Pests, big and small, can damage business inventory, tearing through packaging and putting holes and chew marks in items. This risk increases significantly when your inventory consists of food products.
In this blog on safeguarding your inventory from pests, we’ll look at the following:
- Overview of Common Pests That Threaten Inventory
- Understanding the Risks to Your Inventory
- Preventive Measures for Protecting Inventory
- Recognizing Early Signs of Pest Infestation
- Integrated Pest Management (IPM) in Warehousing and Storage
- Physical Barriers and Exclusion Techniques
- Employee Training and Involvement
Overview of Common Pests That Threaten Inventory
Arizona is home to over 800 species of bugs and more than 13 rodent species. That said, you’re bound to have at least a couple show up in your facility. In addition to common pests that come to mind, like a rat or mouse, there are numerous other pests that can pose a threat to your inventory.
Understanding the Risks to Your Inventory
Types of Inventory Damage Caused by Pests
Pests have specific goals in mind: food, water, and shelter. Store inventories are likely to supply at least one of those. The types of damage caused by pests to recognize include:
- Chew or gnaw marks
- Feces
- Scratches
- Eggs
- Dead pests
- Missing items
- Holes
Identifying Vulnerable Areas in Storage and Warehousing
Pests are clever, and they’ll seek out the most accessible entry points. For example, pests are going to be attracted to storage rooms. It’s where items like food packaging and shelter-building materials are held and where foot traffic is low. Being aware of what pests look for and intervening before they can do damage is key to early intervention. Pests target the following:
- Potential Entry points
- Gaps or openings in doors and windows
- Tears in packages or bags
- Loosely tied or taped packages or bags
- Holes or cracks in the building foundation
- Storage rooms
- Employee areas
- Fridge and cupboards
- Trashcans
- Ventilation systems
- Broken screens and filters
Preventive Measures for Protecting Inventory
Best Practices in Inventory Storage to Deter Pests
Inventory is a lot to keep track of on top of preventing pests. The best way to keep pests out of your store items is to keep everything properly sealed and thoroughly inspect each item to ensure there’s no existing infestation. Sometimes, stored product pests like weevils and moths show up in shipped packaging and can spread to other packages once in your facility.
Importance of Cleanliness and Regular Maintenance
Pests are persistent creatures that won’t give up as long as you supply items they’re attracted to. Regular pest control services give you peace of mind in knowing the professionals are removing any existing problems and implementing measures to prevent pests in the future. Likewise, keeping your store closed off from pests and maintaining a clean space deters their activity.
Recognizing Early Signs of Pest Infestation
Key Indicators of Pest Presence in Storage Areas
The presence of pests in storage areas may be different from the main floor or breakroom. Be aware of the signs of pest activity so you can act on them early on and prevent infestation.
- Droppings
- Damage to items (chew marks, holes, claw marks, etc.)
- Smell of ammonia
- Rustling sounds
- Sawdust trails
- Piles of dirt or soil
- Dead pests
Regular Inspections: Essential for Early Detection
Whether you suspect pests or not, scheduling regular pest inspections is always a good idea. Your local pest control can identify infestations and perform an extermination to remove pests effectively. Inspections also prevent pest infestations from worsening, leading to more damage or contamination of warehouse items.
Integrated Pest Management (IPM) in Warehousing and Storage
Implementing IPM Strategies for Inventory Protection
Integrated pest management focuses on controlling the environment to make it pest-free. This includes blocking entryways like foundation holes or window cracks and securing storage.
Biological and Chemical Controls: When and How to Use Them
One key aspect of IPM that makes it stand out from other pest control is minimizing the use of chemicals and focusing on barrier methods and preventative measures. Pesticides are only used when necessary and when they’ll be the most effective.
When To Use Biological Methods
- Early intervention and early stages of infestations
- Preventive measures against reoccurring pest problems
- To target specific pests
IPM can use biological pest control by conserving or introducing natural predators into an environment permanently or seasonally. These predators will eliminate the existing pests without causing problems for people or an establishment.
When To Use Chemical Methods
- Severe infestations
- To target a wide range of pests
- To increase extermination time
Chemical-based pest control can be used in IPM if you’re experiencing a high population of pests that are difficult to control, such as cockroaches or termites. With chemical pest control, a professional safely releases the proper pesticide dosage into an environment.
During this time, you’ll need to stay out of the area until the pesticide has settled (typically a couple of hours to a day, depending on the severity of the situation). This more aggressive form of pest control is effective for stubborn situations in which lower forms of pest control may not be helpful.
Physical Barriers and Exclusion Techniques
Sealing and Securing Storage Areas Against Pests
If there’s a way in, pests will figure it out. However, you can prevent pests in your storage by 1) securing the facility itself and 2) securing packaging. If storage boxes are coming in damaged or improperly sealed, this can significantly increase the chance of an infestation.
Once pests find a comfortable environment, they can multiply and thrive, leading to an infestation. Use durable plastic storage containers and avoid cardboard boxes that can be chewed through. Likewise, keeping a cool climate in the storage area can deter pests seeking warm humidity to nest in.
Paint or caulk cracks in the walls, ceilings, and flooring that may allow pest access, and make sure doors and windows are appropriately sealed without any openings or gaps. Lastly, thoroughly inspect incoming boxes brought into your storage unit to ensure they haven’t been infested before arrival. If you leave an infested package near others, the infestation can spread and cause an outbreak.
Utilizing Traps and Barriers to Prevent Access
Along with sealing cracks and gaps in the foundation, you can add preventative measures like screens and door sweeps. These extra barriers make getting in challenging for the most persistent pests.
Likewise, traps can eliminate pests living in the facility or make their way in through packages. There are several types of traps that you can use for pests, including sticky traps, hanging fly traps, electric traps (zappers), and pheromone traps.
Employee Training and Involvement
Educating Employees on Pest Prevention Best Practices
Everyone who works at your facility needs to understand pest prevention. This means knowing the signs of infestation, maintaining preventative measures, and alerting you when an infestation is suspected.
Ask your staff to look for signs like feces or chew marks and to make sure they’re not leaving doors propped, windows open, etc. Likewise, your staff should be extra vigilant when unloading packages and bringing them into the facility. During these times, your facility is extra vulnerable to pest attacks.
Sound like a lot of information? You’re not alone; we’re in this together. Contact the Insectek pest control company today to schedule a visit with one of our passionate pest control specialists. We’ll work with you to develop effective strategies to keep your facility pest-free in the long term.
We look forward to hearing from you.