It might make your skin crawl to think about, but pests in food preparation or serving environments is a problem that can quickly become out of control. Whilst legislation and strict hygiene guidance mean that the majority of businesses rarely have issues with pests, infestations are still something that you need to keep an eye out for and implement preventative measures to keep under control.
Pest control is done by qualified professionals who have experience dealing with all kinds of pests and know the best methods to effectively remove them. In this article, we explain the three main types of pest control methods, along with their advantages and disadvantages.
What is Pest Control?
Pest control is a process used in hygiene management that looks to manage the existence and presence of different types of pests to minimise their impact on the environment they inhabit. Whilst many pests pose a risk to human health when they are present in places such as homes and retail or food preparation environments, it is also important to consider their place
Pest control technicians are professionals that are tasked with finding and implementing the best solutions for removing or controlling pest populations to make a range of environments safe. Because of the potential harm that the improper use of pest control methods can cause, the professional is regulated by best practice codes and the equipment or products needed for pest control are only available to those with appropriate qualifications and experience.
There are a variety of pieces of legislation connected with pest control that impacts what needs to be done and the appropriate ways to go about dealing with infestations of different kinds of pests. One of the most important of these is the ‘The Prevention of Damage by Pest Act’ (1949) which gives authorities the right to inspect any premises and requires property owners to keep their buildings free of pests.
‘The Food Safety Act’ (1990) is another key piece of legislation that holds food and catering businesses accountable for ensuring that the products they sell and serve are safe to consume. Under this law, business owners are required to source appropriate pest control forces to deal with infestations that pose a risk to food safety.
Finally, ‘The Public Health Act’ (1961) gives local authorities the power to issue a notice for immediate action to be taken if a premise is considered to be infested with vermin.
Birds and Others
Birds and other kinds of animals are the least common pests, but can still cause issues and pose a threat to the health and safety of a business and its customers. Pigeons and seagulls are common bird pests, whilst creatures like foxes and squirrels can also cause serious problems in large numbers.
Physical
Physical pest control involves the trapping and killing or removal of pests to remove them from an environment. It may also involve putting up physical barriers and ‘pest proofing’ premises to stop pests from returning or entering in the first place.
Common examples of physical pest control include removing or destroying nests, blocking holes, windows or doorways, temperature control methods to kill pests, or setting traps to catch pests and then remove them from the area. In farming, methods such as field burning and trap cropping are also common physical control methods.
Chemical
Chemical pest control methods are the most widely used approach to pest control. They are also commonly used to control weed infestations and diseases in crops.
Pesticides are the name used to describe chemical pest control substances, which usually poison and kill the pest that consumes or is exposed to them. These may be used in combination with physical traps or just be left out in places where pests are known to be. Only qualified pest control technicians can and should have access to chemical pesticides, as these substances are toxic and can be incredibly harmful if ingested by a human.
Another chemical pest control method is ultra-low volume (ULV) fogging, which is used to combat insect infestations and spreads small amounts of insecticide. On the opposite end of the scale, fumigation is an extreme chemical pest control method that involves sealing a building and filling it with pesticide to annihilate any pest on the premises.
Biological
The last of the 3 methods of pest control is biological methods which is one of the oldest forms of pest management. This consists of using other natural organisms to reduce or remove a species of pest, which usually involves introducing their natural predator to the same environment to manage the pest population. It’s not commonly used as a method of dealing with pests in a health and safety context, but may be used to control larger populations of pests which could pose a risk to those who live in the same area.
Natural predators are one form of biological pest control method, but another that tends to be used on plants is the introduction of microorganisms that protect their host species by deterring any pests.
