Restaurant Pest Control

To ensure maximum health and safety in public food establishments, food legislation and pest control is ever-tightening. Stored products must be checked over when crates of consumables arrive at any establishment and stock must always be readily available for inspection. Food establishments must have pest prevention methods already in place, with a fully pest-proof building. Fly screens, wire mesh in air vents, bush strips across bottom of doors, metal grates over drains, sealed eaves and pipes and trimmed back external vegetation, are all important to ensure rodents and insects remain at bay.

Types of pests found in a restaurant

Where there’s a constant supply of food, there’s pests. So as you can imagine, being a restaurant or food manufacturer can be quite problematic when it comes to maintaining strict health and safety standards.

The most common type of pests you should look out for include:

• Flies 🐝

Including wasps, can find their way into any establishment with ease, mainly through open doors and windows. Flies and wasps are extremely irritating to chefs and customers and what’s more, they can prevent people from dining at your restaurant. Not to mention, flies and wasps will contaminate everything they come into contact with and in a place that makes or produces food, this can be very concerning.

• Rats and mice 🐀

Rats and mice are notorious for chewing everything in sight, leave droppings and rapid breeding. If rodents are found in a restaurant you must close down and stop preparing food until the pest infestation is dealt with. All food that’s likely to be contaminated must be thrown away, all food utensils, surfaces and storage areas must be sterilised.

• Ants 🐜

Seeing ants roaming around in a food establishment is enough to put anyone off. Ants are minute and can find themselves anywhere in your restaurant – in customer’s food, on the ceiling and crawling over tables. Ants are able to get through the smallest of cracks.

How to identify pests in a chef’s kitchen

Identifying flies in a kitchen

It’s very likely you will notice them flying around, however if you look more closely, you may find multiple dead blue bottles around countertops, window sills and on the floor.

Identifying rats and mice in a kitchen

Chances are you will see the evidence of a rat or mouse by their small pellet-like droppings. Rat droppings are longer in size, than those from a mouse. It’s also likely you will see gnawing marks on drawers, cables and food packaging.

Identifying ants in the kitchen

If you have an ants nest closeby, you will see them by the hundreds. Ants are attracted to sweet rotting fruits, vegetables and carbohydrates such as rice and pasta. They follow a scented trail to help them find food and bring it back to their nest.

How to prevent pests in a chef’s kitchen

Preventing flies in the kitchen

You can use UV lights or fly sticky tape to get rid of flies. Disinfect the floors and surfaces before reopening and invest in fly nets to prevent flies from entering the kitchen in the future. You might want to check over any plants you have in the building as a fly infestation can be brought in by potted plants.

Preventing rats and mice in a kitchen

Ensure the building is fully sealed and grates are used over vents and drains. If you still have a problem, use rat traps, poison or call your local pest professionals who will be able to get rid of all rodents and ensure they do not come back. After rats and mice have been removed, it’s vital that the entirety of the building is cleaned and checked before any food preparation begins.

Preventing ants in the kitchen

Take out bins regularly and never leave food on countertops for a prolonged period of time. Try to find the ant nest or the entrance they are using to get into the building. Seal all cracks, check around windows, skirting boards and cupboards. If you find the ant nest, you can pour boiling water over it or spray pesticide over it (depending on where it is located). If you are having trouble locating the nest, call your local professional to eliminate your ant infestation.

 

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Need restaurant pest control? Call on The Pest Control Co. We have a wealth of experience within the industry and have helped countless customers across Nottingham, Derby, Leicester and the surrounding areas with a variety of rodents and insects. We provide a discreet service with unmarked vehicles and our local technicians are fully insured and accredited – so you can be sure you’ve come to the right place. Contact us today.

Call us on 01332 862 737