Pest Control

Moray AndersonTechnical DirectorKillgerm Group

Pest Control

Rodents

Insects

Pest Control What to look for when auditing premises:

Rodent pests - signs of activity - baiting strategies

Insect pests - signs of activity- potential for disease transfer

Simple Steps to Effective Auditing

• Pest activity

• Hygiene/housekeeping

• Proofing

• Storage

• Monitoring points

• Fly control units

• Paperwork

Paperwork.

• Reports…are they clear and accurate?• Routine visits….are they frequent and

evenly spaced?• Follow up visits…. correct intervals?• Pesticides….type and use recorded?• Risk/COSHH assessments carried out?• Signatures….by technician and client?

FREQUENCYOF RODENT BAITING

• Monthly?• Fortnightly?• Weekly?• Continuous pest

activity needs riddance programmes in place

• Non-infested sites need proofing

• Not just bait checking

Effective auditing

Pest Activity…….(Infestation?)

“A breeding population of pests in an area where its

presence will be detrimental to humans, their activities or their

health”

Signs of Activity …Rodents.

• Nests• Damage• Burrows• Contamination• Smell

• Droppings• Smears• Foot prints/tail

swipes

Nest - mouse

Nest - rat

Mouse damage

– Gnawing cables.

Rat damage

Burrows

Bait and mouse droppings.

Rat droppings

Footprints/Tail Swipes

Smears

Home range…• Rat…Has a large home range, 15-30 metres, but in

rural populations can forage for two or three miles in search of food.

• House mouse…Very territorial, small home range. Typically 3-6 metres.

The common rat has the behavioural characteristic called neophobia.

This neophobic re-action makes them very wary of new objects placed in their territory.

House mice are less “nervous” and will be more likely to explore new objects.

Monitoring/Control points

Rodent bait boxes

CONDITION

• Old stale bait• Water-logged bait• Baits damaged by

insects/slugs• Unsuitable bait

containers (spiders’ webs and “wobbly” bait boxes, etc.)

FORMULATIONS• Vary the products

– Grain bait– Block bait– Soft/pasta bait

OR – Traps– Tack boards– Gels and dusts

APPLICATION• Cardboard• Plastic• Box• Tray• Loose

Effective auditing

Insects

Signs of Activity …Insects.

• Live Insects • Bodies• Damage• Contamination

• Webbing, etc.• Trails in dust• Disease

Check Monitoring Devices where present

Insect Pests in Food Premises(CIEH booklet)

• Dermestid beetles

– skin feeders• birds nests• dead animals• dog and cat food

• Larder beetle– Dermestes lardarius

– Life cycle– Egg 2 – 9 days (100 – 700 per

female)– Larva 35 – 80 days– Pupa 8 – 15 days– Adult 18 months

Insect Pests in Food Premises

• Tribolium confusum, confused flour beetle.Egg 4- 30 days (950)Larva 15 – 98 daysPupa 5 – 22 daysAdult 1.5 yrs

Houseflies

– The housefly (Musca domestica)

• Mechanical vectors of many different and varied pathogens such as

– bacteria– protozoa– viruses– helminth eggs

Houseflies

– Outbreak of enterohaemorrhagic colitis – Outbreak occurred in nursery school in

Japan– an epidemiological survey isolated

Escherichia coli O157:H7 (EHEC-O157)• EHEC-O157 isolated from houseflies collected in

the school• EHEC-O157 isolated from patients

Houseflies

– The bacteria persist for a number of days but also proliferate – how?

– Proliferation of EHEC-O157 takes place on the mouthparts of the fly:

• kept moist by repeated regurgitation of gut contents, saliva and frequent tasting of liquid nutrients.

• labellum provides perfect environment for proliferation of EHEC-O157.

• labellum of flies is usually retracted

Houseflies

– These results suggest that houseflies are not simple mechanical vectors of EHECO157.

– For this type of transmission, a new technical term, bioenhanced transmission, was coined.

““Drain”Drain” flies flies • F. Psychodidae Owl midges• F. Sciaridae Fungus flies• F. Drosophilidae Fruit flies• F. Phoridae Scuttle flies• F. Sphaeroceridae Lesser dung

flies• F. Sepsidae