Office Pest Control

Office pest control is the process of providing employees, product, and customers with a pest free environment. For some industries, a pest control program is required to maintain certifications. For other industries, a pest control program is simply to provide a work space that is free from pests

Why do offices need pest services?

When we think of commercial pest control services, we tend to think of restaurants and hotels. Restaurants and hotels are often required to have and maintain a pest control program. This is mostly due to the fact that they are providing food service or hospitality service.

Offices, like restaurants and hotels, have people coming and going throughout the day and week. These people may be customers, employees, delivery people, repair people, etc. With a lot of people coming and going, there is an increase in the likelihood that a pest will enter the office.

Offices that have more people coming and going throughout the day are at an increased threat of having a pest infestation. In the sections below, we will look at some specific pests that can cause issues for an office.

Types of offices with pest issues

There are many different reasons why a office would want and need pest control services. Depending on the location of the office, pest infestations could be likely. The type of office building and the condition of the building also play a role. Let’s look at some pests we typically find in office settings.

Common Pests found in offices

Just like your home, there are many pests that can infest an office. Depending on where the building is located, the condition of the building, what industry the office is in, the amount of employees, the amount of customers, and many other factors determine what types of pests an office may have.

General Office Pests

General office pests are nuisance pests that include ants, spiders, flies etc. Although not hazardous to humans, these types of pests are nuisances. The only time where general pests can become a problem is when the quality of the product or the comfort of the employees starts to suffer.

For offices that have customers that come to the office, spider webs, ants and other pests can demonstrate a lack of housekeeping in the office. This type of perception can lead to the customer believing that your office doesn’t much care to clean up or take care of the office space. Would you want to do business with a company that had ants and spiders all over their office

Rodents in the office

We have serviced many offices that have had rodent issues. The mouse in your office should be connected to a computer! From the reception area to the break room, rodents can and will make your office their home. Some of the employees even found rodents in the drawers of their desks!

Treating rodents in an office area can be tricky. You must be able to secure the rodent treatment in such a way that the employees and the public won’t have access to it. The rodent treatment should also be out of sight so that the customers don’t see that there is a rodent treatment in progress.

Rodent in the office can be successfully treated and eliminated. I prefer an exclusion method combined with exterior rodent control bait stations. By preventing the rodents from entering the structure, we can prevent rodent infestations inside of the office. The exterior rodent control stations can reduce the rodent population on the outside of the office and lessen the chance a that rodent can enter the office.

Additional Rodent Information

Termites in the office

Termites don’t just limit themselves to damaging homes. Termite damage can be found in office buildings as well. Unlike the nuisance pests above, termites can and do cause structural damage to an office.

Exterminator Downingtown — Prudential Pest Solutions

I have found termite activity in many offices. Termite treatments in offices are very similar to termite treatments in a home. Eliminating sources of moisture will aid in preventing future termite infestations.

Additional Office Termite Information

Bed Bugs in the office

Bed Bug Treatments West Chester — Bed Bug Treatment Chester County

Any time you have a group of people, you have a chance of coming in contact with bed bugs. Bed bugs feed on human blood. No matter how clean your office is, wherever there are people, there is a chance for bed bugs.

Even offices as sterile as a doctor’s office can have bed bugs. With so many people coming and going out of a waiting room, there is always a chance that a bed bug could be introduced.

I have serviced office building that have had bed bugs. One office that we serviced was full of office cubicles. This was the type of office where the employees stayed stationary at there cubicle for most of the day. A bed bug was brought in and it made its home in the upholstered chairs of the employees.

Bed bugs are mostly nocturnal, but since their primary food source (the employees) were there during the day, the bed bugs were active during the day. Imagine trying to perform your work and feeling bed bugs crawling on you!

Additional Bed Bug Information

Wildlife Infestations

Offices sometimes have to deal with wildlife infestations. From squirrels and bats, to raccoons and skunks, we have dealt with many wildlife issues in and near offices.

Bats in the office

Bats, like rodents, can enter an office through very small openings. Sometimes an office will call and think they have rodents when they actually have a bat.

Evicting bats from an office is very much like evicting bats from a home. The process involves finding any and all of the entrance points and sealing them up. This, of course, can only happen once the bats have left the structure.

Additional Bat Information

Squirrels in the office

From running through an open door to setting up a nest in the office, squirrels can and do cause issues for offices. Just like with squirrels in the home, squirrels in the office must be captured and removed. The opening, if not caused by an open door, needs to be found and sealed shut.

Another issue that squirrels can cause to an office is damage to employee vehicles. I once did a squirrel trapping operation in a huge office building parking lot because the squirrels were damaging employee vehicles.

Just like other rodents, squirrels have to chew. They sometimes will get under cars and chew at the wiring. With how electronic cars are today, the damage can be substantial.

Seeing a lot of squirrels around the office building can be cause for some concern. Whether the squirrels get into the office or damage cars, too many squirrels can be a problem.

Oftentimes simply trapping and removing some of the squirrels once or twice a year is enough to prevent squirrel problems.

Groundhog in the office

I once got a call from an auto parts store that they had a groundhog trapped in the back warehouse. The groundhog ran in through an open door and became trapped inside. Although not very common, groundhogs, like any animal can enter the office if there is a door open.

Most often we handle groundhog issues because they are digging on the outside of the office. When groundhogs dig at the foundation of the building, they can cause tremendous damage.

Groundhogs create den holes that are quite large in diameter. When rain and other water is able to enter the hole they created, it can cause substantial damage to the foundation of the office.

Groundhogs, like any rodent issue at an office, need to be dealt with to prevent damage and employee danger. Trapping is the most effective way to capture and remove a nuisance groundhog. The safety of the public and the employees should always be the first priority when trapping the groundhog.

Depending on where the groundhog was creating its den, exclusion can be used to prevent future infestation. Since these are digging animals, the exclusion material usually must be buried to a depth of at least 12-18 inches.

Skunks around the office

Just like groundhogs, skunks are digging animals that can cause damage to the structure and foundation. Skunks have the added problem of when startled or threatened, emitting a strong and powerful odor.

No one, and this includes the employees at the office, wants to be sprayed by a skunk. Trapping and removal is the best method for eliminating a skunk issue. Exclusion can also be used if the skunk den is under a structure or patio

Raccoons around the office

Every year a company would call and say that the raccoons were back. This company had a large barn style building that stored their building materials. Every year, like clockwork, the pregnant raccoons would climb into the open roof soffit areas and have their litter.

This would result in having to capture and remove the adult and young raccoons every year. Exclusion wasn’t really a viable option since the structure was so open to the outside.

Just like with the other wildlife mentioned above, capturing and removing the nuisance raccoons is the best method for eliminating the raccoon issue.

Office Pest Control Service Plans

The type of office and their current pest issues, will determine their need for a office pest control service plan.

For some offices, a monthly service plan is the best choice. For other offices, a quarterly service is all that is needed.

No matter what type of office it is, an office can enroll in a pest control service plan.

Why should offices have a pest service plan?

Office pest control service plans can keep the office pest-free year-round. This is important for the employees that work in the office and for the customers who come to the office. A pest-free office is a clean office.

Pest control service plans can also provide a more detailed inspection of the premises. Small pest issues can be prevented from becoming full on infestations by having a pest control plan in place.

A good exterminator will be checking for signs of pests at every service. We are often able to eliminate small pest issues before they become infestations.

What is finding a bed bug issue BEFORE the office is infested worth to you?

Office Pest Control Chester County

We provide office pest control and exterminating services to Chester County PA. No matter the size or number of employees, we can tailor fit a pest control program for your office.