Field Notes
Insights for your business
Select your industry to read more.
Insights for your business
If your business is designated as an essential service provider and is operating during the COVID-19 pandemic, you’re probably already facing a lot of pressure. Between maintaining a hygienic environment, making a profit and providing good service, pest management may not be top of mind. But whether …
With the COVID-19 pandemic forcing your business and customers to adapt to shelter-in-place and social distancing orders, pest control may be tough for you to manage right now, alongside all your other concerns. But with the reduction of human activity at your business, a larger number of pests are …
At Orkin, we know that customers are the lifeblood of any business. With increased health concerns taking a toll on how many companies around the country and the world serve their customers, it’s crucial that we all step up to help in ways both large and small. Just as proper handwashing is a basic …
The fast pace of your day-to-day responsibilities requires you to handle many things at once. And no matter what kind of facility you’re overseeing, a strong sanitation program is critical—if overlooked, it can have a domino effect on other areas of your business. While it may seem obvious that e …
Do you smell a rat? Don’t let these sneaky pests fool you. From stock rooms and break rooms to suspended ceilings and wall voids, rodents have no trouble finding sources of food, water and shelter at your business, property or school. And though they know how to keep to the shadows, just one s …
If ants are marching through your property, you better believe they are ready to go to war. With colonies that can number into the hundreds of thousands of ants, these tiny pests are tough to defeat. (Learn even the smallest details about ants by downloading our free Antcyclopedia). When you call …
As the weather heats up, so do mosquitoes. Summer is peak season for these threatening pests, whose bites can do more than just itch. Mosquitoes also can transmit diseases like the Zika virus, Chikungunya virus and West Nile virus. The good news? Everyone can do something to help prevent these pe …
If you see flies in your facility, don’t turn a blind eye. These filthy pests not only disgust customers but can also contaminate food and other surfaces and cause illness. Our free, comprehensive guide to Flies & Fly Control Strategy breaks down the top concerns for the flies that are the …
If you work in a food handling environment like a restaurant, grocery store or manufacturing facility, flies can deal a blow to your bottom line. These pests seek the food, water and shelter that your business provides – and their presence can lead to serious consequences. Once inside, they can cont …
Proper sanitation and storage practices are crucial to food safety and effective pest management. These are preventive controls that are essential to your food safety plan – learn more about what should be included by downloading our free Food Safety Modernization Act Special Report. Failing i …
In 2014, the CDC reported 864 foodborne illness outbreaks, which resulted in 13,246 illnesses, 712 hospitalizations, 21 deaths and 21 food recalls. As a restaurant operator, you don’t want any of your diners to be part of the CDC’s foodborne illness count – your dedication to food safety is cruc …
According to the Food and Drug Administration, 43 percent of restaurants in the U.S. do not separate raw animal products from other foods appropriately. This is alarming because incorrect food storage is a main factor in foodborne illness outbreaks, which costs the U.S. between $5 billion and $1 …
Mislabeling or not labeling food in restaurants may seem like a minor oversight, but it can lead to major food safety failures. During a study on risk factors contributing to foodborne illnesses, the Food and Drug Administration found date marking out-of-compliance as high as 81 percent within res …
As essential as your ingredients are to your business, they’re also important to the stored product pests for which they’re a primary food source. These pests are capable of causing major damage to stored goods resulting in lost product and profits. These pests are fast breeders, so it’s important …
According to the CDC, more than half of foodborne illness outbreaks originate in restaurants. It’s a statistic that should concern you and other restaurant owners as you aim to provide an exemplary dining experience for your guests and avoid the PR disaster of foodborne illness. In order to do j …
One in six Americans get sick every year from foodborne illnesses. As a restaurant operator, preventing sickness is essential – it just may not be easy to do. After all, there are many factors seemingly out of your control when it comes to your business operations. However, there are some things y …
Rodents, cockroaches and flies – just the sound of their names is enough to make food manufacturers, restaurateurs and diners alike cringe. But the reality is that food establishments deal with these pests on a regular basis. In fact, a survey revealed that half of patrons saw a pest at a restaurant …
As the largest commercial pest control provider in North America, Orkin services tens of thousands of restaurants, and while our primary job is restaurant pest control, we know that everything we do is really about food safety. If you’re in the restaurant business, you know how much time it takes …
Question: Why are birds such a problem around restaurants and other businesses? Answer: Pigeons, swallows, starlings, and other pest birds are attracted to commercial properties like kids to a candy store. They also cause tens of millions of dollars in damage every year. Their droppings can de …
Health inspectors and pests have one thing in common – they can both arrive at a restaurant unannounced. Since the main purpose of a health inspection is food safety, implementing the following procedures to your regular maintenance and sanitation routine at four common pest “hot spots” can help ens …
Beetles in Restaurant's Kitchen Question: I have small, tube-like beetles in some of the dry goods I keep in my restaurant’s kitchen. What are they? Answer: Although you should reach out to a pest management professional to identify the exact type of infestation, it sounds like you have flour b …
The fast-paced world of foodservice often requires juggling hundreds of details at once – one of those details being pest management. If overlooked, a dated pest management program can cause a domino effect on all aspects of your business. Your hard work can go out the window with a single pest sigh …