then you need to be highly cautious and expect an infestation. They can establish a large population and it’s very difficult to see them when they are feeding or damaging paper within your business. If you find a dead silverfish, we highly recommend that you contact our team and we can carry out a survey to determine whether they have infested your premises and arrange for a management or disposal strategy.
Ants
Ants are highly attracted to sweet products and ingredients. They can establish a clear supply line into your premises and cause sanitation issues as well as headaches. Ants can be managed by relocation of the colony or measures to stop them from entering the premises.
Establishing a Comprehensive Pest Control Strategy
Unfortunately, pests are highly attracted to food and this makes your business the perfect target. It’s highly important to put clear and comprehensive safeguards and cleaning processes in place to mitigate the risk of an infestation. This doesn’t completely remove the threat, so it’s important to have a company such as our team on hand to support you in removing the issue of pests targeting your business should this occur.
L&R Pest Control is the leading provider of Pest Control in Newcastle and the surrounding areas. Get in touch today to get relevant advice on an issue regarding pests or to arrange for your free quote. Please see areas we cover https://landrpestcontrol.co.uk/areas-we-cover/