McCloud Provides Tips to Minimize Issues with Ants in Food Plants

McCloud Services, a pest management company serving Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Missouri, Tennessee, Ohio and Wisconsin, is generating awareness on ant exclusion as ants are the first pest threat to food plants this spring.

According to McCloud, ants are the most common cause of pest-related complaints in the U.S. and one of the first pests on the scene in spring. Food plants may experience problems with ants being shipped in on product or inside wooden pallets. They may also enter food facilities from the surrounding exterior as they search for food or new nest sites.

“As spring approaches, ants are one of the first pests we see as the snow thaws. Ants are a diverse group with a variety of preferred habits. Food facilities may experience internal ant invasion as the weather begins to turn warmer. Now is the time for employees and plant managers to make sure they are taking the proper precautions to minimize issues with ants as we head into spring,” said Patricia Hottel, technical director of McCloud Services.

McCloud Services recommends these ant prevention tips for spring:

• Inspect all incoming shipments to make sure that ants are not brought into the facility inside shipping containers or wooden pallets.
• Keep food spills to a minimum both outside and inside the facility.
• Keep expansion joints well sealed.
• Keep doors and other entry points sealed.
• Avoid the use of wood mulch around the exterior of the structure.
• Choose your landscaping plants wisely, especially those plans which are close to the building.

To learn more about common ant species and how to prevent and exclude them, download the full at Ants in Food Plants. Contact McCloud Services to learn more about their food safety pest management programs at 800-332-7805 or contact@mccloudservices.com