instore - May 2018 - 64

FOOD SAFETY

Pest Control
by Ryan Aktinson

op-notch pest control has to be a team effort, according to Bobby Corrigan, urban
rodentologist and entomologist with RMC
Pest Management Consulting in Briarcliff
Manor, New York.
"Do not simply rely on the 'pest guy' to give
you a 100 percent report on what is or is not
going on in your building," he says.
Corrigan has authored a book on the subject
(Rodent Control: A Practical Guide for Pest
Management Professionals) and also wrote
the Rats & Mice chapter in the 10th edition
of the Mallis Handbook of Pest Control. He
says a lot of the leg work must be done within the business.
"You have to establish weekly 'pilot walkabouts' looking for the obvious evidence of
pests on shelves, under gondolas, in hardto-reach places, in clutter, on top of boxes
and more," he says. "Monthly exterminating
visits are not magic wands. They are only 20
percent of the portion of keeping a (facility) vermin-free. The 80 percent comes from
daily surveillance, plugging up holes, having tight doors, box management, and detail
cleaning by the staff."
Of course, that doesn't mean a good relationship with a pest control partner isn't
also a necessity.
"You should always hire a quality pest contractor; one who knows their way around
food stores and pest infestations," Corrigan
says. "The least expensive companies are
rarely well-trained. Be careful of pest technicians that just show up and check bat boxes
and traps. Any person, including the custodian, can check boxes."
Not surprisingly, Sarah Kantarovich McGuire agrees. She's the
directory of operations
for Smithereen
Pest Management, based
in Chicago.
Photo: ©npps48 - stock.adobe.com

64 * MAY 2018 * commissary INSIDER

"One of the things we feel is most important when it comes to not just food protection, but also general pest management, is
just being proactive," she says. "Partnering
with a company that is proactive in inspections, proactive in documentation, proactive
in recommending what needs to be done to
prevent pest entry or recommendations on
what needs to be done if there is already
pest entry."

"Monthly exterminating visits
are not magic wands."
BOBBY CORRIGAN

But McGuire is also on the same page with
Corrigan when it comes to building a true
partnership and putting in the work when
the pest control company is not on hand.
"You have to be involved in it with your pest
control company," she says. "Not just allowing your pest control company to do what
they do, but also being involved in discussing
what proactive measures should be in place."

Common mistakes
Big steps in working out pest control problems generally don't require a lot of time, effort or brain power, experts say. Many of the
common mistakes made by companies that
experience rodent infestations are relatively
easy fixes.
"Many stores and food production facilities
fail to keep their exterior dumpsters and refuse areas cleaned properly," Corrigan says.
This, of course, can turn the area into a virtual magnet for rats and mice. From there,
those pests gravitate to the nearly non-pestproofed doors and invade.

4 SIMPLE TIPS
from Bobby Corrigan
1.

Stage preventative
pilot walkabouts

Make sure doors are tight
and penetrations are sealed

Perform detailed cleaning
in hard-to-reach areas

Hire and pay for quality
pest control
Photo: Robert Corrigan

Those doors are the site of what McGuire
says is one of the biggest missteps she routinely sees. And it's even more of a simple
mistake than you might expect.

and it seems so easy to not do, but we know
that when business gets rolling, it's challenging to always have everyone keep the doors
closed," she says. "Keeping doors closed is
a really great way to keep pests out and it's
a very, very easy thing to be able to do. And
door sweeps. It's obvious but very commonly missed to not have door sweeps properly
installed to prevent rodent entry."

"One of the most typical things we see is
keeping doors open. It's such a silly thing

Of course, even if your facility is sealed up
tight, there are still ways for rodents to en-

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