Inside Kitchen
Pest Attack – A User’s Manual

The hotel industry in India is a fast growing sectors with lots of competition. Good sanitation and professional services play an important role in this environment. Pest management, in and around the hotel, is a key component of good sanitation.

In hotels and restaurants, pest problems are basically encountered in guest rooms, lobbies, banquet halls, dining rooms and kitchens. Pest management in kitchens of hotels is one of the toughest jobs being handled by most Pest Management Professionals (PMPs).

Common pests, which are encountered in the kitchens, are cockroaches, houseflies, rodents, mosquitoes, spiders and lizards. Good management practices are aimed at excluding these pests. When proper management is ignored, these pests, which have been feeding and reproducing in food left over, can infest into new foodstuff stored in kitchens. Pest management is the collective responsibility of the hotel management and the PMP company. To have a better pest management, one should be aware of the basic biology and control methods of these pests.

Cockroach
Cockroaches are pests of poor hygiene and hence cleanliness and hygienic conditions prevent cockroach infestation. Mere use of insecticides without proper hygiene gives only temporary relief. Several insecticides belonging to different class of compounds (Organo phosphate, carbamate, synthetic pyrethroid, etc) are currently available in the market. Products containing propoxur (eg BLATTANEX Conc.) gives good flushing action. When the infestation level is high, one should use products having properties such as above. For maintenance, one can prefer to use products having long residual activity (eg SOLFAC WP or SOLFAC EW). In most of the hotel kitchens, the surfaces are covered with tiles and in such situations products having adsorption properties will give good results. Cockroach gel baits (eg GOLIATH) are the latest entry in to Indian market and they are ideally suited for cockroach control in sensitive situations like those of kitchens in restaurants. Boric acid powder baits are also commonly used by most of the PMPs for cockroach control.

Fly
A long-term fly control can be achieved by environmental sanitation which includes the elimination of fly breeding sources and practising good sanitation in and around working places ie. kitchens in this case. The use of insecticides due to their rapid action is an important component of fly control. The chemical control methods mainly used in kitchens of hotels are residual sprays, insecticide impregnated strips and cords. Depending upon the conditions, fly baits and space spraying could be thought of.

Rodent
Trapping of rodents (by mesh and glue traps) is most widely accepted and practiced method to manage rodents in the kitchen place of a hotel. Poison baiting has its limitations in managing rodent populations in sensitive areas such as kitchens. Use of anticoagulants such as RACUMIN can be effectively done around kitchen areas to bring down the population of rats.

Mosquito
Mosquitoes are basically a nuisance problem in kitchens. Most of the mosquitoes enter kitchen areas during evening time (between 6 - 8 pm). By closing the entry points such as doors and windows during this time will help to block the entry of mosquitoes. Installation of air curtains at entry points will also reduce the mosquito nuisance. Use of products like SOLFAC WP 10 and SOLFAC EW 050 as indoor residual sprays will give additional protection.

Spider, lizard
Insects are the main food source for spiders and lizards. If we control the insects we can automatically reduce the spider and lizard infestation. Periodic cleaning of ceiling corners and around light bulbs will also help to reduce spiders and lizards. Mechanical removal of lizards by using glue traps is also being practised in some cases.

A professional approach
For managing the pests commonly occurring in kitchen areas, a professional approach is a must. Employment of a Pest Management Professional (PMP) is advisable. PMPs will survey the area, gauze the level of infestation and will select appropriate chemical and non-chemical methods to successfully manage the pests. One time pest control service is basically fire fighting exercise and will not serve greatly to reduce the pest problems. Experience in many hotels show that long term contracts (yearly or more) will help the PMPs to fully understand the situation and take short or medium to long term measures to successfully manage the pests. A PMP who is having contract with the hotel management for pest control should be able to make the kitchen staff understand the importance of pest management in kitchens to get full co-operation during the insecticidal spray activities. Kitchen staff if they sight any pests should immediately report (preferably in a format giving details such as name of the pest, number, time, place, sighted by whom, etc) which will help the PMP to take appropriate control steps. It is also very important to the hotel management to select a qualified and professional PMP to operate in the kitchen areas. Selecting a pest control service is as important as selecting other professional services.