Spring 2018

10  • PENNSYLVANIA RESTAURANT & LODGING matters • Spring 2018 • Check along walls, foundations, and beneath slabs and shrubbery for rat burrows. Stuff the burrow with paper and leave it for a few days to determine whether the burrow is active or not. Implement these prevention tips to stop rodents from eating your profits: • Rats can fit through holes the size of a quarter and mice can squeeze through holes as small as a dime. Seal cracks and openings in walls, foundation, and around doors and windows. • Cluttered areas provide a nice home for rodents. Keep closets and storage areas organized to help prevent nesting. • Cut back vegetation to help prevent a rodent habitat near your building. • Ensure your staff is removing garbage regularly, keeping a tidy dumpster area, and placing tight-fitting lids on trash cans. • Store food properly in sealed containers and clean up messes promptly. Ongoing inspections and proactive pest prevention tactics as part of an integrated pest management program also play a vital role in protecting your property and reputation. Make an appointment with a PMP to accurately assess the pest pressures your hotel is under based on your location, climate, architecture, and more. A PMP will identify “hot spots,” or areas that are likely to attract pests, in and around your property. They may discover sanitation issues, entry points where pests can get in, food and water sources that attract pests, and harborage zones or places pests are currently inhabiting. Working closely with a PMP to regularly inspect and to develop or assess your pest management program makes it more adaptable to the changing needs of your property. Pests may be small but their impact to your business could be large. And in an era where one bad review can alter your brand’s reputation, it is crucial that hotel staff be equipped with the knowledge to prevent and identify pest problems. Arm your team with knowledge and work with a pest management professional so you can control problems before they have a negative impact. • Hope Bowman is a Technical Specialist and Board- Certified Entomologist with Western Pest Services, a New Jersey-based pest management company serving businesses and homeowners in major Northeastern markets. Learn more about Western by visiting www.westernpest.com. Pest Sightings, cont.