Fighting Pests

Pest Management

Office building and food dispensing areas are subject to infestation by a wide variety of pests. Some of these pests are just a nuisance and some contaminate and cause health hazards. In other cases, pests may cause damages to electronic equipments. Conckroaches enter computers and cause short circuits. Sometimes body fluids from insect secretions or froma adecomposing insect body will cause corrosion of circuit and destroy sensitive tape heads.

Factors Favouring Pest and Pest Entry

Food and drink from cafeteria or vending machines may serve to introduce pests. Personal possessions of worker may contain pest. Pest may migrate from other areas through cracks and crevices or conduits. Pests may enter through door and windows. Exterior lighting may attract night flying pests.

Factors Favouring Pest Survival

Warm buildings, Food supplies in cafeterias and vending machine. Garbage, Drains in bathrooms and kitchen, Garbage and Cleaning services may be inadequate.

Factors Favouring Pest Dispersal

Conduits of water, electricity, cooling systems allow lateral and vertical movement of pest within the building. Elevator shafts and stairways provide vertical access. Corridors allow lateral movement. Ceiling voids allow concealed movement of pests. Food carelessly littered provides pest-feeding opportunities.

Pest Management Programme

Preventive pest control as a programme strategy. Extensive customer education. Low potential liability. Use of pesticides only when exclusion, sanitation etc., are inadequate. Extensive inspection and monitoring. Pesticide application only when needed. Emphasis on trapping, sanitation and exclusion. By and large source reduction as a key strategy.

Home Remedies

It is a little known fact that cock-roaches like high places. If you put wet boric acid powder on top of your kitchen cabinets if space allows between ceiling and cabinets, the cockroaches will take the boric acid powder to their nets, killing all of them. Boric acid is toxic by mouth - keep away from small children.

Spraying cockroaches directly with soapy water will kill them.

In an empty can, place one or two pieces of bread, which have been soaked thoroughly with beer. Place it in areas known to have roach infestation.