Mr. Meek

Security & Safety

Keep Your Property's Exterior Pest-free Using Cost-Effective Techniques

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

Many pests are attracted to hotels because they have the four conditions pests seek: food, water, shelter and optimal temperatures. The last thing you want is your guests to be swarmed by flying insects when they return from a special dinner in town or to find a cockroach in their rooms before they go to sleep.

If ignored, these nuisance pests can quickly infest your establishment and turn both loyal and prospective guests away from your hotel. But the good news is focusing on your establishment's exterior can prevent potential pest entry and infestation inside, where you could have a larger, more expensive problem on your hands.

Simple and cost-effective exterior maintenance activities support the Integrated Pest Management (IPM) approach, which centers on proactive prevention and control methods to eliminate pests before they enter your facility. Work with your pest management professional and hotel staff to implement these maintenance tips to keep your exterior clean and welcoming to guests, not pests.

Landscaping:

Many pests, including ants, crickets and cockroaches, can enter your hotel by way of vegetation, such as bushes and tree limbs, touching your building's exterior. The best way to prevent this type of pest entry is to trim back any vegetation close to the building, and where possible, lay a three-foot gravel strip between the building and vegetation. Also, regularly clean the parking lot and sidewalks outside your hotel to clear any debris that could attract pests inside your establishment in the first place.

Mulch:

Mulch may help your hotel's garden grow, but it also provides shelter to many pests. Make sure the flower beds are no more than two inches deep to eliminate potential harborage sites. Your landscaper might recommend organic mulch for your garden, but pencil cedar mulch is a better option for pest management. While organic mulch is popular to use, it can attract pests because it holds more moisture than other varieties. Cedar mulch, on the other hand, holds much less moisture and can repel some types of pests.

Water Features:

While water features are beautiful amenities that can enhance your hotel's surroundings, standing water can be the perfect breeding ground for mosquitoes. Change the water in birdbaths, fountains and ornamental ponds at least once a week to prevent mosquito breeding. Another important tip: make sure water in your swimming pool is circulated regularly. Running water prevents mosquitoes from laying eggs on the water's surface. Decorative ponds can also be stocked with mosquito-eating fish, which can eat between 100 and 500 mosquito larvae per day.

Decorative Statues and Stones:

Because they easily trap moisture, stones and statues offer cool, damp hideaways for many pests. In particular, pavement ants may use these hideaways to build their colonies. Moving the decorative statues and stones away from your establishment will keep pests from making their way indoors if they emerge from their underground dwellings.

Building Facade:

Regularly check all of your establishment's exteriors for any cracks and crevices, especially on roofs and around utility penetrations. Immediately seal the identified openings with weather-resistant sealant to close off pest entry. Also, incorporating steel and/or copper mesh into the sealant will provide a second barrier to entry for rodents and other pests that may try to chew through the sealant.

Lighting:

Fluorescent lights attract swarms of night-flying pests, so ensure the lights in parking lots and other areas are at least 100 feet away from the buildings to steer pests away from your hotel. For any lights affixed to the buildings, replace the current lights with sodium vapor lights, which are less appealing to pests.

Windows:

Replace all window screens in your establishment with #16 mesh screens to block access from the smallest pests, and install weather stripping along the window frames to minimize gaps where pests could wiggle their way inside a hotel lobby or guestroom.

Doors:

Just as guests continually travel in and out of your hotel, pests can easily sneak in through hotel entrances and other frequently opened doors. To combat pest entry, adopt a "closed door policy" and remind your staff to keep doors shut as they are coming and going through laundry rooms, kitchen entrances and storage areas. Installing door sweeps and weather stripping along the tops, sides and bottoms of doors will also help block pests from entering your hotel.

Dumpsters:

Because dumpsters are a favorite place for pests in search of food, place them as far away from your building as possible and work with your waste management company to regularly rotate and clean them. This will help prevent any pests from making their way inside your hotel and disturbing your guests' stays. Also, make sure the dumpsters' lids are always sealed and the drain plug - a common pest entry point - is in place.

Above all, a successful pest management program centers on the cooperation and dedication of your pest management professional and the hotel staff. By working together to implement these cost-effective maintenance tips, your hotel will have a clean and attractive exterior that is inviting to your guests and keeps away those pesky little critters.

SIDEBAR:

Tiny Pests, Huge Problems

They may be small, but pests present a big threat to your staff, your guests and your bottom line. Before you assume that your establishment is immune to pests, consider the following:

A small pest presence can quickly lead to a massive infestation:

• A fire ant colony operates on 300-500,000 worker ants that carry and deposit tiny bits of dirt to build the colony's ant hill.
• One pair of cockroaches can produce 400 offspring in six months.
• For every fly you see, there could be as many as 19 unseen that are hiding in and around your building.

Pests can be destructive to your building:

• Rodents cause more than $200 million in damages every year.
• A mouse can fit through an opening the size of a dime, and a rat can make its way through a gap the size of a quarter.

Pests can harm guests' health:

• Flies can carry up to a half billion bacteria on the outside of their bodies.
• Rats bite between 14,000 and 20,000 people per year.
• Rodents can carry more than 40 viruses and bacteria, including Hantavirus, Salmonella, trichinosis and Lyme disease.

Bed bug infestations can lead to expensive litigation:

• One guest successfully sued a motel chain for $382,000 in 2003 after being bitten by bed bugs during his stay.
• In 2008, an opera singer initiated a lawsuit against a major hotel conglomerate for $6 million for her alleged injuries involving more than 150 bed bug bites.

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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