Managing pests, the age-old battle that has been plaguing us for generations. We are all familiar with pests in the home, but what about the workplace? It seems like an obvious issue but is something that is frequently overlooked, and this is despite us spending a third of our time at work.
Workplace pests are as frequent as those in our homes. So, what pests could be there? And how do you get rid of them? Let’s find out.
Pests and the Workplace
Depending on your work area, you may be more at risk to have pests than others, primarily if you work in areas centered around food, such as hospitality. However, having pests in the workplace does not have to be the end. It is the beginning.
In a world currently focused on a new viral plague, maintaining our workplaces has become more critical. What type of pests can we encounter in the workplace, and how do we get rid of them?
What Pests Can Be There?
Chances are you have dealt with pests in some form or another in your lifetime. As we know, we consider pests to be undesirable animals that intrude on human activities in either a commercial or residential setting. These pest animals can be anywhere, including food-handling premises, industrial sites, and human service locations, such as schools and hospitals (1).
Surveys looking at the type of pests that pest control businesses deal with have highlighted the species we are most likely to encounter in the workplace; these include (2):
- Food-premises pests – cockroaches and rodents
- Colonial insects – wasps, bees, and ants
- Disease-related pests – mosquitos
- Structural pests – borers and termites
- Spiders – poisonous and non-poisonous spiders
- Animal and human parasites – fleas and mites
- Large mammals – possums
- Urban birds – pigeons, sparrows, and starlings
Why Should You Get Rid of Them?
It is essential to deal with pests head-on in the workplace. Most pest species can have dire impacts on our health and the health of our customers. This is exemplified by our body’s reaction to mouse and cockroach droppings. For example, mice droppings contain the major allergen Mus m 1 (3).
This allergen is well-known for causing a significant allergic reaction, resulting in asthma or anaphylaxis. When our bodies encounter this allergen, our immune system goes into overdrive, producing the antibody known as IgE (4). This results in devastating effects, with up to 40% of individuals developing persistent and uncontrolled asthma (5).
Insect-like pests can have a devastating impact on our bodies as well. Think of the infamous dust mite. While an uncommon pest in hospitality businesses, they are prolific in office-based workplaces due to their love for carpet. This comes at a high cost. When exposed to dust mites, akin to mice, we become sensitized to the allergens they produce, ultimately resulting in us becoming allergic to them.
Dust mite allergens tend to be very potent and activate two separate pathways in our immune system, the adaptive and the innate paths (6). This results in a suite of problems, including wheezing, asthma, rhinitis, and poor clinical lung performance (7). Because of this, it is crucial to reduce our exposure to them.
Not only can exposure to pest species result in devastating respiratory illnesses, but pests also serve as vectors for significant human diseases (think Black Plague and tuberculosis). They are also a structural nuisance, with termites and borers causing significant monetary losses in businesses worldwide. So, how do you get rid of them discreetly?
Keeping It Humane
In the current era, the role of treating pests humanely has become ever important. Take rats and mice, for example. These are the most prolific and common urban pest species worldwide, with a significant proportion of pest control effort directed towards them. However, surveys looking at how society feels about different pest control types have highlighted that, even in low socio-economic areas, the community wants them to be treated humanely (8).
There are a variety of methods used to fight against rodents. These methods include physical traps, and rodenticides (e.g. toxic baits and poisons) (9). Traps and poisons tend to be the most popular for household rodent infestations, either together or separately (10).
Traps are quick and efficient at killing rodents and “humane” to some degree if it kills them quickly. But if the trap hits them in the wrong place, it can be a relatively long and painful death.
How Do You Get Rid of Pests Discretely?
In the past, rodenticides were based primarily on poisons dubbed “anticoagulants.” They cause the animal to bleed to death, which is by no means humane. This is where EcoClear’s RatX™ and MouseX™ come in.
These rodenticides are not anticoagulants but use corn gluten meal and sodium chloride to dehydrate them over one to two days until the animal slowly falls asleep. It also dehydrates the carcass of animals, preventing them from decay and keeping your office from smelling.
For insects, EcoClear’s Stop Bugging Me!™ is your one-stop broad-spectrum insecticide that will control any infestation while remaining discreet. This fantastic and fast-acting product uses natural essential oils and insect attractants to kill off that creepy crawly.
While remaining highly effective, the use of essential oils reduces the level of toxins found in several other commercial insecticides, meaning Stop Bugging Me!™ will be safe for you, your workmates, and your customers.
The Bottom Line
Pests in the workplace is an obvious but often overlooked issue. This can be a problem for any business, especially customer-facing, such as in the hospitality industry. Luckily, there are ways of getting rid of those pesky pests discreetly. This is where EcoClear’s RatX™, MouseX™, and Stop Bugging Me!™ come in. While remaining effective, these products act fast and safely to get your business up and running in no time.
