My Pest Control Quick Tips
Pest control services are critical for many businesses because it provide protection from the risks emanating from pest infestation. These are significant risks for many organisations that society relies on to satisfy core needs of food provision, healthcare and elderly care. There are also the broader benefits to society from providing services to residential properties or those institutions that provide employment and/or experience.
At a time of increased pressure on the core areas of food and health, it’s crucial that we protect these premises from further risks caused by pest activity. There’s the broader issue, too, of the risk to human health from pest activity, which could place additional pressure on the healthcare infrastructure in places such as hospitals.For example, rats carry a wide range of bacteria that can lead to diseases.
There are many types of pest that infest the human environments and are vectors of a wide range of diseases. These pests include rodents, flies, mosquitoes, stored product insects, cockroaches, ticks and fleas. These pests can contaminate food and surfaces or transmit diseases directly through bites. The consequences of this risk to public health are considerable and include the spread of the following types of pathogen:
Bunyaviridae, Flaviviridae, Arenaviridae, Reoviridae
Spirochaetes, Alphaproteobacteria, Gammaproteobacteria, Fusobacteria, Bacilli
Sporozoa, Cestoda, Trematoda
Pests are a nuisance to businesses, cause stress and impact the wellbeing of individuals, and cause infrastructural damage that can halt operations – of anything from production lines to server rooms. Because society relies on digital networks and production lines of strategic businesses, it’s critical that pest control is maintained
The rapid breeding cycles of pests means that left untreated for any length of time their numbers can increase rapidly and result in them spreading to new areas:
Pest management works at several levels to ensure that infestation is avoided and, if it does occur, is eradicated quickly. Constant monitoring – either by trained technicians or connected sensing devices – allows pest control experts to keep track of any activity and intervene at the earliest sign of any infestation.
This quick response mitigates the risk and associated impact of a pest infestation developing further. The reproductive rate of rodents and insects is extremely fast and any slowing down or removal of pest management can drastically increase the infestation and the resulting consequences for individuals, businesses and society.
1. Reduces the risk of disease and illness
Infestations of pests or, in some cases, the presence of just one can lead to increased health risks for humans in critical environments such as healthcare and food handling. It’s essential to disrupt the transmission cycle of vector-borne diseases, with the far-reaching consequences for human health that can range from a mild illness, a serious condition that requires hospital treatment to death, disability and in some cases. Vector-borne diseases affect about a billion people worldwide each year and food-borne diseases cause 400-900 million cases of illness each year, according to WHO.
2. Reduces the costs to businesses and organisations
In previous research, Rentokil identified the cost of an infestation to businesses has been significant. The impact across the food supply chain can be anything from stoppage of production to loss of food as a result of contamination, damage or consumption by pests.
In a report commissioned by Rentokil, the estimated value was $9.6bn at production sites across five countries. As the world increasingly relies on a digital infrastructure, the protection of connected equipment is critical – in both corporate and residential settings.
A survey of businesses commissioned by Rentokil found that 49% reported electrical damage caused by rodents. In the current health crisis, losses to digital connectivity could have a profound impact on local, regional or national society.
In addition to the risks to infrastructure from pests – and resulting impact on businesses, authorities and society as a whole – there are a number of other areas that are also under threat. Ongoing pest management is vital to prevent both short and long-term damage.
Reducing or removing pest control services can lead to rapid explosions of pest populations that could damage societal "assets", which include museum artefacts, residential property, and office buildings and complexes. A lock-down only applies to humans; pests carry on their business regardless. If anything, they multiply exponentially and thrive, uninterrupted by humans.
Besides having adequate pest control measures to enhance food safety and prevent the spread of diseases, disinfecting and sanitising the premises should be an ongoing effort. This is because as we assume more openings and engage in more activities or interactions, cross contamination can occur. Disinfection can help to eliminate 99.99% of bacteria and viruses including the Coronavirus, Influenza A and E. Coli. This involves misting of a water-based solvent that can perform cleaning activities using the residual effect of the disinfecting agent. Find out more about the Rentokil Surface Shield Disinfection Solution today.
The role of pest management is critical to protect the following facilities.
If we remove expert pest control services in emergency situations or during times of great uncertainty, we run unnecessary risks and jeopardise the health and wellbeing of people and the foundations upon which our society rests and needs to flourish.
Our services are critical for many businesses because we provide protection from the risks emanating from pest infestation.
These are significant risks for both people and institutions; from food supply chain to retail to property management to schools. At a time of increased pressure on the core areas of food and health it is crucial we protect these premises from further risks caused by pest activity.
There are many types of pest that infest environments and can be vectors of a wide range of disease, each of these reproduce rapidly and so any pause in protection could have extremely damaging consequences to people and/or infrastructure. These pests include termites, rodents, mosquitoes, flies and bed bugs, here in Singapore, this could impact businesses and public health.
Our expertise will ensure we minimise these risks by operating safely and diligently through these challenging times.