Pest Patterns and Movement
Understanding the main ways pests are introduced will give the foundation for where the Smithereen service department will spend most of its time and how. Areas that have a lot of pressure from pest activity or are subject to high traffic are places where the service department will spend most of its time.
Pests are Introduced into a Hospitality Environment in Four Main Ways:
- Outside Environment
Ants, rodents, stinging insects, flies, spiders etc are exterior pests that put pressure on the facility and must be managed like in any commercial property. - Via Deliveries
In particular in accounts with food deliveries. Preventing establishment of introductions is key and can be accomplished with thorough inspection and monitoring; German roaches and fruit flies being the most common - Staff Introductions
Most commonly cockroaches and bed bugs, staff areas like locker rooms and rest areas must always be inspected during service. - Guest Introductions
Most commonly bed bugs but German roaches can be a target as well.
Pest Movement
Pests move through these types of facilities in two ways: Active and Passive. Understanding the distribution and movement of pests is vital in any IPM program.
Active movement is most typical from the exterior of the property to the inside through various structural deficiencies like around utility features or cultural habits like leaving back doors propped open that allow pests to enter.
Passive movement would be typical of bed bugs that are brought into the property by people and are subsequently moved around the property again by people. An example would be bed bugs that are brought in by a hotel guest: the bed bug is on the sheet of the bed, the housekeeping staff strips the bed of linens and put them into a cart, the bed bug falls off into the cart and is transported to the linen room and the story continues on.