By: Michael Rector, A.C.E. As pest management professionals, we’ve all likely had a customer on our route, or in our region, that we dread going to service. You know as soon as you walk in the door, they are going to point out all sorts of issues they are having, and then blame you for [...]
By: Don Foster, A.C.E. One important aspect of servicing commercial clients is understanding their operations. This statement alone can have several meanings to different people. However, frontline professionals need to be very perceptive and understand how standard operating procedures can impact routine inspections. As an industry, we stress the importance of addressing conducive conditions that [...]
By: Alex Blahnik, ACE Flies might be an annoying nuisance when you are trying to enjoy a mocha at your local coffee shop. But if your client owns that shop, the health inspector will use terms like “vector of disease” and “food safety risk” to describe these tiny, winged insects. Whether your client operates out [...]
By: Isaac Gibson, ACE, PCQI A vital step when dealing with rodents in commercial accounts is conducting a proper pre-inspection, which needs to be performed prior to placing control measures. Taking time to conduct a pre-inspection can help you with an informed approach to your service. As a result, this may also lead to shorter [...]
By: Timothy Best, ACE, BCE Being an entomologist and PMP in New York City, I often find that many folks assume my days are spent crawling through the city’s underbelly steeped in a battle against hordes of Norway rats, or that I am waist-deep in American cockroach infestations. While some days that sentiment may be [...]
By: Pat Hottel, B.C.E. One way to characterize the types of pests that are likely to infest a food-processing facility is by the products produced. In this article we will cover the most common pests and most vulnerable locations for those pests in wet-processing plants. Examples of wet-processing plants include those that produce beverages, canned [...]
By: Anna Berry, B.C.E. When a client reports seeing insects in their facility, or if the facility is at risk for insects, one of our first steps is to place insect monitoring traps. These traps, when used appropriately, can give us much information about the insects that are present: the species, the area they’re in, [...]
By: Bryan Ingold Communication and thorough documentation are at the core of a successful pest management program. A lack of communication between service teams and site management, and insufficient documentation, can be a cause of heartburn for our clients, especially at the corporate level. However, there is often a challenge in the pest management industry [...]
By: Kim Kelley-Tunis, B.C.E. When creating or reviewing a pest prevention program, we often develop strategies based on the pest’s microenvironment. By that I mean our attention is squarely focused on the areas in which we are observing the pests or their damage. We tend to operate on the assumption that corrections or changes in [...]
By: Patricia Hottel, B.C.E. All pests will have certain environmental preferences and survival needs. When the right conditions are met, pests thrive. Sanitation, employee practices, facility processes and structural/equipment design can either hinder or help pest survival. In fact, not all areas within a facility will meet the needs of the pest equally and certain [...]
