GREEN PEST CONTROL IN RESTAURANTS
Friday, February 6, 2009 
Insects are enjoyed as snacks and delicacies by most people around the world, except North America. Yes, ants, termites, locusts, beetles, caterpillars and even moths are consumed regularly throughout vast areas of the planet. Large ants are a delicacy in Colombia, bees are cherished in Thailand, cicada bugs are found on the menus of top French restaurants and all kinds of insects are eaten in China – not only for their taste but for their believed medicinal properties.
But when it comes to bugs in Canadian and U.S. restaurants, the issue is not cooking them but rather keeping them out. In all kinds of establishments that serve or work with food, from hotels and restaurants to food warehouses and aboard airlines, insects can be a problem even under very clean and sanitary conditions.
Historically, bugs have been dealt with through the use of insecticides. Starting in the 1950s, insecticides have been applied generously to help rid food service facilities of insects and pests. But still the problem continues, with pests causing serious and widespread losses and damage. Recognizing insecticides cannot eradicate pest problems completely, many food service facilities are now investigating other forms of pest management that not only help get the job done but do so in a healthier, safer way for both building occupants and the environment.
THE PROBLEM WITH INSECTICIDES
The main reason insecticides have been used for nearly half a decade is they work – at least initially. But in recent years, the safety of insecticides has become an important environmental health issue. Insecticides are toxins. They are usually made to kill insects. However, the ingredients used can also be harmful to human health, causing a variety of problems from birth defects to respiratory problems and even death. And the potential hazards of improper use of any insecticide are amplified in a food service facility because the consequences of exposure can be so significant. That is why, if they are used, safety precautions must be strictly followed.
Sometimes facilities select certain conventional insecticides that are deemed safer than others. However, there is often a trade-off, for these may not always be the most effective. As a result, food service managers are put in an unfortunate situation of having to choose between safer chemicals that may be less harmful to human health but don't work as well and much more powerful products that are more dangerous but also more effective.
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"More environmentally-friendly tools include nonvolatile baits, which use chemical formulations that do not become airborne." |
Furthermore, it is well-known the chemical ingredients in many insecticides will be effective only for awhile; over time, insects can become immune to these ingredients. This means manufacturers must develop stronger and more powerful insecticides to combat the problem, which can result in an even greater safety risk to health as well as a negative impact on the environment.
For these reasons – and because so many food service facilities are now attempting to “green” their operations – alternatives to insecticides and traditional pest control measures are being investigated.
“Fortunately, new technologies and systems have been developed that minimize the use of insecticides significantly,” says Scott Case, vice-president of TerraChoice Environmental Marketing and EcoLogo, a leading green certification organization. “And these new technologies and systems can result in a cleaner, safer and healthier facility.”
Case is referring to what is known as Integrated Pest Management (IPM). With IPM in place, pesticides are used only when non-chemical methods have failed and then only under careful applications that are usually designed to control a specific pest problem.
INTEGRATED PEST MANAGEMENT IN ACTION
An IPM program usually starts with a thorough inspection of the entire facility, looking for potential entry points for pests. Common areas include doors and windows near trash receptacles, food storage areas, areas that are frequently damp and areas used for temporary storage of food items. These are often known as “hot spots” for insect infestation and should be inspected regularly.
The importance of this inspection should not be underestimated. The best way to deal with pests is to simply keep them outside. Once they get inside, forcing them out and keeping them out becomes the real challenge. Even if an IPM program is in place, this may require chemical applications.
According to Case, after the inspection some of the key components of an IPM strategy include:
- Sealing any cracks and crevices so rodents or other pests cannot enter.
- Removing outdoor vegetation near exterior walls as they can attract insects.
- Increased, more thorough and effective cleaning and sanitation, especially in floor care.
- The use of traps to capture and remove insects.
- Applying “sticky boards” that can be used to trap both crawling and flying insects.
- Making sure airflow in the facility is “positive,” blowing out air when doors are opened.
- For facilities used at night, installing outdoor fluorescent lights at least 100-feet from the building to draw flying insects away from facility entrances. Another option is to install sodium vapour lights, which are less attractive to insects, at entrances and exits.
- Disposing of food scraps in sealed liners and keeping countertops free of food residue.
- Checking delivered shipments. Often insects, especially cockroaches, are carried from port to port inside container boxes.
“Monitoring and documentation are also an integral part of a high-level IPM program,” says Case. “The more you know about where the pest activity is, what kinds of pests have been sighted, which control methods have already been implemented and which have proven most successful, the more precise future treatments will be.”
SAFER TECHNOLOGIES
According to Case, other advances in pest control technology have been developed that are more environmentally sound than conventional methods using insecticides. These include handheld pest monitoring devices, which help detect the presence of pests, and microbes that devour grease and grime in which some insects reproduce.
More environmentally-friendly tools include nonvolatile baits, which use chemical formulations that do not become airborne, and insect growth regulators (IGRs), which use replications of a pest’s hormones to prevent them from reaching full maturity and breeding.
IGR tabs can be placed under counters, in voids and other confined spaces in kitchens. Additionally, there are pheromone traps, which incorporate synthetic versions of the pheromones used by insects to communicate and attract mates. Often, these traps are placed in kitchen food storage areas to monitor for the presence of stored product pests.
“As the pest management industry evolves, we see it becoming much more environmentally sensitive and responsible,” says Case. “By setting up a customized IPM program and augmenting it with the latest technological advances in non-chemical pest management, food service facilities can be safe from pests and reduce the use of potentially harmful pesticides, thus, protecting health and the environment.”
