5 Pests to Eliminate in Grocery Stores

A clean, bright environment that is filled with fresh produce and meats attracts customers to grocery stores. When it comes to the food retail business, few things can ruin your company’s reputation like having a customer spot a pest running across their favorite fresh foods. 

Grocery stores have the perfect combination of factors for attracting pests. In addition to large quantities of food, pests find tons of hiding places in the warehouse portion of stores. Certain pests are also accidentally brought into the building in boxes of food from infested processing plants.

Your grocery store pest control plan must include a combination of prevention and treatment strategies. These must also be implemented year-round to comply with food safety codes and create a pleasing environment for your customers.

These 5 pests are the ones that you will most commonly find in stores. Train your team to watch out for them, and make sure that you know how to safely eliminate each one.

 

#1 Cockroaches

Cockroaches are a huge problem in grocery stores because they can transfer bacteria to food. These pests are known to carry Salmonella, E. Coli and Staphylococcus. They can transmit diseases to food through their saliva, droppings and by carrying bacteria on their feet. 

Roaches hide in tight places. They may be found behind or even inside of kitchen equipment. Since they are so small, they fit in places that are hard to inspect and clean. They are also nocturnal, which means that your crew might not spot them until the damage is extensive.

#2 Flies

The sight of a cloud of fruit flies is disgusting to customers, and these tiny pests can easily wind up in your produce section. There are other types of flies that are found in grocery stores such as drain flies and house flies that come in from outdoors.

Flies can carry the same types of bacteria as cockroaches. Following standard hygiene practices can reduce attractants for flies. Throwing out old or rotting food reduces odors that attract flies along with their food sources. 

#3 Birds

These flying pests usually stay outside, but they sometimes enter grocery stores through doors that are constantly left open. Even outside, they can pose a risk to your business since bird droppings are potentially harboring disease. They also look unpleasant to customers.

Bird control is best handled before you have a problem. Make sure to eliminate areas where the birds may nest since getting rid of them is sometimes complicated by federal and state laws.

#4 Stored Food Pests

People often call these pantry pests, and they cover a range of insects such as weevils, moths and beetles. We can help you identify and correct potential entry points for these pests in your grocery store building. Since many of these pests come in with your product shipments, your staff must be vigilant about checking for signs of a new infestation regularly.

#5 Rodents

These are the most unsavory pests to find in a grocery store. Not only do they carry disease and ruin food, but they can also lead to major property damage. Rats, mice and other rodents frequently come into stores through holes in the building or doors that are left open. You will need to repair any entry points while also using safe control measures to eliminate these pests without creating a situation where a customer may find one near the products that you sell.

Pest control in grocery stores is an intimidating and necessary task. Even with proper precautionary measures, you may still find that some pests find their way into the store. Regularly scheduled pest spraying works with your other strategies to keep your store’s products and building in safe and sanitary condition.

Related Page: Grocery Store Pest Control