World Grain - August 2011 - 100

FEATURE: RESILIENT PESTS

Clean up product spills around plant equipment as well as food and beverage spills in break rooms and other employee areas.

hitch-hike into your facility. Just as they can be carried in, they can also be carried out. If your plant is currently infested with cockroaches, you may be unknowingly sending out pests to whomever you are supplying. Whether found on the exterior casing of a shipment or on the inside, a customer, distributor or wholesaler receiving your shipment will not be happy to ﬁnd this unexpected intruder. Such an event may cause these partners to refuse service and ﬁnd another vendor. Once inside a facility, cockroaches can begin contaminating food products right away. These pests contaminate foods with their droppings, bodies and with the bacteria they carry. They are also known to secret smelly oils that can ruin food products, and impart odors to equipment that appears to be clean. Additionally, if these pests ﬁnd their way into the production or storage of grain in the U.S., it’s not just your customers who won’t be happy. If insect fragments are found in your product, the Food and Drug Administration may take action by prosecuting individuals, shutting down the plant, seizing misbranded products, or issuing minor violations. In addition to being harmful to your facility and your product, cockroaches can also be harmful to the health of your employees and customers. Despite their small size, they are known to carry an average of 25 different bacteria that can lead to life-threatening illnesses such as Salmonella and E coli. The dusts created by their feces, cast skins and dead bodies can
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also trigger allergic reactions and asthma in many people, especially children. Cockroaches can reproduce very quickly. For every one cockroach you see, there could be hundreds more hiding and reproducing in your plant. Because cockroaches have become resistant to various treatments over the years, it’s important to work closely with your pest management professional to correctly identify and seek proper control methods. PREVENTION TIPS The best way to prevent a potential infestation is to create an uninviting environment for these pests. In order to accomplish this, a building must be in good physical condition and uphold a strong sanitation program. Remember, prevention is the key to safeguarding your facility from cockroaches, and one of the best ways to stay proactive about pest management is by working with your provider to implement an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) program. An IPM program helps prevent cockroach entry by limiting access to their basic necessities of food, water and shelter. It emphasizes proactive management methods to prevent problems before they occur. Additionally, IPM programs are often supported by environmentallyresponsible products and monitoring devices that are not only effective, but have the least impact on the environment. Here are some tips to help keep your grain facility unfriendly to cockroaches: • Effective pest management is a team effort between management, staff

and pest management professionals. Educate facility personnel on the proper sanitation and pest management efforts. • Clean up product spills around plant equipment as well as food and beverage spills in break rooms and other employee areas. • Monitor the areas around sinks and other water sources for standing water and remove if present. Clean areas around ﬂoor drains where leftover food particles or buildup may be found. Both sources serve to sustain cockroaches in your facility. • Use vacuums equipped with HEPA (high efﬁciency particulate air) ﬁlters to remove small dust and debris particles from the cracks and crevices of the building’s interior where cockroaches often hide. • Inspect all incoming shipments to ensure cockroaches don’t hitch a ride into your facility. Consult your suppliers if any evidence of pests is found. • Remove trash on a regular basis so that rotting debris doesn’t draw cockroaches and other pests. Line trashcans and cover them tightly, and keep dumpsters as far from the facility as possible. • Seal unnecessary cracks and crevices to prevent cockroaches from gaining access from the outside. • Trim back vegetation at least two feet from the facility to help keep cockroaches off of the building itself. Remember, cockroach infestations can spiral out of control quickly. By following these simple precautionary steps and working closely with your pest management professional, you can help avoid a potential pest disaster in your grain facility and stop an infestation before it even starts.
Dr. Zia Siddiqi is director of quality systems for Orkin. A board certified entomologist with more than 30 years in the industry, Siddiqi is an acknowledged leader in the field of pest management. For more information, e-mail him at zsiddiqi@rollins.com or visit www.orkincommercial.com.
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August 2011 / World Grain / www.World-Grain.com

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World Grain - August 2011

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