Pest Control Contracts in Food Premises
Pest Control Contracts in Food Premises:
Pest control contracts in food premises are the most important contracts. The reason for this is that problems with pests in these types of premises is more likely to lead to people being ill (or worse). Unfortunately at the moment a large proportion of this industry is under financial pressure more than others due to the recession. People stop going out when times are hard. This effects pest control as it puts pressure on these businesses to cut costs which can mean reducing the scope of the pest control contract or doing away with it altogether.
At PEST UK we believe that any food premises should have a contract with at least 8 scheduled inspections per per. This gives a six week interval between visits. We also offer a four visit a year contract. The visit gap is then increased to 12 weeks which in our opinion is too long. This allows time for any potential problem to build up to a serious level not only damaging the customers reputation but ours also. Saying that a four visit contract is better than no contract at all. Cost is a major factor.
To encourage customers to opt for the eight visit contract PEST UK had reduced the cost of the 8 visit contract dramatically in the past year.
On a contract we would lay preventative baits, monitors, traps & pheromone cockroach monitors. We make hygiene and proofing recommendations that if carried out reduce the need for toxic baits to be left down. Best case scenario is a well proofed premises with good hygiene practices with an eight visit per year contract that has a mixture of monitoring traps, non toxic baits & cockroach pheromone monitors.
After every visit a written report is made out for the manager to sign. This contains details of any problems, recommended action for the owner to take in respect to hygiene and/or proofing and baits laid or removed.
The cockroach pheromone monitors are very important. These will pick up cockroach problems usually before they are noticed by staff, the environmental health inspector or customers. The main reason for the spread of cockroaches is the introduction of 2nd hand fridges and other catering equipment. It is usually the smaller premises that suffers this (another aspect of financial pressure).
A well run pest control contract will save money and a customers reputation in the end. It is a gamble to operate without one.
German Cockroach with Nymphs & egg case found in Restaurant in Berkshire
