I wasn’t aware of it at the time, but I began my efforts in pest prevention as a young guy in 1968 when I began working in sanitation in a small bakery. It was not a large department, just an older coworker and me. I came in every Saturday to clean the small bakery so that the health department would let them continue to operate. I did not know much, but I worked hard and went home dirty every evening after work.
It just so happened that Saturday was also the day the exterminator came if the mice got out of hand or the cockroaches multiplied. He used poison to deal with the problem and later I would find the bodies, remove them and report the success. Everyone but me was happy since I had to deal with the bodies. Once word got around that he could really kill them, his business prospered. I just hope the rest of the food companies had someone like me to find the ones he killed.
Throughout my career in the food industry, I have noticed that change usually only occurs as a result of unfortunate events that take place, leading to customers or regulations demanding that change is necessary. Changes usually happen because someone was careless and created a media event that caught the public’s attention or because someone asked the right questions and found that we did not have very good answers.
The evolution of the pest management business can give us an idea of where we are headed. The industry can only control where the pest business goes when we understand where we have come from.
THE EVOLUTION OF THE PEST BUSINESS. The earliest stages of the pest industry relied heavily on exterminators to come into facilities loaded with chemicals and pesticides to kill any type of pest that was affecting the plant. Then, the industry realized that not everything could be killed, so the trend shifted to pest control techniques that killed only some pests, but also continued to satisfy the customer.
Most recently, when killing a few was no longer good enough, the industry adopted the Integrated Pest Management (IPM) approach, which controls pest populations by studying pest biology and behavior and integrating a variety of control tactics. IPM is a comprehensive approach that combines multiple strategies to reduce pest populations to tolerable levels while enhancing the quality of the environment. Though this approach is far better than just killing the pests, the concept still leans toward managing pests once they have entered our buildings.
THE NEXT STEP. Now, several events have created the need for the industry to make changes again. Methyl bromide and other chemicals determined to deplete the ozone layer can no longer be used in food facilities to control pests. The EPA is phasing out various classes of commonly used pesticides. The increasing social movement toward sustainability and organic foods has increased the demand for chemical-free foods. And now, there is a substantial global push toward green programs. These are all clear indicators that a change is rapidly approaching.
Perhaps the logical next step is to consider moving toward an Integrated Pest Prevention (IPP) program that involves a true combination of scientific knowledge of the biology and behavior of pests with a comprehensive understanding of the environmental conditions that are present or likely in order to develop a strategy to prevent pests from developing in an environment. Such a program relies on knowledge that leads each participant to understand and execute individual responsibilities. Success is based on verifiable criteria and aggressive vigilance and cooperation.
IPP is a similar approach to Integrated Pest Management, but the action takes place before the pest is introduced to the facility, instead of taking place as a result of pest activity. It won’t be long before it will no longer be an acceptable practice to react to a pest population with control and management techniques after their presence is detected.
When I look back at a few of the facility issues that I have been involved with, I can clearly see how opportunities were missed. For example, a large warehousing firm was in the process of building several facilities using the same contractor. Experiences at a previously constructed facility revealed a number of construction and maintenance errors that allowed mice to rapidly gain access and become established. Some of the conditions included:
- Poorly maintained wetland and grassy areas directly adjacent to the facility
- Accumulation of trash and debris directly adjacent to the building
- Damaged siding due to it being hit by a vehicle
- Construction defects at the juncture of the wall and the footing allowing mice unrestricted access beneath the flashing
- Poorly maintained rodent bait stations that essentially neutralized their effectiveness
Solutions to this particular issue of rodent control required management of the environment and factors contributing to the problem, including:
- Control the grass and weed growth as far away from the building as possible to stop the secured migration routes of the mice.
- Remove and dispose of all materials along the sides of the facility.
- Develop and enforce policies regarding yard storage.
- Upgrade the service provided on the bait stations and implement an inspection program to verify compliance with contracted agreements.
- Remove and repair the damaged wall, including striping the wall and eliminating all of the gaps due to faulty construction and nesting mice.
- Review current facility construction specifications to address the defects noted at the top of the footings and investigate other facilities of similar design. Design criteria changes that mandated sealing and inspection of the wall before completion.
- Initiate a site selection program and consult pest management professionals to determine potential pest issues as part of the site selection, design and construction monitoring.
Sometimes the move from IPM to IPP is simply a change in thought processes. Sometimes it is a leap that requires several steps to be taken for it to succeed. In the case study example, around $30,000 was invested to prevent future pest issues. This amount was far less than the hundreds of thousands of dollars it would have cost the company in lost product and business loss.
CONCLUSION. Many facilities are very close to implementing a comprehensive IPP program. It mostly requires a realignment of requirements and considers the pest issues as one that all efforts should be directed toward preventing, not just managing. Understand and learn from your facility’s history. Raise your sights to a new level, rely on science and expand your knowledge. Accept the challenge on your terms rather than having it forced on you when you are not prepared. Every day researchers learn more about why pests behave and respond to situations. We need to acquire that information and apply it to our situations.
The author is Head of Food Safety Education, AIB International.