Having rodents in your restaurant can harm your staff, your customers and even your reputation. They contaminate food supplies and spread disease through their urine and feces. It may not be your fault that these animals find their way in, but it’s your responsibility to treat the problem. Here’s how we recommend dealing with rodents.
Take Out Trash in a Timely Manner
Rodents aren’t picky eaters. They love to eat scraps and leftovers. This makes it all the more important to remove food scraps and clean up spills, empty trash multiple times a day, and secure trash cans and dumpster lids. If possible, keep dumpsters and trash cans away from the building so they don’t create an easy path for rodents to find their way in.
Keep Food and Water Sealed
Keep food stored and tightly sealed so rodents won’t smell a source of food. If they get into your food supplies, they may eat some of it and leave it exposed to the elements. They can also contaminate it with disease-spreading bacteria. Water can also attract rodents. Make sure water is turned all the way off and spills are cleaned up in a timely manner so you don’t create a source of hydration for rodents and other pests.
Maintain Your Landscaping
Mice and rats have to come from somewhere. They live outside in nature unless they find a consistent source of food, water and shelter from the elements. The more overgrown plants you have near your restaurant, the easier it will be for rodents to sneak in. Tall weeds and grass also give them a place to hide while they make their voyage.
Keep Up with Repairs
Rodents can get in through holes in the walls, tears in screens or even breaks in weatherstripping under doors. They can fit into the tiniest holes, but if they can’t find holes quickly, they’ll turn back and try another place. Keep up with repairs around the restaurant to avoid giving rodents easy access.
Call the Pros
Setting traps can help with the rodents that come out, but chances are, there are more roaming around than you realize. They’re also not attracted to the same types of food. A pest control company can help you get rid of the entire rodent infestation and help you formulate a plan to keep the pests out.
Rodents can cause harm to people, equipment and food supplies in a restaurant. Pro-Staff offers commercial Waukee pest control services to restaurants and other businesses. Give us a call at 515-279-7378 or contact us online to learn more.
