Preventing Rat Infestation Inside-Out in a Restaurant

Here’s the story:

“This is the second time in a month you are calling your pest control company to report the same complaints: you still find filthy live rats in your restaurant’s kitchen even though your pest controller has already done the treatments consistently every month and diligent housekeeping habits have been implemented among your staffs”.

The usual complaint and accusation will be to assume that your pest control company you have engaged is not doing a good job, and thus unable to solve your rat problem effectively at your restaurant’s kitchen. Ever wonder why such scenario occurs commonly among restaurant owners?

Here are the answers to clarify your misperception:

Pest infestation can be spread like a disease! Applying proper rat control for your restaurant is ideal and the assuring solution to undertake, but unless your neighbors take the same efforts in rat control, your restaurant would potentially be implicated.

Normally, restaurants within the shopping malls are interconnected from one property to another. These interlinked roofs are practically hot spots for rats’ entry. Thus, your effort in preventing rats in your property through applying diligent housekeeping habits and regular treatment from your pest control company may not work as well as rat infestation may actually be coming from your neighbor.

One of the species of rats, roof rats is known as the highly adaptable pest who prefers to live and nest in the upper parts of building. Roof rats are agile climbers and fast runners, which enable them travelling from one place to another very quickly on the roof. You can request for your pest control specialist to limit the access of roof rats on the roof by installing stainless steel wire mesh to seal gaps, so roof rats from your neighbor are unable to freely enter your restaurant’s roof easily.

Rats are nimble, versatile and make the most of any opportunity to enter your property at ease. Hence, it is not surprising if rats are able to squeeze through holes and door gaps as small as 1 cm. Help yourself to do the early DIY rat prevention such as:

• Cleanliness is important! Regularly clean your waste area. Do not leave garbage overnight inside your kitchen because this practically serves as an open invitation for rats to come
• Always kept the doors and window closed when possible
• Seal any cracks or holes inside and outside your restaurant– on the roof board or walls which are adjacent to your neighbor’s or tenants property to avoid rats’ crossing over to your place.

When you hire a pest control company, it is important for them to extend their expertise in conducting a thorough inspection and site survey, to identify key risk areas and detect potential entry points. You may also work closely with the provider to share more insights and habits, so that the pest control specialist can recommend the relevant and targeted rat control for your restaurant. For example, placing rat traps at strategic locations and apply proofing at key risk areas to limit the population and activity of rats effectively.

Rentokil understand it can be distressing for food safety sensitive businesses such as restaurants to experience rat problem, especially if these problem is recurring frequently. Contact Rentokil Indonesia today for more information about our Primary Rodent Protection (PMP) program at 0 8001 333 777 or [email protected] to gives you peace of mind.