Thanks to e-commerce and increasing online sales, warehouses worldwide are growing rapidly in size. In fact, some warehouses in the United States, Europe and China now top 1 million square feet, according to a report published by Colliers International Group, Inc.
With warehouses now larger than ever, pests have even more places to hide and more opportunities to cause damage and interrupt productivity. For example, taller warehouse spaces offer even more enticing habitat for birds. With more room to fly around, birds can find shelter and nesting areas in warehouse open ceilings, rafters and other structural elements.
Unfortunately, birds can cause serious problems for warehouses, including contamination and health concerns from unsanitary bird droppings. Birds and their droppings can also cause health code violations that can sometimes result in fines, legal actions or even closures. Property, products, structures, equipment and wiring can incur damage from bird pecking and roosting. In addition to soiling products and packaging, acidic bird droppings can corrode paint, roofing materials and fabrics.
Other pests can be attracted to the habitats that warehouses provide. Wildlife, such as raccoons, squirrels, bats, rodents and other small animals, can seek shelter inside commercial structures. In addition to potentially causing property and structural damage, some forms of wildlife can carry pathogens that may cause disease. Simply identifying and trapping wildlife isn’t enough. For effective wildlife control, it’s important to find the building’s pest entry points and help keep wildlife from returning. You can do this with the help of professional, customized exclusion solutions and preventive plans.
Bigger warehouses can also store more products. For some warehouses, stored product pests can be a serious issue. Moths, weevils, beetles and other stored product pests can leave behind eggs and larvae that contaminate products. These pests can hitchhike into warehouses on shipments and build large populations and cause widespread infestations with more than one source. Many types of food items are prone to stored product pest invasions, including whole grains, wheat, corn, barley, rice, beans and nuts.
Pests and Distraction
Any type of pest can be distracting to warehouse workers, which can negatively impact productivity. For instance, if workers have to continually dodge birds or clean up droppings, their efficiency and morale will likely suffer. If managers have to set aside other responsibilities to deal with pests or to repair damage caused by pests, then schedules and processes may be disrupted. If compliance is compromised, warehouse operations can suffer while steps are taken to correct issues.
Big Warehouse Problems and Solutions
Chasing down tiny pests in big warehouse spaces can be frustrating without a commercial pest control plan. It’s important to find a commercial pest control partner with specific experience in treating large warehouse spaces and that has knowledge of audit and regulatory requirements. Terminix® Commercial has professionals who are trained in getting to the bottom of pest infestations, even in giant spaces. In addition to identifying and effectively treating pest problems, Terminix Commercial can recommend ways to help prevent future infestations, including tips on how to avoid or minimize the conditions that may attract pests.
To help enhance warehouse productivity, Terminix Commercial even offers real-time, online account monitoring.
Don’t let birds, wildlife and other pests set up house in your warehouse. Just because average warehouse spaces are getting larger doesn’t mean that pest problems have to grow, too. It’s easy to get a free estimate for your space, regardless of its size.
