Many parts of the United States are in for a blistery cold winter season this year, which brings new challenges for pest management in food processing facilities. One of the most notable challenges these facilities face is increased pressure from rodents who seek out food and shelter in extreme weather. These issues are amplified by erratic weather and extreme snow, to which many areas have become accustomed. A rodent infestation could shut down a food processing facility and lead to a loss of product and profit. Additionally, these pests can transmit diseases to employees.

Rodent infestations are extremely dangerous to the health and safety of employees who work in the facilities, as these pests can transmit Salmonella, which can also contaminate food manufactured in the facility. In fact, rodents are known to contaminate or consume about 20% of the world’s food supply.

To prevent infestations, it’s very important for facility managers and their employees to have some baseline knowledge of the different rodent species they could be facing. The most frequent invaders found in the U.S. are deer mice, house mice, Norway rats, and roof rats.

• House mice. These are the most commonly encountered rodent in the U.S. and, despite their name, they are the most common invader of commercial facilities. They usually nest in dark, secluded areas such as storage rooms and basements. These pests can cause serious property damage by chewing through drywall and wires, which can then spark electrical fires. House mice also pose a significant threat to food processing facilities, contaminating food products and spreading disease. House mice have been implicated in the spread of Salmonella through their feces.
• Deer mice. These mice typically live in rural, outdoor areas and are less common in urban areas; however, this does not reduce the risk they pose to food processing facilities located in more rural settings. They will often prepare their nests in old fence posts, tree hollows and log piles but will also seek shelter in commercial buildings, storage areas or vehicles. Deer mice present serious medical concerns as they can be carriers of hantavirus, a characteristically influenza-like illness which can be accompanied by kidney, blood, or respiratory ailments and is potentially fatal.
• Norway rats. Similar to house mice, Norway rats often nest in basements, in piles of debris, and in other undisturbed areas and materials. They especially like burrowing into soil underneath sidewalks, slabs, or low-growing shrubs. Norway rats have a propensity to gnaw through almost everything, including plastic and lead pipes, which can damage food processing machinery and spark dangerous electrical fires. Norway rats are also carriers of serious diseases including rat-bite fever, leptospirosis, trichinosis, and salmonellosis.
• Roof rats. Named for their tendency to find shelter in the upper parts of buildings, roof rats not only damage materials by gnawing through them, but they also contaminate stored food and serve as vectors of dangerous diseases. Roof rats are willing to eat practically anything available to them; however, their preference to feed on seeds, nuts, fruits, and berries which may draw them to food processing facilities. Roof rats secured their place in history by spreading the highly dangerous bubonic plague. Though transmission is rare today, there are still a handful of cases in the U.S. each year.

Signs of an Infestation

To keep their facilities safe, food processing facility managers need to regularly inspect the building and machinery for signs of an infestation. Here are the top signs of a rodent infestation facility managers should keep an eye out for:

• Droppings: Mouse or rat droppings found around the facility are some of the most common signs of rodent infestation. These pellets are often left behind in places where food is stored, as well as under sinks, inside chewed cardboard boxes, along baseboards, and on top of wall beams.
• Gnaw marks: Rodents can cause serious property damage by chewing through almost any type of material—including plastic and lead pipes—to obtain food or water. House mice and Norway rats are also known to gnaw on wires behind walls, sometimes causing fires.
• Nests: Rodents prefer to nest in dark, secluded areas where there is little chance of disturbance. House mice, specifically, like to build their nests out of shredded paper products, cotton, packing materials, wall insulation, and fabrics. If facility managers find these materials scattered around guest rooms or common areas, it might be a sign that rodents are nearby. Norway rats typically nest in underground burrows, often near building foundations, while roof rats may nest in ceilings or attics.
• Tracks or rub marks: Rats tend to leave dark grease or dirt marks along walls and floorboards as they follow a trail through the building between their nest and food sources. Facility managers should keep an eye out for these rub marks, which are caused by the rat’s oily fur.
• Strange noises: Getting complaints that employees are hearing strange noises in the walls? Chances are these sounds can be attributed to rodents scurrying about the facility, between the walls and up in attics. Rodents are especially fond of storage spaces because they prefer dark, secluded spots.
• An actual rodent: Mice can breed rapidly, so if a facility manager or a customer spot one mouse in the building, it’s likely there are others playing hide and seek. In fact, a female house mouse can give birth to a half dozen babies every three weeks, producing up to 35 young per year.

Rodent Prevention

Food processing facilities are likely required to work with a licensed pest control company for ongoing pest inspections, routine maintenance visits, and treatments as needed. Working with a qualified pest control company is essential to ensuring your food processing facility remains pest-free. Your pest control partner will work with you to implement an integrated pest management (IPM) plan. An IPM plan is a comprehensive pest control method that that focuses on three basic techniques: inspection, identification, and treatment by a pest control professional. This method will help to ensure that pests are properly controlled and deterred as well as to ensure that your facility is clean and compliant.

In addition to working regularly with your pest control partner, facility managers should implement these prevention tips to avoid unwanted rodent run-ins:

• Trim back trees and foliage close to the foundation;
• Seal any cracks or holes on the outside of the building;
• Repair any broken vent covers, loose siding, or shingles;
• Keep storage areas clean and organized to eliminate any potential nesting grounds;
• Properly ventilate storage areas and machinery to prevent moisture buildup that can attract pests;
• Keep food products sealed and stored properly in air-tight containers;
• Clean high-volume areas often, including employee break rooms, bathrooms, and lobby areas where crumbs and trash accumulate daily; and
• Dispose of garbage regularly and store in sealed receptacles placed at a distance from building entrances.

Rodents will be a continued threat to food processing facilities, but facility managers can ensure they’re prepared through proper education, prevention, and—most importantly—a partnership with a reliable pest control professional.

Dr. Fredericks is senior vice president of public affairs for the National Pest Management Association. Reach him at jfredericks@pestworld.org.

The post 6 Signs of Rodent Infestations at Food Processing Facilities appeared first on Food Quality & Safety.

Commercial pest management can be synonymous with brand protection, ensuring that a customer never associates pests with a particular food processor or restaurant. As commercial pest management professionals (PMPs), our jobs often are to protect the food supply. This is a serious undertaking that involves protecting food through all stages of its processing, including in the retail environment, in restaurants, and often in a consumer’s home. That consumable item is the last step of a complicated, multi-faceted processing system that takes all different types of ingredients and turns them into something crave-worthy through the magic of food science. It’s that final product that is worthy of protecting.

The production lines on which these products are created are at the forefront of sanitation and pest management protection efforts; however, many of the real risks to that product do not stem from those production lines, but from unlikely, low-profile areas of the facility that have the potential for pest infestations. The building design, process flow, structural and sanitation resources, storage practices, and even neighboring facilities can all directly impact whether the production line feels pest pressure. Additionally, warehousing and receiving areas where ingredients and final products are stored tend to be near production lines, which harbor their own set of pest risks.

Stored Product Pests

Dry ingredients, such as baking mixes, cocoa, nuts, and flour, may enter a food processing facility infested with stored product pests such as Indianmeal moths (Plodia interpunctella), cigarette beetles (Lasioderma serricorne), warehouse beetles (Trogoderma variabile), and flour beetles (Tribolium spp.). Stored product pests live in the food they eat; the food is their home. If the facilities processing and packaging these ingredients have a stored product pest infestation, the product that they are shipping out may have that same infestation, which can in turn infest the destination facility.

Stored product pest population development is a function of time and temperature. The longer a population sits in a container in warm temperatures, the more generations will develop. For this reason, first-in first-out stock rotation is essential. Forgotten totes or pallets of ingredients may hold generations of stored product pests that are quietly devouring the product and growing their population, eventually to a point where they need to find new harborage to infest and spread throughout the warehouse. Using storage containers that prevent these pests from entering or exiting the food can be an excellent tool to minimize risk. Well-sealed plastic or metal storage containers can prevent pests from escaping an infested container and protect product that is not infested. Racking can also be a common source of stored product pest infestations within a warehouse. Product and ingredient spills collect in the beams of the racking and in the racking legs and guards, providing an excellent harborage.

Though we tend to think of stored product pests as internal infestations, several stored product pests, such as the warehouse beetle, have populations on the exterior of a building. These populations are often monitored on the interior through pheromone traps and/or insect light traps (ILTs), but the source may be outside of the building. In such cases, a facility may need to focus on exclusion, using fans, light management, and sealing to keep those outdoor pests on the exterior.

Monitoring and control: Finding infested product in a warehouse can be daunting. With rows of pallets packed high with susceptible ingredients, it may seem as though stored product pests can loom anywhere. To assist with finding stored product pests, PMPs can implement a pheromone program. Pheromones and/or kairomones are placed in tent or pit-fall traps, depending on which species are being targeted. Not all stored product pests have had pheromones synthesized for them, so it is important to remember that we cannot monitor for all stored product pests. Fortunately, the most damaging stored product pests do have synthesized pheromones. The monitoring traps will guide our inspection, telling us what areas of the warehouse have the most activity and warrant our attention. There is no replacement for a detailed and systematic inspection, but with monitoring data, we can find that infestation faster.

Once the infestation is found, it’s essential to remove it. In a warehouse, this is typically a forgotten ingredient. Removing and disposing the container and its contents will remove not only the food that the insects are consuming, but also the bulk of the infestation itself. Inspection and monitoring must continue to determine where the infestation has spread. Sometimes it has spread to a point where we cannot remove all sources. Fumigation, heat, or freezing may be solutions in these situations, but even these strategies are typically temporary. Sanitation must be present to prevent reinfestation.

Commensal Rodents

Commensal rodents are the rodents that actively attempt to get into and live in our facilities. They include the house mouse, Norway rat, and roof rat. These rodents typically enter a warehouse through unsealed parts of the building or in a pallet. Warehouses with docks are particularly susceptible to rodent entry, because completely sealing dock doors, plates, and levels can be difficult and costly. Even the most perfectly sealed facility can be vulnerable to rodents as a result of poor employee practices, such as leaving man doors propped open and not fully closing dock doors. Rodents are drawn to the shelter or food these facilities may provide and, once inside, immediately look for areas to hide. Balers, unused equipment, and other dark spaces make great homes for rodents. If not discovered quickly through inspection and monitoring traps, they can move, spreading throughout the facility.

Rodents, particularly mice, are also often brought into a facility in infested pallets. They are called “pallet mice,” and they make their homes deep within a pallet of ingredients. They usually enter from the underside and may not be visible from the outside of the pallet. When these pallets come into the facility and are placed for use, the mice begin to leave the pallet and spread throughout the facility. This can be particularly frustrating for a facility with excellent sealing and employee practices, who are unknowingly letting in a Trojan horse containing mice.

Monitoring and control: Multi-catch traps are the standard monitoring tool for rodents inside a facility. Sometimes, it may make sense to place them on the exterior of a facility if the PMP needs to know how big a population is or if they cannot risk a poisoned mouse dying inside the facility. Otherwise, it’s common to trust exterior rodent stations to inform whether or not the exterior population is present and active. This is judged by the amount of bait or monitoring blocks that are digested, droppings left behind, or gnaw marks on the station.

The key to control, particularly for pallet mice, is inspection at receiving. Employees trained to look for evidence of rodent activity may be able to identify infestations and reject infested pallets before they enter the facility.

When there is evidence inside the facility, whether that is droppings, live or dead rodents, nesting evidence, or other damage, PMPs can start to develop a control strategy. Snap traps with attractive lures are an excellent choice for quick control. The success of a snap trap program in a warehouse will be dependent on placement, lures used, and competing foods. A good snap program requires equal parts patience and creativity; placing the same traps in the same place with the same lure will rarely get your population under control. An aggressive snap trap program may need to be supplemented with rodenticides, where safe and legal, to apply and exclusion.

Flies

Flies that impact a warehouse are typically divided into two broad categories: small flies and large (or filth) flies. Though similar in so many ways, there is an important difference between the two. Small flies typically come from the interior, while large flies usually come in from the exterior. We may find both inside a facility, but when we are looking for the source, it will vary based on which fly is present. Small flies are a group that includes many species, and each has its preferred habitat and needs. Identifying the fly in the warehouse is an essential first step, because it will dictate whether the PMP should look primarily inside or outside for the source. This may also lead us to a particular food source. Identification, therefore, really gears the PMP’s inspection in the right direction.

Large flies in a warehouse are typically there due to open doors and docks, much like commensal rodents. Light management can play an important part in this too, as these pests are drawn to the light on both the interior and exterior of the facility. Dumpsters and spills are typically the source of these flies, though any moist organic material can provide an acceptable exterior harborage.

Small flies typically come from the interior of the facility. In a warehouse, that may be related to structural or sanitation issues associated with sewers, drains, or cleaning rooms. However, they may also be associated with liquid ingredients that are stored in the warehouse. A thorough inspection based on the food preferences of the species identified will identify the source and dictate the proper control method.

Facilities that process liquid ingredients with spill potential may have more frequent and long-term infestations, particularly if that material seeps onto the floor or into grates.

Monitoring and control: ILTs are often considered a universal flying pest monitoring tool. While they are very effective for some species, others do not respond as strongly to the light. Nonetheless, an ILT is a good first line of defense and monitoring tool to determine what species are in the facility.

Flies are generally not cryptobiotic, meaning they do not try to hide the way rodents and cockroaches do. This can make inspection easier, as adult flies are often very visible. The challenge is finding them in the juvenile stages, which may be hundreds of feet away from where we are seeing the adults. Once the PMP is able to find the source, insecticide may need to be applied (if appropriate) where the juvenile flies are harboring. Insecticides geared towards the adults will provide relief but will not eliminate the problem.

Renowned urban rodentologist Bobby Corrigan, PhD, a consultant with RMC Pest Management, has said that there must be lines of defense in rodent work. That same philosophy holds true when protecting food processing products. If PMPs can keep the areas surrounding food production pest free, then they are more likely to keep dedicated food production areas pest free. Likewise, if the exterior of a facility can be kept pest free, it is more likely that the interior of the building will remain pest free.

It is important to look at the facility as a whole when developing pest programs, paying attention to all the areas that may not be as highly sensitive, but may be high risk. Doing so will keep high sensitivity areas safe, ensuring that the overall food supply is protected.

Berry is a training manager and board-certified entomologist at McCloud Services. Reach her at annaberry@mccloudservices.com.

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From production to processing, distribution to preparation, each step of the food production chain presents a unique set of food safety challenges. One challenge, however, is universal across all facets of the food industry—pest control. Technologies may advance, supply chains shrink, and food trends evolve, but the pest control battle wages on, with rodents often leading the charge for the opposition.

Rodents eat or contaminate at least 20 percent of the world’s food each year. Their ability to contaminate on such a large scale is due in part to their “nibbling” habits, wherein they come into contact with far more than they actually consume. In addition, in just one year a rat can shed more than half a million body hairs, and a mouse can produce up to 18,000 fecal droppings. In that same year, a pair of rats can produce over 1,200 descendants. Within three years, that can grow to half a billion descendants! Rodents have been linked to asthma and transport fleas, lice, and ticks. The CDC also points out that they carry diseases including rat bite fever, hantavirus, leptospirosis, salmonellosis, murine typhus, and even the bubonic plague.

These are just a few of the disturbing statistics that highlight the importance of preventing infestations before they occur. Once rodents are inside, it is already too late. USDA Sanitation Performance Standards require that “establishments must have in place a pest management program to prevent the harborage and breeding of pests on the grounds and within establishment facilities. Pest control substances used must be safe and effective under the conditions of use and not be applied or stored in a manner that will result in the adulteration of product or the creation of insanitary conditions.”

The use of chemical rodenticides in the food industry is impractical, ineffective, and often highly dangerous. Exclusion—the method of creating physical barriers against rodents and pests to prevent them from entering a building in the first place—is preferred among industry professionals as the safest and most effective pest management strategy available. Fundamentally, it involves the elimination of cracks, crevices, and other spaces that allow rodents to gain entry. The CDC lists “sealing up holes inside and outside the home to prevent entry by rodents” as its number one suggestion in preventing rodent infestations. The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene recommends “sealing all cracks, crevices, and holes in walls, cabinets, and doors” as its top guideline for controlling conditions that promote pests.

Rodent exclusion is fundamental to food safety. Keep the rodents out—plain and simple. Or is it? These tenacious pests are relentless in their pursuit of food and shelter. A mouse can squeeze through an opening the size of a dime, and a rat through an opening the size of a quarter. Rats have the ability to gnaw through plastic, wood, aluminum, brick, cement, and even lead. They can climb wires and rough surfaces, swim considerable distances and tread water for several days, making them a worthy opponent to say the least. But with a comprehensive exclusion plan and employee diligence, it is entirely possible to keep rodents at bay.

Safeguarding Your Building

Specialized, rodent-proof products, like Xcluder fill fabric, are fundamental to proper exclusion.

Building access points are not difficult for rodents to find. The most obvious, and therefore the most critical to protect, are exterior doors. Without proper exclusion, rodents will literally walk through the door and compromise food safety. Personnel doors, garage doors, and loading dock doors are all at risk. Exterior doors should remain closed whenever possible, and sheet iron flashing should be installed at the base of wooden doors, which are susceptible to rodent gnawing.

The gap beneath exterior doors is a very common access point. Any clearance below the door must be smaller than 1/4 inch. It is a common misperception that standard rubber or bristle door sweeps are sufficient to protect this area. While rubber sweeps may help keep out the elements, they provide little to no protection against rodents. Even the smallest of rodents can gnaw through a bristle or rubber door sweep in the course of a single night. Metal brush seals pose a larger obstacle for rodents, but overtime they dent and deform leaving gaps that rodents can exploit to gain entry.

Specialized, rodent-proof door sweeps are perhaps the single most important exclusion tool available. Xcluder Rodent-Proof Door Sweeps, for example, feature reinforced rubber gaskets lined with Xcluder fill fabric—a blend of stainless steel and poly-fiber that has been tested and proven effective against rodents by USDA/APHIS. The reinforced edge prevents rodents from gnawing on the sides of door sweeps, and the fill fabric’s sharp, coarse fibers cannot be gnawed through by rodents. This type of specialized, rodent-proof product is fundamental to proper exclusion. Rodent-proof seals should be installed on all dock levelers, garage doors, and overhead doors. Vertical side seals are also important for dock doors because rodents will not stop at ground level attacks.

A simple method for testing door frame vulnerability is at night. Turn on the brightest light in the room or warehouse and step outside to see if any light is escaping around the door frame. If light can get out, pests can get in.

Additional rodent entry points that need protection include places where electrical, water, gas, sewer, and HVAC lines enter the building, beneath roofing tiles, and through small cracks in the foundation. The Mallis Handbook of Pest Control offers a practical set of exclusion guidelines for those tasked with protecting a building against rodents. Here are a few examples.

• Ventilator grills and windows should be protected with proper exclusion materials, ensuring any voids or cracks are filled.
• Defective drain pipes provide a transportation pipeline for rodents. A perforated metal cover should be cemented over the drain pipe, and any small openings surrounding the drain where it enters the building should be patched or filled with proven exclusion materials.
• Large sidewalk cracks should be sealed, as these crevices allow rodents to access a restaurant’s foundation and search for entry points. Foundation walls can be protected with barriers of metal, concrete, or brick around and below the foundation.
• Circular rat guards should be placed around all vertical wires and pipes.
• Ensure that cracked or broken roofing tiles are replaced as needed and utilize exclusion material to fill any voids.

The Right Tools for the Job

A comprehensive exclusion plan—one that identifies potential access points with a fine-tooth comb and constantly monitors for changes and weaknesses—is the most effective approach to protecting a building from invading rodents. A diligent plan, however, is only as effective as the barrier products installed. Caulk, mortar, and spray foam are occasionally recommended as exclusion tools. While appealing, given they are inexpensive and easy to install, these products offer little to no protection against rodents. A creature that can gnaw through lead pipes will certainly not be deterred by spray foam. Steel wool is another popular exclusion material. Though stronger than caulk and foam, steel wool faces rusting and decomposition over time and therefore requires regular replacement. Copper mesh, a more expensive solution, is effective against rodents when properly installed. However, this is not an easy task as a tight seal is difficult to secure, and the mesh often becomes loose over time. It is also a softer metal, lacking the sharp texture that discourages rodent gnawing.

Consider specialty exclusion products as a solution. Xcluder fill fabric compresses during installation to “spring back” once in place and creates a permanent seal, and the stainless-steel poly-fiber combination won’t rust or degrade over time. This type of proven, specialty product offers permanent protection against rodents, and the peace-of-mind that goes along with it.

Repellents and sonic devices should not be considered viable pest control solutions. Chemical repellents, designed to discourage rodent presence without harming them, are both unsafe for use in the food industry and ineffective overall. Repellents cannot be used near food products, and though the chemicals may cause rodents some amount of discomfort, the resulting distress is not nearly strong enough to deter them from their pursuit of food and shelter. Sonic devices producing ultrahigh or ultralow frequency sounds to deter rodents have been deemed ineffective by the scientific community.

The Importance of Sanitation for Pest Control

A discussion of exclusion best practices would be incomplete without mentioning the wider tenets of integrated pest management, including monitoring and sanitation. The following suggestions from The Mallis Handbook of Pest Control highlight the critical role of sanitation in the fight against rodents.

• Trash must be disposed in clean, tightly-sealed containers and stored as far from the building as possible. Trash removal should be frequent enough to ensure the containers are not a reliable rodent food source, ideally two or more times per week.
• Standing water attracts rodents, especially rats. Gutters should be free of debris and channel water away from the building. Leaky faucets, pipes, and air-conditioning units should be repaired or replaced. Water should not be left standing in sinks overnight, and storage rooms and basements should be dry and well-ventilated.
• Avoid clutter as much as possible—boxes left on the ground are popular nesting grounds for rodents. Cabinet bases, storage shelving voids, and the tiny space behind appliances are also prime targets.
• Storage areas containing bagged or powdered food should be monitored consistently with stock rotated frequently. Whenever possible, store food products away from the walls to reduce the risk of contamination.
• Store food properly in sealed, rodent-proof containers made of metal or hard plastic. Any spills should be addressed as soon as possible.
• Regularly clean and sanitize appliances, equipment, food contact surfaces, and all floors to eliminate any sources of food for rodents. High volume areas where crumbs and trash are likely to accumulate must be cleaned frequently.
• Train employees to notice and report evidence of pests (e.g. rodent droppings in undisturbed areas), which should be addressed immediately.

The battle against rodents is not easily won. But a thorough, well-supported exclusion plan is the most effective tool in keeping rodents out, and absolutely critical in upholding food safety standards. Seek out pest management professionals who understand and support exclusion methods, and work with them to carefully identify and protect all building weaknesses. Do not underestimate the strength and resilience of these tenacious pests; take every precaution necessary and insist upon specialized, rodent-proof product solutions. Encourage all employees to report signs of rodent activity and remember that constant upkeep and monitoring are critical to long-term protection against rodents.

McFadden, the director of research and marketing for Xcluder Pest Control Products, has been serving the commercial and residential pest exclusion industry for many years, touching all levels of the food supply chain from production to retail. Reach him at drewf@gmt-inc.com.

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As the U.S. poultry industry begins a slow recovery from what some are calling the worst outbreak of avian flu the country has ever experienced, the USDA, recently announced that rodent presence in poultry houses, as well as sharing of equipment between infected and non-infected farms, were among several causes behind the spread of the virus.

The federal government expects to spend $191 million to pay chicken and turkey farmers for birds lost to avian flu according to U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, who says that’s in addition to the nearly $400 million spent on cleaning up dead birds and disinfecting barns. The government also is paying to research and stockpile a bird flu vaccine.

Commercial poultry facilities are an ideal rodent habitat as they provide everything they need to survive and thrive, such as unlimited amounts of food, water, and shelter. Furthermore, because of their habits such as contact with garbage and sewer systems, rodents can intensify or accelerate disease outbreaks with their droppings, fur, urine, or saliva. Lastly, rodent presence in food sources results in major losses with some experts estimating that these pests destroy enough food each year to feed 200 million people.

As several rodent species, including the house mouse, Norway rat, and roof rat are commonly found in and around farms, it’s imperative poultry farmers know how to control these species to prevent spread of disease, such as the avian flu, and contamination of poultry and eggs.

Finding the Rodents
Infestations often can go unnoticed because rodents living in farm facilities tend to be most active just after dusk and right before dawn. But since mice produce between 30 to 100 droppings a day and rats about 30 to 50, droppings are one of the most common signs of an infestation.

Before implementing rodent-proofing methods, it’s important to conduct regular, visual inspections of the premises for droppings, tracks, burrows, pathways, fresh gnaw marks, as well as live and/or dead rodents. If rodents are seen repeatedly during the day, it indicates an established infestation. According to the Mississippi State University Extension Service, there are fairly reliable guides to determine rodent populations, which include:

• Observed signs, but no rodents seen: 1 to 100 on the premises;
• Occasional sightings at night: 100 to 500 on the premises;
• Nightly sightings and occasional daytime sightings: 500 to 1,000 on the premises; and
• Several seen during the day: up to 5,000 on the premises.

Rodent-Proofing Poultry Facilities
As noted in the USDA avian flu report, cross-contamination of equipment and rodent presence were partially responsible for the transmission of the virus, placing even greater significance on sanitation and maintenance of poultry houses. Considering most rodents enter the barn directly from the fields, it’s important to eliminate any vegetation within a 3-foot area around buildings they can use as hiding spots. Additionally, poultry farm personnel should clean up spilled feed on a regular basis, keep all feeds in rodent-proof bins or covered cans, remove loose wood and garbage, and eliminate any areas that can be used by rodents as hiding and nesting spots, such as loosely piled building materials or old feed bags.

Similarly, farmers should regularly inspect the premises for cracks around door frames, under doors, broken windows, water and utility hookups, and vents and holes surrounding feed augers as all can be used by rodents to gain entry into the facility. It’s advisable to use coarse steel wool, hardware cloth, or sheet metal to cover any entrances instead of plastic, wood, or insulation since rodents can easily gnaw through such materials. In addition, after eliminating food and shelter, farmers need to eliminate water sources such as leaky taps, open water troughs, and open drains. Without readily available food and water, rodent populations cannot expand.

As elimination of rats and mice from poultry facilities is extremely difficult, implementing significant prevention efforts is the best way for poultry farmers to prevent any and all rodent-related disease outbreaks and contaminations. However, any signs of a problem can and must be quickly addressed through a population-reduction program designed and executed by a professional pest control company with extensive experience in servicing farm facilities.

Mannes is vice president of public affairs and Dr. Fredericks is chief entomologist and vice president of technical and regulatory affairs for the National Pest Management Association. Reach Dr. Fredericks at jfredericks@pestworld.org.

The post Rodents Among Several Culprits in Avian Flu appeared first on Food Quality & Safety.

Food safety is always a hot issue in the food-manufacturing world. After all, the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) undersecretary reports that 14 people die from foodborne illness every day in the United States. Foodborne illnesses may only be one aspect of food safety, but it’s an important one. That’s why food manufacturers go to great lengths to ensure the security of their products, including employing an effective pest management program. Most people realize that pests can contaminate food products and, at the simplest level, are very unsanitary. But few know that some of the most common pests in food manufacturing facilities – flies, rodents and cockroaches – carry a number of pathogens that can cause food borne illness.

Flies – The common house fly carries more than 100 pathogens, and all 12 species of flies carry E. coli, Salmonella and Shigella. Every time a fly lands, it transmits these pathogens to that surface. In fact, it is less sanitary for a fly to land on a food product than for a cockroach to walk across it.

Rodents – Rodents most often spread disease via their droppings. For example, house mice and Norway rats carry Salmonella in their intestinal tracts and transmit it through their droppings. Of course, rodents also can spread illnesses like Hantavirus and plague, though they pose a more ominous threat to employee health than to food safety.

Cockroaches – Cockroaches contract pathogens in the unsanitary conditions they frequent and carry them on the exterior of their bodies. They then introduce the organisms into new environments, causing food poisoning, asthma, diarrhea and dysentery.

To help prevent flies, rodents and cockroaches from threatening food safety, food manufacturers should employ integrated pest management (IPM) programs in their facilities. IPM programs emphasize multiple control methods to prevent pests, as opposed to a reliance on pesticides alone. Not only does IPM result in better management of pests, but by closely monitoring chemical treatments, it reduces the chance of contamination by pesticides and offers a long term solution.

Pest management is an issue because food manufacturing facilities offer pests food and water sources, shelter and comfortable temperatures. Pest management efforts will only be successful if pests cannot access these elements. Whether focusing on fly, rodent or cockroach management, an ongoing sanitation program must be instituted. A program that calls for the immediate clean-up of any product spills and regular waste management will inhibit pests from finding food and water in the facility.

Tell Flies to Buzz Off

With an ongoing sanitation program in place, manufacturers should next focus on techniques that discourage flies from ever approaching the building, keep them out if they get in and stop them from contaminating the product once inside.

It’s no revelation that lights attract flying insects. Manufacturers can use this attraction in their favor by mounting exterior fluorescent lights at least 100 feet from the building, thus drawing flies away from the facility. Sodium vapor lights can be used on the building, since they are not as attractive to flying insects.

If flies do approach the facility, #16 mesh screens, air curtains and positive airflow can help keep them out. Air curtains (plastic strip-doors) and positive airflow both work to reduce the flow of air from the outside and can literally push flying pests out. To check the airflow in their facilities, manufacturers should stand at an open door with a lighter. If the flame blows into the building, the airflow is negative; if it blows out, the airflow is positive.

Inside, manufacturers should work with professionals to place ultraviolet light traps near outside entrances and doors leading to processing operations. The ultraviolet light attracts flies to the devices, which then trap the pests on glue boards. Since third-party auditors monitor the placement of flying insect controls, it’s important to make sure they are used properly and cleaned regularly.

Don’t Let Rodents Play Dirty

Rodents may be associated with cold weather, but their prevention must be year-round. As with fly control, facility maintenance techniques are an integral part of rodent control and should be implemented along with a trapping and baiting program.

First and foremost, manufacturers should seal all unnecessary openings around the building’s exterior, concentrating on exterior points of entry – utility penetrations, doors, windows and rooftop HVAC units. Mice can squeeze through holes as small as a dime, and rats only need a hole the size of a quarter to enter a building.

Since rodents feel vulnerable out in the open, trimming back the vegetation from the building and installing a 30-inch wide gravel strip around the exterior can discourage them from ever approaching the facility.

In addition, third-party auditors require facilities to implement exterior baiting and interior trapping programs to control rodents. On the exterior, tamper-resistant bait stations should be placed at set intervals around the perimeter of the facility, while glue boards and traps should be strategically placed around the interior. Each third-party auditor has different requirements for the placement of these devices, so manufacturers should work with a pest management professional to ensure they adhere to the auditor’s guidelines.

Squash Cockroaches’ Dreams

The steps taken to prevent rodents from entering the building – sealing exterior openings and installing a gravel buffer – also will help prevent cockroach entry. Cockroaches can fit through openings as small as one-sixteenth of an inch, and the gravel strip acts as an obstacle to the crawling insects.

Inside the facility, glue boards and non-volatile baits can help control cockroaches. Glue boards trap the pests and are a useful device to help monitor the cockroach population’s activity over time.

Though non-volatile baits include chemicals, they are preferred over spray pesticides because they do not become airborne. Nevertheless, they should not be used in areas that could threaten food safety. Non-volatile gel baits can be injected into cracks and crevices, minimizing the likelihood that humans and products could come in contact with them.

The bottom line is whether they fly or scurry, pests are unwelcome in food manufacturing facilities. Manufacturers and pest management professionals should work together as part of an ongoing IPM partnership to prevent flies, rodents and cockroaches from posing threats to food safety. Commitment from both sides will help take pests out of the facility and food borne illness concerns off the table.

Dr. Zia Siddiqi is quality assurance director for Orkin, Inc. A Board Certified Entomologist with more than 30 years experience in the industry, Dr. Siddiqi is an acknowledged leader in the field of pest management. Reach him at zsiddiqi@rollins.com.

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Watch out, you’re surrounded! Relentless invaders are on the attack, and the battlefield may be your business. Infestations of rodents, bed bugs and cockroaches are on the rise this year and are more apt to “bug” American businesses in 2005. Following are observations about trends for 2005 from the Steritech Group, Inc. (Charlotte, N.C.), a provider of pest control services.

“Rodents, ants and cockroaches are perennial pests,” says Mike Potter, professor and Urban Entomologist at the University of Kentucky’s College of Agriculture. “They are certainties of life; but that does not mean businesses must tolerate pests inside their establishments. Business owners would do well to partner with pest management professionals.”

Mice can transmit several potentially serious diseases, including the sometimes fatal Hanta Virus. That illness causes dizziness, nausea, fatigue, dry cough, headaches and, ultimately, can lead to respiratory failure.

Rodents: Weapons of Mass Destruction

Rodents can create havoc in a business. They contaminate food, destroy equipment and structures and are vectors of diseases and food poisoning microorganisms. This year, rodents may be even more prevalent than usual due to the 2004 cicada cycle. Rodents feed heavily on this abundant food source during the summer and fall, which will likely increased both their reproduction rate and their survival over the winter.

Mice can transmit several potentially serious diseases, including the sometimes fatal Hanta virus. That illness causes dizziness, nausea, fatigue, dry cough, headaches and, ultimately, can lead to respiratory failure. Hanta virus first appeared in the U.S. in 1993 in New Mexico but has since been identified in at least 30 states. Anyone working in spaces where mice are active could be at risk for contracting this disease, especially those who work regularly in enclosed spaces that may be closed seasonally and reopened after the winter. This includes maintenance workers, housekeepers, construction and utility workers.

Fire Ants: Unfriendly Fire

“Mild winters, such as those experienced by some areas in 2004, favor the northward spread of fire ants,” says Dr. Ed Vargo, associate professor of Entomology at North Carolina State University in Raleigh, N.C. “Colder weather limits the spread of fire ants.”

Fire ants first entered the U.S. via ships at the port in Alabama in the early 1900s. They now infest at least 13 southern and western states – Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas – and continue to migrate aggressively northward, having been reported as far north as Maryland and Ohio. Southern states that enjoyed mild winters, watch out!

When a fire ant mound is disturbed, the colony becomes very aggressive and attacks humans and animals nearby. One sting triggers the other ants to also attack, causing a burning sensation (hence, the name fire ants). Some people are allergic to fire ant stings. For these people, a fire ant attack can be lethal.

Fire ants pose an increased danger in sensitive environments, such as healthcare establishments, retirement facilities and day care centers. Establishments such as these should hire a pest management professional to develop a strategic elimination plan.

For most food manufacturing environments, the presence of fire ants is more of a liability issue than a health concern. However, fire ant workers are attracted to oily or greasy foods which they can carry back to the mound and distribute to other ants 1. When this attraction leads them indoors, these ants have the potential to become a contamination concern as well.

Various other ant species are also expected to migrate farther north this year. Ghost ants and white-footed ants, which are particularly attracted to sweets, can be big nuisances to any food establishment and are difficult to manage without professional help.

Stealth Invaders

Hotels and motels should stay on the lookout for bedbug infestations. The long insects hide in mattresses, wallpaper and along baseboards. They are bloodsuckers that can leave itchy and painful, but not otherwise dangerous, bites.

You can eliminate these bugs by hiring a professional with experience in eliminating bedbug infestations, as recommended by both Steritech and The National Pest Management Association, the industry’s trade association.

Activity of German cockroaches specifically is expected to be on the upswing. This species often inhabits restaurants, bakeries, supermarkets and other food establishments. A cockroach infestation can easily get out of hand, since they can reproduce up to two million offspring in a year under optimal conditions.

In food processing environments, German cockroaches are often found in areas that remain undisturbed, such as storage or confined space areas. Left unchecked, a population can quickly grow in size and spill over into open areas, putting your product at risk.

What You Should Know

As more has been learned about pest biology, pesticide resistance and aversion, pest management methods have also evolved. No longer are traditional approaches such as “spraying” or “fogging” the foundation of a pest management program. Rather, modern pest management programs are built around a variety of complementary tactics, such as early-detection of insect pests through monitoring, thorough inspection for detection of harborage sites, targeted treatments that pose little risk to the environment or people, and structural repairs that exclude invasive pests from entering the facility.

Such modern pest prevention programs rely on a strong partnership and communication between the client and the pest management technician. The level of communication between a facility’s designated contact and a pest management technician is often indicative of a program’s success. Check with your employees on the reporting, documentation and one-on-one contact they receive from their pest management professional. Reports should include details of the service, note any chemicals applied, list opportunities for improvement and include detailed sanitation and structural recommendations. Your contacts should be in regular communication with their pest management technician.

Documentation at the facility should include copies of any reports, material safety data sheets (MSDS) on products currently being used at the facility, maps of service areas and any other pertinent information. If you don’t see these things, consider looking for a new pest management partner. In your search, ask candidates for a proposal detailing the job, frequency of visits, response times, applicable guarantees, types and quality of service reporting, and above all, make sure that the company knows what it takes to outsmart pests in your facility.

It is helpful when personnel in the facility understand what is required in terms of sanitation, operational procedures and structural repairs for the program to be successful. Once the role of each partner in the program has been established, knowledge about the pest’s biology can be used to eliminate the conditions that enabled the pest to become established in the first place. See Table 1 for some tips on stopping pests before they become a problem.

Despite warming temperatures and pest trends, you can safeguard your facility against pests. Investing appropriate resources in training, maintenance and a high-quality company will help to reduce your costs in the long run, protect you from costly shutdowns and recalls and, most importantly, ensure that the safest possible food is being produced at your facility.

References:

1. Nathan Riggs, The ABC’s of Fire Ants and Their Management, Department of Entomology, Texas A&M University, 2002, http://fireant.tamu.edu/materials/factsheets/fapfs005.2002rev.pdf.

Dr. Nansen is technical director of The Steritech Group, Inc. ( Charlotte , N.C. ). Reach him at contact@steritech.com.

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