Gulf Construction Online - IPM best way to deal with pests

Facilities Management

A Masa PCO at work ... experts.

IPM best way to deal with pests

01 August 2009

EFFICIENT facilities management not only involves controlling energy consumption, water use, indoor environment, waste management, safety and security, it also entails ensuring that the buildings remain free of pest infestation.
Pest management includes an integrated approach that encompasses the use of a combination of pest control measures and does not rely excessively on pesticides, says an expert at Saudi-based Masa, a veteran in the pest management sector.
Elaborating the entire approach to pest management, Valentin Diego, operations manager, Masa Establishment, says: “All buildings are subject to infestation by numerous types of pests seeking food, shelter, and hiding places. Pests such as cockroaches, ants, wasps, fleas, mice, rats, bedbugs and termites destroy or spoil our food, fibre, and property, threaten our health, or make life uncomfortable simply by their presence. Professional management is required to keep pests out of our environment.”
Whenever pest management is planned, it is important to understand the factors that favour pests or that can make pest management difficult.
Pest problems differ from situation to situation. “A certain type of pest may be common in one area while its population may be low in another. Due to the presence of certain types of flora within a micro environment, certain species can live and proliferate due to the abundance of food, shelter and absence of any predator; and by their nature become pests, making their management necessary.
“Building facilities – which can be termed as the macro environment - differ from a natural environment. Each building facility has offices, security department, warehouses, changing rooms, toilets, cafeteria, among a host of facilities. By nature, these areas are sensitive and should not be affected by pesticides.
“Without understanding the effects of pesticides on the environment, pest control professionals may inadvertently cause damage to the environment. It is, therefore, necessary that only professional operators be allowed to do pest control inside the facilities,” says Diego.

Identifying the problem
Defining the building facilities that require special care is not easy. A pest management professional should respond by balancing the need for pest control with the unique requirements of the building facilities.
PM experts have to keep in mind that there is not one single way to deal with the pest problems in buildings. This is because the ways considered as standard to other situations can cause damage or disruption in the building facilities.
The first point to consider is the method by which the pests enter the building. As Diego explains it: “Cockroaches and other pests can enter whenever people, animals or items come from outside. These can be transported through boxes, shipment of goods, personal belongings and even lunch boxes. Loose or open doors, unscreened windows and openings around the exterior may allow pests access. Through cracks in the walls, pests move to new areas. The insect and other pests move and disperse through conduits for water and electricity, heating and cooling systems. Pests also move through elevated pipes and ledges in multi-storey structures and through elevators.”
The warmth of plants and kitchens, and odour attracts pests. Spilled garbage, ornamental foundation plantings, weeds, water areas around the building facilities provide pest harbourage and facilitate their infiltration indoors. Poorly drained outdoor areas, utility lines, overhanging tree branches may provide route for the pests, while lighting outside the building may also attract the pests.
Many factors favour pest survival inside buildings. A warm and humid environment, food in the form of spillage, stored food, food wastes around cafeteria, potted plants and water help the pests survive and proliferate. The abundance of harbourage coupled with poor sanitation helps in the build-up of the pest populations inside. Lack of awareness on the pest and the management technique may also contribute to the survival of the pest populations in building facilities, he says.
There are a large number of factors that make pest management difficult inside buildings. Sometimes, it becomes difficult to evacuate the staff or occupants of the building to provide access to the pest control operators (PCO), on account of their ongoing operations. In addition, the scale of the building can provide ample space for pests to disperse and hide. In addition, many chemicals cannot be used as they may damage or affect the electrical rooms, machines and operations of the computerised systems. High temperature and machinery that provide harbourage for pest pose a challenge to PCOs.

Steps in IPM
In the light of the above, the Masa service team takes the following steps to solve the pest problems in buildings:
First, it aims to obtain full cooperation from the management and staff of the maintenance and sanitation departments, making it clear that it is a prerequisite for effective pest management.
It has been proved that sanitation is the key element in controlling pests. For this, the Masa team prepares a checklist to ensure that all areas have been included.
“There are specific rules for inspection,” says Diego. “An initial inspection of the premises is conducted by our inspection team to make recommendations. This survey includes the study of the site layout, and gathering information about the problem by meeting or interviewing key personnel, and sanitation and maintenance staff of the building facility.”
Prior to the inspection, a floor plan of the facility is drawn with the help of the safety and plant managers. If needed, sticky traps are installed to aid the inspection. The Masa inspection team reaches the inspection site equipped with all the standard inspection tools used by the professionals: A handy camera, to highlight sanitation and structural problems, a magnifying lens, ultraviolet light to detect rodent urine, and inspection mirror to check above the ceiling. Collecting vials and plastic bottles are used to collect the sample of any insects.
The judicious use of pesticides is an important part of an integrated pest management programme (IPM). Non-chemical measures may help alleviate pest invasions and infestations. For this, recommendations are made about the use of important non-chemical measures to the PCO.
Treatment is based on the inspection report and directly targets the pests. Pesticides are used in a way that limits human exposure and any damage to sensitive appliances and equipment and those with low odour are chosen. In some restricted areas, treatment is limited to injecting into cracks and crevices, spot treatment and injecting voids where pests maybe be harbouring. Surfaces where insects may be crawling are treated by the residual sprays. Pesticides chosen for particular environments are selected based on the recommendation of the manufacturer.
Even though the basis of IPM is sanitation, non-chemical treatment at times requires an initial intensive treatment with pesticides to reduce the pests to a minimum level. Newly-developed techniques like trapping and baiting are most successful techniques in a building environment. These techniques require less time to install, involve less or no toxic materials and the monitoring is also easy. The results can be verified more easily by trapping than any other method.
In any type of situation, there are rarely quick and easy ways of solving pest problems. Not only must pests be dealt with, but one must also deal with people and conditions at the site.
The best approach involves the integrated use of non-chemical methods and a range of insecticides, which are specially suited for specific pest conditions.
In summary, the basic elements of an effective pest management programme include:
• Obtain cooperation;
• Inspect premises;
• Develop recommendations for non-chemical measures;
• Develop recommendations for chemical treatments;
• Implement initial treatments;
• Implement follow-up treatment; and
• Monitor the results.
Masa renders pest control services in most types of building facilities.