Fall can be a great time for people to travel and enjoy a leisurely stay at your hotel. Whether they’re attending a local football game, taking in the fall colors, sightseeing, visiting for Thanksgiving or just enjoying the cooler weather, you want to make sure your guests feel cozy, welcome and safe at your hotel this season. What you don’t want is for their stay to be influenced by the sudden presence of pests.
Unfortunately, many pests are on the move during the fall. Like people, when the temperatures drop, some pests seek warm, welcoming places to visit. If conditions are right, pests may even decide to stay longer and set up shop for the long winter months ahead. What kinds of pests do hotel workers need to be on the lookout for in the fall? Here’s a short list:
Cockroaches – Colder weather can cause some cockroach species to crawl into your hotel, looking for food and moisture, while others may find their way in through shipments or luggage. Cockroaches largely live in the dark, which means you may not realize they are there, establishing large infestations very quickly where you can’t see them. If you see one cockroach, quite often there are others nearby. They can be present in populations of hundreds and even thousands when effective pest control measures are not in place.
In addition to disgusting your guests, cockroaches can be vectors for harmful bacteria, including E. coli and Salmonella, and can also trigger allergens and allergy symptoms in some people. These pests often live, feed and breed in materials found in hotels, including wood and cardboard. They can get into your hotel through tiny spaces, as well as hitchhike in on shipments, deliveries and even luggage and bags.
Related: Commercial Pest Guide: Hibernating Insects
Rodents - Rats and mice also look for warm spaces when cold weather hits, and they can get into hotels through cracks and holes as small as the size of a dime. They are known to carry pathogens that can cause diseases. They can also leave behind droppings. In addition to being unsightly, rodent droppings are unsanitary and can cause contamination.
Rodents can also be destructive creatures, gnawing and potentially causing damage to structures, equipment, electrical wiring and furniture. And rodents are constantly gnawing because their incisors are constantly growing, which can be troublesome if you have an infestation.
Whether it’s in a hallway, lobby, dining area or hotel room, a rat or mouse sighting can be unsettling and upsetting for guests and employees alike.
Wildlife – If cockroaches and rodents are unnerving for hotel guests to encounter, imagine if a raccoon, squirrel, bat or other small animal crosses their path indoors, enters their room or makes scratching noises in the wall. Wildlife creatures often look to move indoors to stay warm and even to nest with their young. Such small pests can cause damage to your property, as well as damage to your reputation. In addition to being potentially expensive, repairs can also be inconvenient and may even take rooms out of the revenue stream for a period of time.
Like rodents, wildlife and small animal pests can leave behind unsanitary droppings. They can also be the source of unpleasant odors and noises that can spoil your guests’ hotel experience.
How Can a Commercial Pest Control Plan Help?
The good news is that a commercial pest control company with specific experience in treating hotel properties can help with pest issues during the fall and every season of the year. Here’s how Terminix® Commercial can make a difference with the three common hotel pests mentioned above:
Cockroach problems: Terminix Commercial offers an effective 5-Step Commercial Cockroach Control System that includes:
- Removing accessible cockroaches by vacuum to reduce populations
- Treating hard-to-reach spots where cockroaches live
- Preemptively treating the cracks and crevices where cockroaches hide
- Using bait to kill all stages of cockroaches still present
- Applying insect growth regulators for long-term control
Rodent problems: Terminix Commercial technical specialists are trained in:
- Rodent identification
- Rodent control
- Effective application of traps, baits and physical barriers specifically designed to catch rodents and to help prevent entry to your hotel
Wildlife problems: Terminix Commercial Rodent & Wildlife Service can help by:
- Finding wildlife intruders with comprehensive inspections to identify the culprits
- Catching offenders by using effective traps and food baits
- Keeping wildlife out with customized exclusion solutions and preventive plans
By the time common fall hotel pests become problems for your guests, infestations can be large and difficult to control. Don’t let pests bug your guests this fall. Get an estimate today and welcome your guests this season with warmth and confidence.
