Eliminating food sources and rodent entry points are a vital first step in preventing rodent problems in commercial accounts.
Commercial pest management can be a really lucrative income stream for a pest management business, and the opportunities to raise additional revenue from commercial accounts are frequent and often straight forward.
When product manufacturers and training providers give tips on particular aspects of pest control, they usually do so from the perspective of treating an active infestation. However, in commercial pest control, that is not usually the case. It’s often said that pest management businesses with a commercial focus make money from the customers that don’t have pests, not the ones that do.
Let’s take a commercial rodent service as an example. If a pest management technician does a complete and thorough job, they will service bait stations, refresh the bait, inspect for additional signs of rodent activity, inspect for conditions that are conducive to rodent activity and report the findings from these inspections. The report should also contain recommendations for the customer to reduce or remove those conducive conditions.
When writing recommendations into a report for a commercial customer, it’s a good idea to follow a pattern each time; state what the problem is; explain why it is a problem, and recommend a solution.
For example, an accumulation of dropped food was noted beneath the work surfaces in the kitchen. This has the potential to provide a food source for rodents and insects, as well as a breeding site for flies. This should be removed as soon as possible, and a detailed cleaning schedule implemented to ensure that a pest free environment can be maintained.
The challenge and frustration of course, is that these recommendations aren’t always followed. Sometimes though, the solution that’s being recommended can be easily carried out by the pest manager whilst they’re on site. Sealing a gap beneath a door with bristle strip is a quick job that only requires basic tools that most pest managers already carry, so it makes sense to o er this service and increase revenue from the job.
If this continuous improvement approach is taken to all commercial accounts, then in an ideal world, no rodent issues will ever arise! Of course, that isn’t likely to ever be the case, but putting in the effort to reduce the conducive conditions before an incursion or infestation will certainly limit the extent to which the rodents can become established and assist the pest manager in swiftly eliminating them.
All of the work done during periods of non-activity is great preparation for when there is. Installation of rodent bait stations at commercial accounts might seem unnecessary when there’s no history of rodent activity at the site, but when having them installed and baited with fresh, palatable bait ahead of such a time means that the natural neophobic reaction of rats has already been overcome, and the treatment should be quite straight forward.
It’s a good idea to take note of what’s happening in the surrounding area too. A vacant block of land or building due for demolition can often be home to substantial numbers of rodents. Any construction or clearance activities nearby can displace rodents, and this naturally increases the pressure on nearby premises. Staying abreast of changes in the local environment can help the pest manager to get out in front of rodents before they really take hold.
Bell Laboratories manufactures an extensive range of bait stations, and has an option for all commercial situations. The exceptionally robust stalwart, the Protecta LP; the fast opening, high capacity and versatile Evo Edge; the ultra-discreet Evo Circuit for front-of-house applications; and the economically priced general purpose Protecta Shield are all popular choices for commercial pest managers across the world. Contact your distributor or local Bell Labs representative for more information.
