Checklist: Integrated Pest Management for Essential Businesses During COVID-19

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 you’re helping keep the supply chain going, providing healthcare services or offering curbside pick-up from your restaurant, pests like rodents and cockroaches remain a threat that you should actively consider.

A pest sighting on your property can wreak havoc on your business’ reputation, directly impacting your bottom line. To help ensure your business is protected from rodents, cockroaches and other pests, focus on maintaining a clean environment and securing your exterior.

An Integrated Pest Management (IPM) program can maintain or strengthen your proactive approach to helping keep pests away, helping prevent pests not only from entering your establishment, but also from damaging your products or property, should they slip in. Use the following preventive tips as an IPM checklist to help protect your property from pests — so you can focus on your business operations:

Sanitation

• Wipe down equipment and machinery as often as possible to help clear moisture build-up and food debris.
• Apply a product, like the powerful disinfectant used for Orkin® VitalClean™, that will kill 100% of bacteria and viruses on hard, non-porous surfaces and will also sanitize soft, porous surfaces.
• Implement proper product storage practices (off the ground, on open-backed shelves and following first-in, first-out protocol).
• Ensure employees are washing their hands regularly and keeping breakrooms tidy.
• Wipe up spills and leaks as soon as possible.
• Clean drains as often as is needed to help prevent food debris and other buildup.

Exclusion

• Inspect your property’s exterior for any cracks and crevices, sealing them as you go to prevent pests from creeping into your facility.
• Repair and replace broken or missing vent covers, weather stripping and door sweeps.
• Inspect all shipments and deliveries for signs of pest activity and dispose of excess packaging before storing.

Ongoing Inspections

• Pest control has been designated an essential service, so your provider can continue service uninterrupted and provide an understanding of weaknesses in your IPM plan with customized solutions to address them.
• Work with your pest control provider to conduct a bed bug inspection while rooms are vacant.
• Record and report any pest sightings between service visits to your pest control provider.

By maintaining a proactive approach to pest management amid the COVID-19 pandemic, your business will be even better positioned in the future to help keep pests out and retain your focus on serving customers. And remember, if you’re interested in going one step further to help protect your employees and customers, we offer Orkin VitalClean, a service designed to disinfect spaces quickly and effectively. The service uses a powerful disinfectant on the EPA’s “List N” of products for use against SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 — and kills 100% of bacteria and viruses on hard, non-porous surfaces.

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