The Importance of Pest Control for Vancouver Restaurants

Maybe this is obvious, but a pest problem in a Vancouver restaurant can be a disaster. With social media allowing for information being rapidly shared among friends and acquaintances, one bad pest post can significantly damage your reputation. Not to mention the damage of a poor sanitation review. The competition in Vancouver is fierce enough without a few pests ruining your reputation.

COMMON PESTS TO WATCH OUT FOR

In a restaurant, the most likely pests to invade will be rodents, cockroaches, and flies. The rodents and flies are attracted by the food and the cockroaches … well, they’re cockroaches and they’ll take up residence anywhere they can and are especially fond of cardboard. Surprisingly, another potential threat comes from bed bugs. Bed bugs may not need a bed in order to get comfortable.

WHAT TO DO?

The majority of pest problems can be dealt with by being aware of the ways each pest enters your restaurant kitchen and why they are attracted in the first place. It goes without saying that cleanliness is important in a restaurant kitchen, but it becomes especially important when you consider how quickly pests are attracted to a sticky counter or a small piece of food hiding under a counter. Ensuring that there’s nothing for pests to find will make it much less likely that they’ll come looking in your kitchen. Manage your trash with care, as this is also a common breeding ground for flies. And remember that even water can be attractive to pests.

Unfortunately, many older buildings in Vancouver have been dealing with our wet weather for long enough to have weak points. Cracks tend to form anywhere that water can get in, even just a tiny bit of water. That means you should check and seal around doors and windows to be sure there aren’t entry points for pests.

EXTERMINATION AND UPKEEP

Identifying a problem with pests in your restaurant can be stressful, but the last thing you want to do is ignore it. The longer pests are allowed to invade unchecked, the worse the problem will be and the harder it will be to reverse. If you take immediate action at the first signs of pests, you can avoid having to use toxic chemicals to resolve the pest problem, which is not good for your restaurant business. And to ensure that you don’t have pests in the future, you should consider a long-term view on pest control. Pests are damaging enough for restaurants that you should be vigilant at all times.

Read about Gilpin’s pest control services