Keeping your business protected against pests of all kinds should be a major priority for you and your staff.

Failing to put suitable preventative measures in place can threaten the safety of your staff and customers, not to mention have a devastating impact on your reputation in the local community should word of your troubles get loose.

As a business owner, you have a wide range of different responsibilities in terms of routine maintenance that must be carried out in order to keep your affairs in order and your business running safely and smoothly.

Pest control should be right at the top of this list and given the importance of the responsibility, and the time it takes to implement an effective pest control plan, it is highly recommended that you use the services of a professional BPCA accredited pest control company such as Harvey Environmental to handle your pest needs.

Many people only consider contacting a pest control firm once they find a pest issue on their premised but by this time the damage has often already been done. Instead, arrange for them to visit on a routine basis to conduct surveys of your site, put suitable preventative measures in place, and help you to optimise your business pest control strategy.

Besides calling in the professionals, there are a few other measures that you can take to secure your property against the following pest species:

Rodents

The worst nightmare of any business owner, particularly those in the restaurant or hospitality industry. Rodents are some of the most invasive of all pests and will often fit through incredibly small gaps in order to access your site.

They are attracted by the warmth, food, and shelter offered by your business site but won’t show much appreciation for your hosting skills once inside, destroying anything that they can get their teeth into with their every growing incisors. Rats and mice also carry a variety of nasty diseases and will contaminate surfaces and food stuffs aplenty with their droppings and saliva.

The sight of a single rodent by one of your customers is enough to set the pages of your local newspaper alight with tales of your woe so it is vital you act the moment that you suspect that you may have activity on site, and put measures in place to prevent the issues from arising again in the future.

Flies and other flying pests

In the summer, flies and wasps seem to find their way inside at will and are the bane of all those in the food preparation business.

Unfortunately, they share the twin characteristics of being both extremely difficult to defend against, and some of the most noticeable pests that can do significant harm to your reputation.

There are several steps that you can take to guard your property against flying insect pests including installing electric fly traps on the wall of your property or fly guards on the windows.

Creating proper airflow is also a great way to reduce the attractiveness of your property to flies and can be achieved through the installation of either ceiling fans, or air conditioning.

When you are clearing away your trash, particularly food waste, make sure to store it in sealed self-closing bins and clean down all surfaces on a regular basis. This it not only important in the fight against flying insects but also against almost every other pest species that you can possibly think of.

Cockroaches

Cockroaches are not the most common of pests in the UK, but the idea that they don’t cause problems is incorrect and there are several species who thrive in business sites.

What they lack in size, these roaches more than make up for in their foulness, spreading filth and muck at a prolific rate and compromising the sanitation of your site.

Should cockroaches be discovered in your kitchen, all operations should be suspended until professional pest control experts have ensured their eradication. It is vital that you do this as if it is the health inspector that finds them, you will find yourself in serious trouble and could even be forced to close until the issues have been resolved.

Birds

Birds are posing more and more of a threat to businesses across the North West of England especially in urban areas where species such as urban gulls and feral pigeons thrive in the filth left by a larger number of humans gathered in a single area.

We provide netting and spike installation services on commercial properties across the area, making it impossible for these species to land on your property, let alone nest or roost there. We also offer more specialised bird removal services including falconry where a bird of prey is flown over the rooftop to scare off pests.