Pest Control Tips for Restaurant Owners

December 7, 2016 Kristin Dodd

As any restaurant owner can attest, food preparation and service areas have an unfortunate habit of attracting pests. The abundance of food scraps, perfect moisture levels and temperatures, and plenty of small nooks for shelter make restaurants very appealing to a range of unwanted bugs and creatures including cockroaches, wasps, flies and rodents. The key to proper pest control is identifying the potential problem areas in your restaurant and designing specific strategies to prevent and protect against each possible issue.

Outside dumpsters and their surrounding areas
Food waste is obviously attractive to pests, and improper waste disposal can cause your outdoor trash areas to become a lure for bugs and vermin. Moreover, if you aren’t careful, you can easily create a path for ants, cockroaches and rodents to follow from your outside dumpster area into your kitchen.

Keep these outside areas pest-free by following a few simple tips. Seal all trash bags containing food leftovers and waste before putting them in your dumpsters, and make sure all dumpsters are securely closed when not in use. Furthermore, you can help prevent the creation of a food trail leading to your kitchen by keeping the area around your dumpsters free of food debris.

Cleaning supply spaces and drains
A number of areas around your kitchen can generate and collect moisture including floor drains, sinks, water faucets and mop buckets. These humid spaces attract flies and can easily become a hotbed for the winged pests as they feed and breed.

While you cannot eliminate moisture in your kitchen, you can help prevent fly breeding ground with a few easy measures. Make sure that all cleaning equipment such as mops and buckets are dry before storing them away from food preparation spaces. Second, regularly clear drains to remove any food scraps and prevent water backups.

Food storage spaces
Your food supplies are your kitchen’s biggest attraction for a variety of pests including rodents, ants and cockroaches. Open food containers can draw in pests, while hollow spaces and cracks around your storage areas can act as a refuge for bugs and critters.

A few simple steps can help protect the food in your kitchen and storage areas. First, make certain that all dry food storage spaces are kept neat and clean. Put in place a system of “first in, first out” to ensure correct food rotation and prevent spoilage that can further attract pests. Lastly, find and seal any cracks or gaps around your kitchen to prevent rodents and cockroaches from taking up residence.

As an environmentally-friendly pest control company that has served the Charlotte area for almost 80 years, Carolina Pest Management has a long and successful track record of tackling pest problems both effectively and humanely. Please contact us today for more information about our effective commercial pest control solutions.