Rodents and bugs: The best defense is a good offense - by Arthur Katz

Certain areas in commercial buildings deserve preventative attention to avoid infestations by various types of rodents and bugs. Obviously the outdoor garbage area should be kept as clean as possible, dumpsters emptied regularly so rodents, creatures of habit who don’t range too far from their nests, don’t take up residence near your building. Indoor areas such as compactor rooms and compactor chutes can become magnets for pests if not kept clean, as can storage areas and even elevator pits. How garbage gets into an elevator pit may be a mystery, but it does get there and can easily become a feeding ground for mice, roaches, waterbugs. Rats can produce a litter of up to 12 young in as little as three weeks and everyone knows how fast roaches can multiply. How do rodents and bugs get in? Rats, mice, and squirrels only need a space a big as a quarter to gain entry into a building. Once there they will look for food and water sources and build a nest close by, possibly in the wall or ceiling insulation. And the quarter-sized space need not be at ground level. All of these pests can climb, so it is wise to be vigilant about spaces around windows and in gaps in attic areas as well. Roaches, hiding in boxes of supplies, can hitchhike into a storage room and soon become a nuisance throughout the building. Similarly, bed bugs can infest even an office building. Attached to clothing of employees or visitors, they transfer to soft seating in reception areas or padded work chairs and take up residence. Potential Damage Rodents, particularly rats, gnaw to shave and sharpen their ever-growing teeth. Chewing on wires, they can cripple an electrical or computer system resulting in expensive repairs. They burrow and gnaw on wood as well; rats have been known to compromise the foundations of buildings when the situations were left untreated. Infestation Prevention After an inspection, a pest control company will likely recommend rodent-proofing a building by placing weather-stripping under doors, making sure windows are properly screened, and installing rodent-feeding stations to reduce the outside population. Buildings that house medical offices, schools, or group homes may ask for a K-9 inspection for bed bugs. Dogs are trained to sniff out the insects from several feet away, even if the bugs are behind a wall. Insect Monitoring Stations – usually a 3 x 6” sticky board – will be placed in areas where roaches or waterbugs have been seen. These stations will tell the pest control company what kind of pests are present, what direction they are traveling, and how large a population exists. Cooperation is Essential Rather than turning a blind eye to seemingly small complaints about pests by building tenants, a budget-minded building manager will encourage cooperation between tenants, management, and the pest control company. Workers in the building should be trained to report any sightings of rodents or bugs. Management should keep a log book of who saw what, where, and when. The pest control company will examine this log during regularly scheduled building inspections. Making the management’s offensive plan public is good PR too. Tenants and employees will appreciate the fact that they are working in a safe, pest-free environment. Arthur Katz is CEO of Knockout Pest Control, Uniondale, N.Y.