The best way to solve pest problems is to correct the conditions that contribute to them. The Terminix Commercial Integrated Pest Management (IPM) program focuses on eliminating pests, their harborage areas and their entry points to your facility. This provides maximum effectiveness with minimal treatment.
IPM is a low or non-chemical alternative for controlling pests. But it requires a partnership because to a large extent, success depends on the level of cooperation the customer's staff provides.
Your Terminix Commercial service professional will work with you to continually evaluate and fine-tune your IPM program. In addition, Terminix may perform training sessions for your staff and offer materials to help further educate your staff.
For Pest Management Solutions specific to your industry, choose from the following:
- Food Service
- Lodging/Hospitality
- Manufacturing, Warehousing & Distribution
- Health Care
- Educational Facilities
Inspection: Assessing Your Situation
Thorough inspections by trained personnel are a key part of a successful IPM program. Because each building and its conditions are unique, an initial IPM survey will be performed to determine specific pest control needs.
The purpose of this survey is to:
- Identify which pests are present and where they are active
- Identify contributing conditions
- Determine which pest control strategies are needed
- Determine the high-risk areas for pest activity
- Determine where pesticide applications will be necessary
Identification: Preventing Future Infestations
Un-baited "sticky" monitoring traps are strategically placed to determine which pests are present. The traps, which capture pests as they crawl over them, help determine the extent of pest activity, where pest harborages might be located and where pests may be entering your facility.
In larger facilities, a pest-sighting log will be established within a facility. This log is an important tool in our partnership as it allows your employees to have a central office to contact for reporting pest activity. In some cases, multiple sight logs may be established, such as at individual nurse's stations in hospitals. We will use these logs to target areas that need immediate attention.
Investigation: Exploring Contributing Conditions
Correcting conditions that contribute to pest infestation is key to minimizing pesticide usage. All pests need food, water and shelter to survive. The less these conditions are available to pests, the fewer number of pests that can survive.
In most cases, it is impossible to remove every source available to pests. Typically, a certain number of pests will be able to survive.
Cleaning up food debris, fixing leaks and removing potential harborages helps to lower the population, making it easier to control while using fewer insecticide applications.
Recommendations: Preventing Future Infestations
Your Terminix Commercial service professional will provide a written sanitation report following your initial inspection and after each service. This report will provide recommendations regarding conditions contributing to pest infestations.
Following is a sample of general recommendations the Terminix service professional may suggest:
- Keep stored food products refrigerated or in tightly sealed containers.
- Dispose of packing materials, such as grocery bags, cardboard boxes, pallets and shipping boxes.
- Identify and isolate foods infrequently used that have been a source of pest infestations.
The Terminix service professional may be able to do some minor physical exclusion control procedures, such as sealing some cracks and holes.
Implementation: Non-Chemical Solutions
Terminix uses non-chemical pest control methods where these are feasible and advantageous. These include:
- Sanitation—Cleaning up and/or removing potential food and water sources for pests
- Exclusion—Sealing cracks and holes where pests can enter (one of the most effective non-chemical methods to prevent pest invasions)
- Harborage Removal—The less shelter that is available, the fewer the pests that will be able to breed and hide there
- Environmental Alteration—Changing the environmental conditions of a room or area so that pests cannot survive
- Interception—Examining goods and items for pests as they are brought into the building (Particularly effective against German cockroaches)
- Trapping & Monitoring—Rodents can be effectively controlled in many situations using traps. Flying insects also can be controlled with properly placed insect light traps. Traps also work well for monitoring pest activity.
Application: Targeting Treatment Options
Many people believe that IPM means that pesticides will not be used; however, IPM does not preclude the use of pesticides. Many times, pesticides will not be needed. But in some cases, pesticides will be used for best results. Every situation is different, and your Terminix service professional will analyze your circumstances and choose the appropriate control measures for you.
