Mr. Meek

Security & Safety

Sanitation Programs Help Prevent Pest Infestations

By Frank Meek, International Technical & Training Director, Orkin, LLC

Hotel guests weren't the only ones enjoying the unusually mild temperatures this past winter. The warm weather allowed pests to thrive throughout the season, and with such a low pest mortality rate over the last few months, summer is sure to bring even more pest infestations than usual. To keep pests out this spring, take advantage of your hotel's sanitation program as a pest prevention tool.

Pests require food, water, shelter and optimal temperatures to survive, and hotels supply all four of these necessities in abundance. From ice machines leaking plentiful moisture to room service and 24-hour food sources, hotels offer environments ripe for pest infestations. At the same time, the hospitality industry faces the challenge of choosing pest management treatments that successfully manage infestations without threatening the health and safety of sensitive guests.

As part of an ongoing Integrated Pest Management (IPM) program, effective sanitation helps remove the elements that attract and sustain pests - food, water and shelter. Although pests can be found throughout a hotel, they most commonly appear in a few "hot spots." By focusing on guestrooms, food service zones, pool areas, lobbies and entrances, laundry rooms, and waste areas, hotels can prevent major problems quickly and cost-effectively. Let's take a look at these "hot spots" to see why they attract pests.

To Stop Pests Cold, Start by Cleaning the "Hot Spots"

Guestrooms - While many hotel guests consider access to delicious food at the touch of a button as one of the luxuries of hotel stays, room service trays left in the room or hallway overnight can present huge temptations for pests. Cockroaches, ants and other pests sneak into guestrooms on people's belongings or through open cracks in windows, doors and walls. If guest bathtubs and sinks leak, cockroaches can flock to the readily available moisture source, while bed bugs find a food source in the guests themselves, often hiding in mattress seams or behind headboards waiting to emerge at night. If untreated, pest infestations in guestrooms can spread quickly to surrounding hotel rooms, so prevention is critical.

Sanitation tips:

Work with housekeeping and food service to remove dirty dishes, wet towels and other sources of moisture and food debris promptly after guests check out. Use carpet cleaners and vacuums to sanitize drink spills on the carpet. Encourage housekeepers to report drips or other leaks immediately to maintenance, and inspect for signs of bed bugs, like rust-colored stains in mattress seams, during linen changes.

Food Service Zones - Cockroaches, flies, rodents and stored-product pests like to eat the same foods that humans eat, so hotel restaurants, room-service kitchens, vending areas, and indoor and outdoor bars provide an abundance of choices. However, most pests are not picky eaters, so grease runoff and food debris serve as more-than-adequate food sources. In fact, some small flies will often breed in drains, feeding off the organic waste that collects there. Another vulnerability: pests can easily arrive at the hotel on incoming shipments of food products, making the kitchen the pest's introduction into the rest of the hotel.

Sanitation tips:

Keep food in tightly sealed containers and store items off the floor on open-backed shelves. Maintain an 18-inch barrier between food supplies and the wall as well as the floor to keep rodents from crawling inside them in search of a meal. Remove floor drain covers and scrub the drains on a regular basis with an organic cleaner to remove any food debris. Remove waste and corrugated packaging from food shipments, since roaches often hide inside. Conduct a bi-annual "deep cleaning" of your kitchen to eliminate the grimy buildup on appliances and equipment that is tough to remove through regular cleanings.

Pool Area - Almost nothing can annoy guests relaxing by the pool more than mosquitoes, flies, wasps, and other flying and stinging pests. Hotel pools serve as prime stomping grounds for these pests because of the abundant supply of food and water sources. Stagnant water that collects around the pool deck after rainstorms provides a perfect breeding spot for female mosquitoes, while flies and wasps linger poolside, snacking on the sugar and protein found in guests' favorite summer treats - popsicles, chips, cookies and soft drinks.

Sanitation tips:

Squeegee pool decks after rain showers to remove standing water. Clean floor mats in pool houses regularly. Promptly clean up food and drink spills or, better yet, limit food and drink to designated areas. Clean trash cans regularly and empty them often to prevent overflow.

Lobbies & Entrances - Around-the-clock guest arrivals can allow pests easy access into your hotel. Many hotels use positive airflow (air blows out, not in) to help prevent flying insects from entering when doors open. Insect light traps also can help catch flying invaders near entrances to loading docks and receiving areas. All doors should include door sweeps to help prevent crawling insects from entering underneath the door.

Sanitation tips:

Because of constant foot traffic from outside to inside, lobby areas get dirty faster than many other areas of the hotel. Consider adjusting the sanitation schedule to clean, mop and dry lobby floors more often than other hot spots. On the outside of your hotel, sweep and hose down parking lots and walkways daily to remove any debris that may entice pests to venture inside.

Laundry Rooms - Rodents and cockroaches often seek shelter in hotel laundry facilities, drawn by the warm and moist environment. Towel and sheet storage areas and the area behind laundry dryers all can provide ideal places for rodents to nest, while the abundance of moisture sources can encourage microfungal growth that attracts many pests.

Sanitation tips:

Thoroughly clean behind and underneath washers, dryers and cabinets in laundry areas to keep lint and other debris off the floors and surfaces. Ask employees not to eat in the laundry areas. Ask housekeeping to report washer and dryer leaks to maintenance for speedy repair.

Waste Areas - While the strong odors that exude from garbage dumpsters can repel hotel guests, the smell of decay has the opposite effect on many pests. Rotting food odors entice pests in search of food and a warm place to sleep among the mounds of trash. The presence of food outside also signals to pests that food is available inside, too.

Sanitation tips:

Place numerous garbage cans around the hotel for easy disposal of food wrappers and waste. Line and tightly seal all trashcans to prevent pest access. Follow a regular waste removal schedule and empty all trashcans daily. Move dumpsters as far from the building as possible, and ask your waste management company to clean and rotate the dumpsters frequently.

Sanitation is one of the most powerful preemptive tools to avoiding pest infestations, but even the most thorough sanitation plan won't succeed without the three Cs: communication, cooperation and commitment. Make sure all employees, from hotel management to staff members, understand their roles in the sanitation program. Some pest management professionals offer on-site training to explain the importance of cleaning to the pest management efforts and encourage employee cooperation from the start. With teamwork and a thorough sanitation program that targets pest hot spots, this summer will bring nothing but fun in the sun for your guests.

An industry veteran, Frank Meek has been with Orkin since 1986. In 2003, he was named among the future leaders of the pest management industry in Pest Control Technology magazine’s “40 Under 40” ranking. Currently, as the International Technical and Training Director, Mr. Meek provides technical support and training in both sales and service to Orkin's international franchises, helping them grow and develop in their specific markets. As a board-certified entomologist, Mr. Meek teaches Integrated Pest Management principles and can explain how to use all available methodologies to prevent pest infestations in various commercial settings. Mr. Meek can be contacted at 404-888-2898 or fmeek@rollinscorp.com Extended Bio...

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