by developersCommercial Kitchen Pest Control: Everything You Need To Know
Pests can be incredibly damaging to businesses of all types, but particularly those in the food services market. From food storage areas to kitchens, many of these spaces are havens for vermin, but they can be dangerous.
From causing food safety issues to contamination, pests can be a major health hazard and bad for business.
As part of our commercial pest control service offering, Edinburgh Environmental Services provides emergency and ongoing pest control services to restaurants, cafes and many other food service businesses.
That’s why we’ve put together this handy guide to understanding common pests found in food preparation areas and how you can reduce your business’s risk of a pest infestation.
What Are The Most Common Pests In Commercial Kitchens?
Kitchen and restaurant environments can attract a wide range of different species of vermin. While some of these pests are found outside, such as nuisance birds or foxes searching for food crumbs and scraps, many of them can also make their way inside. Some of the most common pests that many commercial kitchens face include:
Cockroaches
Cockroaches are usually associated with tropical climates, but in the UK there are several species, the most prevalent of which are the Oriental cockroach and the German cockroach.
Both like humid environments and are often found in kitchen cupboards or storage areas, where they feast on food debris and dried products.
Roaches are relatively large insects, meaning that they can be easily noticed by diners or visitors and can be damaging for your reputation.
Ants
Although commonly associated with gardens, ants can make their way into commercial kitchens in search of sugary foods to eat.
Once they find a tasty food source, ants may build nests outside your establishment and come inside regularly.
While ants aren’t as much of a health risk as other vermin, they can cause contamination and scare away potential customers, as well as making your premises feel unhygienic and unwelcoming.
Flies
Noticing flies on food is a classic sign of an unhygienic food business, so keep flies away is essential.
There are many species of flies found in the UK, but some of the most common ones that affect commercial kitchens are fruit flies, as they are attracted to sweet foods and fruit in particular.
Many businesses use fly screens or electric fly killers to protect their businesses, and these can be used in conjunction with a range of different fly deterrents to ensure that your business is safe.
Rats
When it comes to commercial kitchen pests, rats are probably the scariest. Rats are large rodents that are easy to see and will enter food preparation areas in search of something to eat.
If they find they have easy access to food and shelter, they will keep coming back. Because of their warm conditions and abundance of food items, commercial kitchens are the perfect site for rats.
Rat breeding habits mean that what starts as a few rats can quickly become a major infestation, so you need to be proactive if you notice signs of rats in your commercial kitchen.
Mice
Another common rodent pest that likes restaurant kitchens, mice are slightly smaller than rats but just as terrifying.
Mice can be dangerous in commercial kitchens as they contaminate food, scare customers and can even cause a fire hazard by chewing through electrical wires.
Like rats, mice need fast, effective control to ensure they stay away from your commercial kitchen, which is why it is best not to try to get rid of them yourself, and instead call in the professionals.
Stored Product Insects
Stored product insects is the collective name given to a range of minuscule insects that eat and live in dried foods such as flour, wheat and others.
In the UK, the most common stored product insects found include confused flour beetles, Indian meal moths, saw toothed grain beetle, grain weevils and others.
These insects might be small, but they can be destructive and contaminate food supplies, costing your business money and time.
Once stored product insects have infested your commercial kitchen cupboards, they can be challenging to remove without the help of professional pest control providers.
Dangers Of Pests In Your Commercial Kitchen Areas
Having pests can cause major problems for commercial kitchens, including:
- Health Hazards: Pest issues can cause a health problem, contaminating food and making it unfit for human consumption. Many vermin spread diseases to humans, so they can cause a health problem and can lead to your business being shut down on health and safety grounds.
- Food Contamination: When they have access to food preparation areas, vermin such as rats, mice and flies can contaminate food by transmitting diseases and spreading bacteria from faeces or rubbish which they’ve touched previously.
- Damage To Equipment: Many vermin can cause damage to electrical equipment and furniture in restaurant environments, which can be expensive to fix.
- Compliance Issues: The food industry is highly regulated, and pests can cause violations in food safety standards. To ensure you’re compliant with all relevant food laws, you need to make sure all food storage, preparation and service areas are pest-free.
- Reputation Problems: The hardest issue many eateries face when dealing with pests is the damage to their reputation. Now that almost everyone has a smartphone and instant access to global social media platforms, it only takes one sighting to cause a lasting problem that can be almost impossible to overcome without closing the business down and reopening. That’s why when it comes to pest control for commercial kitchens, prevention is always better than treatment.
How To Prevent Pests In Your Commercial Kitchen
As mentioned previously, it’s better to prevent pests proactively than to have to deal with the many problems they can cause to your food service business. While it’s impossible to fully stop all vermin from gaining access to your space, some simple techniques to protect your commercial kitchen include:
- Limit Entry Points: Make sure that all holes in brickwork are filled, and use fly screens to cover open doors or windows if required to prevent flies and other winged insects from entering.
- Store Products Correctly: It’s vital that you store products correctly using airtight containers and that you check the dates on items regularly, to ensure that you don’t accidentally keep out of date produce that might become a food source for vermin, which are often attracted to rotting or older food.
- Keep Your Kitchen Clean: Cleaning up food crumbs and working to maintain a clean kitchen is not only vital to ensure compliance with health and safety legislation, but also for ensuring that vermin don’t have an easily accessible food source.
- Secure Rubbish And Food Waste: Make sure any food waste is kept in secure bins and that these are emptied regularly, as food odours from bins can attract insects and rodents.
- Know The Signs: Learn the key indicators of common pests found in kitchen, such as what rat or mouse droppings look like, so that you can quickly identify potential issues and deal with them before they become major pest infestations.
- Get Regular Pest Inspections: Working with experienced pest control providers like EES can ensure that you reduce your chances of a pest problem and that if a pest risk is found, it can be dealt with promptly.
What To Do If You Find An Infestation In Your Commercial Kitchen
Whether you already have a pest infestation in your commercial kitchen, or are concerned about the risks, you need a commercial pest control contract from EES. Our team are experienced experts in kitchen pest control and can carry out regular inspections to reduce the chances of a pest issue.
Should vermin find a way in, or an issue lead to the potential for an infestation, our pest controllers will notice it during their routine checks, find the most effective method of removing the existing pests and then use preventative measures to stop the pests from returning.
For peace of mind, your food service business needs EES. Covering Edinburgh and the surrounding area, we already work with a wide range of restaurants, cafes, hotels and large commercial buildings with canteens, so we have experience carrying out pest control in a wide range of different kitchen environments.
Our team are well versed in public health and health and safety, meaning we have all the qualifications, skills and equipment needed to carry out pest control in all food preparation areas. Contact us on 0131 560 6441 to book your commercial kitchen survey and start protecting your business today.