Green Pest Management Practices for Property Managers

Is your building “Green”?

With increasing environmental awareness and the need to reduce one’s carbon footprint is a growing concern and requirement not only for us as Professional Pest Control Operators, but also to businesses and we certain it’s of significant importance to Asset owners of existing and New buildings and Developments.

If you haven’t thought or considered this Practice for your facility, there’s no time like the present to start. Essentially, Commercial Property Managers that are “going green” – a trend that helps improve human and environmental health within a facility people work in for many hours each day. Commercial Property Managers should ensure that they design, build and run a facility that is environmentally responsible, energy efficient and resource efficient.

If you are a Building owner and would like more information on how to best implement and run a Green and sustainable facility, we suggest contacting the Green Building Council South Africa. Information on Building Green can be found in this link https://gbcsa.org.za/about-gbcsa/building-green/

The best method of approach in contributing to a greener environment as a pest control professional is to reduce indoor pest control efforts and concentrate on preventative pest control measures, undertaking inspections and providing proofing advice and recommendations and thus reducing the environmental impact.

This can be achieved with these basic steps:

Implementation of an IPM to prevent pests and reduce the usage of chemical pesticides.

IPM stands for Integrated Pest Management and is a modern approach to pest control based on an environmentally aware basis, rather than simply treating an entire for pest problems or even when they occur. Proper IPM programs take a more preventive approach in identifying the reasons why the pests are infesting the property/ where are they coming from?

In most cases, it’s because the pests can find food, water and shelter. The approach is to prevent and eliminate those conditions wherever possible. This proactive, ongoing approach helps reduce the need for excessive pesticides and reactive treatments.

What is IPM?

As mentioned above, Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is an environmentally friendly approach to pest control services that emphasizes the reasons why pests infest your building in the first place. IPM deploy physical, mechanical and non-evasive and zero harmful chemical solutions to prevent and manage pest infestations. Gels, baits and mechanical traps are the preferred method of treatment, with chemical spray treatments being a last resort in an IPM program through an ongoing cycle of inspection, removing pest-friendly conditions, pest monitoring and documenting pest control services as well as any pest activity.

What is in an IPM policy?

• Integrated exclusion techniques: This is the use of effective non-chemical techniques including recommendations to the client on sanitation issues, effective hygiene practices or structural maintenance requirements that are flagged for their attention.
• Physical mechanical control methods such as trapping techniques deployed for rodent control.
• Routine and regular pest control inspections: With special attention made to key areas that are likely to attract pest activity known as your building’s “hot spots,” (i.e. kitchens, ablutions, change rooms, areas near doors and windows, and high-traffic zones).
• Pest monitoring: The regular checking of rodent stations, traps and monitoring stations to keep track of what impact the IPM program is affecting pest activity in the facility.

What Products or Pesticides are applied?

After an inspection is concluded, our Registered Pest Control Technician will advise the client in terms of his recommendations pertaining to any proofing, housekeeping, stacking or hygiene improvement recommendations.

We would apply gel baits, insect monitors in key areas to monitor and control crawling insects such as cockroaches or ants. External ant-control can be achieved by ensuring gardens are effectively maintained by one’s garden service by keeping lawns trimmed, beds turned and shrubbery maintained. To control ant activity we apply an ant granular bait to the ant nest holes, and where high activity is noted, granules are placed along areas where ants are trailing. All Pesticides we make use of are Pyrethroid based, ensuring safety and peace of mind for our clients.

Rodent control is achieved by monitoring tamper-proof bait stations either internally or externally (dependent on the site-specific requirements) In instances of HACCP programmes and clients that have outside audits being undertaken, we would make use of non-toxic methods such as using either nontoxic monitoring blocks or mechanical snap traps used within the rodent stations. The snap traps are further used as a corrective action practice where activity is present.

External rodent control is achieved by using tamper-proof stations, we make use of the lowest possible secondary poison blocks as possible are placed on secured spindles within the stations. Environmental awareness for non-target animals such as owls is also taken into account to prevent any possible secondary poisoning from occurring.