Masa helps keep the pests in check
MOHAMMAD ARIF HUSSAIN, an entomologist at Masa Establish-ment for Pest Extermination, Maintenance and Contracting, elaborates on the pests found in kitchens and the methods to contain them.
01 February 2014
KITCHENS, by their very nature being spaces where food is stored, cooked and eaten, attract pests such as cockroaches, rodents, fruit flies and pantry pests that contaminate food and spread bacteria.
They contain an array of stored food items that serve as welcome habitats for many insects. Such pests are usually brought into the home in infested products and then spread to other products on the shelves. However, infestations are usually not discovered until the homeowner begins to observe small beetles or worms crawling across the counter top, the cast skins of larvae under the sink or in the cupboards, or a moth flying around the kitchen. By this time, the invaders could be well established and can cause considerable damage, if not eliminated.
The presence of pests in food production and preparation areas has always been unacceptable and environmental concerns and the requirements by regulators for improved practices in the industry have meant that new methods to control pests have to be devised. The common pests encountered in the kitchens include:
Cockroaches: To prevent cockroaches from invading the kitchen, their access to food and damp, dark areas should be eliminated and kitchen areas should always be kept clean. Other measures that can be taken to prevent infestation include covering garbage, and fixing leaky faucets and drains. The plumbing network is like a cockroach’s highway, so vents and floor and sink drains should be covered with screens. The most effective and safe method of cockroach control is a boric acid and gel formulation pesticide like Imidacloprid 2.15 per cent used as a bait.
Silverfish and firebrats: Firebrats are found in warmer places such as near furnaces, while silverfish like cooler portions of the house such as kitchens, bathrooms and attics.
Ants: Ants often come in from nests located outdoors in the ground or under the foundation. To control ants, judicious spot treatments should be applied at entrance sites and along the ant route. If the ant nest is located within the house structure it is necessary to locate and destroy it.
Pantry pests: Common pantry pests include several types of beetles, Indian meal moths and ants, which gain access into homes as eggs or larvae on food products. To prevent these pests from spreading to other foods in cupboards and closets, all dry food products should be sealed in airtight glass, rigid plastic or metal containers. Good sanitation is important in preventing infestation. Vacuuming debris and cleaning cupboards regularly will help discourage an infestation from spreading.
Rodents: As rats are scavenging rodents, they are often drawn to residential and commercial kitchens. An environment-friendly way to control the rats and mice in kitchen and food preparation areas is by installing live traps. While rodenticides like Brodifecoum and Difenacoum 0.005 per cent RB etc, used as bait, are most effective they cannot be applied in kitchens and food processing areas but outdoors within tamper bait stations.
Masa recommends the following preventative measures to ensure the kitchen and pantry areas remain pest free:
• Keep them clean;
• Isolate garbage;
• Seal all points of entry; and
• Inspect new food supplied for pests.
In addition, an integrated pest management (IPM) can be adopted to ensure an effective and environmentally sensitive approach to pest management. IPM programmes, which rely on a combination of common-sense practices, use current, comprehensive information on the lifecycles of pests and their interaction with the environment. This information, in combination with available pest control methods, is used to manage pest damage by the most economical means, and with the least possible hazard to people, property, and the environment.
The IPM approach is not a single pest control method but, rather, a series of pest management evaluations, decisions and controls. In practising IPM, the following aspects should be noted:
• Pest action thresholds: It is the limit at which pest populations or environmental conditions indicate that pest control action must be taken. The level at which pests become an economic threat is critical to guide future pest control decisions.
• Pest identification: IPM programmes work to monitor pests and identify them accurately so that appropriate control decisions can be made in conjunction with action thresholds. This eliminates the possibility that pesticides will be used when they are not really needed or that the wrong kind of pesticide will be used.
• Prevention measures: As a first line of pest control, IPM programmes work to prevent pests from becoming a threat.
• Control: Once monitoring, identification, and action thresholds indicate that pest control is required, and preventive methods are no longer effective or available, IPM programmes then evaluate the proper control method both for effectiveness and risk. Effective, less risky pest controls are chosen first, including highly targeted chemicals, such as pheromones to disrupt pest mating, or mechanical control, such as trapping or weeding. If further monitoring, identifications and action thresholds indicate that less risky controls are not working, then additional pest control methods would be employed, such as targeted spraying of pesticides. Broadcast spraying of non-specific pesticides is a last resort.
• Saudi-based Masa offers professional and reliable services which are delivered by its expert team of highly skilled pest control technicians. Its services are tailored to each individual property and to the individual needs of the business in question to ensure the best possible results are attained. The company’s expert team will partake in detailed discussions with clients prior to starting any work to establish the required frequency and level of service.
The company is Saudi Arabia’s largest pest control company with 11 branches kingdomwide and has gained a reputation through maintaining high-quality service standards over the past 34 years. A member of 13 international pest control associations, the company exerts every effort to boost public awareness of the pest hazards and urges the public to cooperate with a professional pest control operator to maintain a healthy environment.
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