We’re a pest prevention and control company, so it’s safe to say that we have experience with pests of all kind. Whether they’re furry, fluffy, feathery, scaley, or somewhere in between – we’ve been there, controlled that.
If all this experience has taught us anything, it’s that not all pests are created equal. Some pests are a significantly bigger pain than others. Those are the ones we’re here to talk about today. These are the five pests we love to hate the most – and how to keep them away from your business.
Rats
Real talk: rats are the worst. They’re creepy, dirty, surprisingly bold and aggressive, and they’re everywhere. Not many other pests can claim partial responsibility for the black plague, which lead to the deaths of almost 200 million people in the 1300s. Like we said, the worst. Rats are well-known and little-loved as pests, especially in New York.
The main problem with rats is: they’re smart. It can be hard to keep them out, and even harder to drive them out once they’re in. Once they’re inside, they enjoy gnawing, chewing, eating, and making a mess of everything. Keeping them out of your business comes down to knowing what they want and keeping it away from them. Stop them from getting into stored food, take trash out regularly, and keep all trash in bins with tightly-sealed lids.
Flies
Especially when it’s warm, they love to get inside and cause trouble just by being annoying. They’re not just annoying either, unfortunately. Flies spread hundreds of varieties of disease-causing organisms, making them a danger as well as a nuisance. As if all that wasn’t bad enough, flies can obviously lead to some serious problems for the food processing and restaurant industries. Nobody wants to find a fly in their soup.
Keeping flies out of your business is all about controlling their access to standing water and trash. Use closed-top garbage bins, take trash out regularly, and invest in effective drain cleaning treatments. When flies don’t have a good reason to pester your business, they’ll pester someone else instead.
Bed bugs
Of course bed bugs are on this list. They’re small, ugly creatures that like to hide in your clothes and suck your blood while you’re sleeping. No thank you. Bed bugs are a nightmare for many commercial industries because of their love for fabrics and (even worse!) traveling.
Bed bug prevention is all about vigilance. Invest in regular treatments like HEPA-vacuuming and steam treatments, and thoroughly clean all linens in hot water regularly.
Wasps
Wasps are especially troubling because not only are they annoying, they can pose an immediate bodily threat if startled. Not to mention, they’re scary! Nobody wants to be stung one time, let alone a hundred times! Keeping wasps away from your commercial property means keeping your tenants, reputation, and bottom line safe.
Wasps are quite attracted to garbage, especially anything sugary or sweet like the inside of soda cans or juice bottles. Rinse out sugary cans, keep trash in closed-top bins, and regularly inspect dark, out-of-the-way places where wasps build nests. If you find a wasp’s nest, be careful around it! We strongly recommend against removing nests yourself. Instead, give us a call and we’ll take care of it for you, no problem.
Birds
We’ve already mentioned how well-established rats are as a representative of New York, but they’re not the only ones. There’s also the pigeons, of course. Pigeons seem innocent enough, but every experienced New York business owner knows the truth. Pigeons are dangerously capable of spreading disease, befouling storefronts, and ruining merchandise with their presence and waste.
There are a number of ways to help prevent pest birds like pigeons from taking up home in and around your commercial building. You could install bird netting, bird wire, or in some cases – even shock systems.
If you have any questions about removing or preventing these especially headache-inducing pests from your commercial property, get in touch with the pros at Assured Environments today.