AIB Answers

Q. If our pest control system is fully managed through an external provider, do we still need to train facility personnel on pest control and check on the program?

A. That is an excellent question! Food plants commonly use an external contractor to manage pest control because their personnel time is valuable and limited. Many food plants expect that the pest control services they receive for the amount of money they spend should be fully compliant and will not need to be checked out by internal personnel. However, there are still some things to consider: What type of contract is in place? How often is your service provider on site? What does each visit include?

Traditionally, pest control meant killing pests with little or no regard to changing the conditions which encouraged the growth of the pest population. The approach was more reactive than proactive. Today, Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is used which combines scientific knowledge of the biology and behavior of the pest and understanding of the environmental conditions to develop a strategy to control or reduce the population to a tolerable level and prevent recurrences. Tolerable levels would mean reducing pest populations to a point where they are not a threat to the products or personnel.

To achieve that, you need a systematic approach with efforts from many different parties. Regardless of the type of contract, the external provider will not be on site all the time, so it is still important that facility personnel are trained on pest issues, prevention strategies, and the program you are trying to implement.

There are a few things to consider when developing your training plan. Personnel should be able to distinguish pests of concern from occasional invaders in order to identify a new issue before it becomes an infestation. Pest evidence, such as gnawing, droppings, footprints, insect trails, etc., should be reported and documented.

Traps should be placed correctly, especially internal devices that do not use attractants and rely on correct placement to be effective. While the initial positioning of the traps will be done by the external contractor, the devices might be moved around during cleaning activities.

Trap effectiveness depends largely on the monitoring devices you use. Mechanical snap traps (for mice) might be triggered during cleaning, or even because of strong vibrations. If they are not reset, they are no longer effective (the mouse will be able to walk in and out without being caught). Also, when these traps get very dirty or damaged, they may no longer get triggered. That is very tricky because from the outside they look properly set, however the mouse would still be able to go in and out without triggering the trap. If you are using glue boards, these might cease being effective if they become old, especially in dusty environments.

A pest management program needs continuous efforts to be effective. It is based on verifiable criteria, vigilance, and a team approach.

The author is Global Manager, Food Safety Services Innovation, AIB International.