Deliver Quality Care and Environmental
Responsibility with Green Pest Management

By Patrick T. Copps, MS, BCE
Technical Services Manager, Orkin, Inc.

In addition to meeting their healthcare needs, Americans now expect their healthcare providers to be environmentally responsible. Increasing numbers of facilities are responding by making it a top priority in their everyday operations, including the area of pest management. But despite the best intentions, it can be challenging to maintain a pest-free establishment and go green at the same time.

As you know, keeping pests out of a highly regulated and sensitive healthcare environment isn’t optional. When patients enter your facility, they expect the best care and attention possible, while your employees expect optimal working conditions. There should be no concerns about unsanitary conditions caused by disease-carrying pests or an unhealthy environment created by the chemicals used to control those pests.

Unfortunately, your facility can provide one or all of pests’ basic needs – food, water, shelter and comfortable temperatures – leaving it vulnerable to unwanted infestations. If you are looking for a more effective and environmentally friendly approach to pest control, consider implementing an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) program.

IPM focuses on the reasons why pests infest facilities like yours in the first place, stressing prevention over remediation and emphasizing non-chemical solutions. Through a proactive and ongoing approach, IPM reduces the need for pesticide applications and other reactive measures. Work with your pest management professional to implement the following environmentally friendly techniques to protect the environment and maintain a sterile, pest-free facility:

Fly lights
The food waste and trash that is produced by your facility will appeal to flies, particularly in foodservice and waste management areas. Install fly lights near entrances to trap flying insects before they access the interior of the building. Modern fly lights use ultraviolet light to attract and draw the pests to a non-toxic sticky board inside the unit. You can place these devices throughout the facility, but they are particularly useful in food preparation areas, and near entrances to waste disposal zones and loading docks where flying insects are likely to enter. Replace the sticky boards regularly and don’t forget the attractant light bulbs will need to be replaced twice per year to maintain trap effectiveness.

Sticky Boards
Often used for cockroach management, sticky boards are one of the most common non-chemical pest control methods. Sticky boards can trap unwanted crawling pests, aiding in their ultimate removal, and help you and your pest management provider monitor pest activity in your facility. Place these traps in common pest hot spots such as storage areas, kitchens, laundry facilities and break rooms. If used as a monitoring method, keep a record of the number and type of pests found at each location to determine the level of pest activity in the area.

Repellants and Desiccants
Small amounts of repellant dust help keep pests from hiding in hard-to-reach cracks and crevices in and around your facility. Commonly used to treat crawling insects such as ants and roaches, repellants use a combination of pyrethrins, a product derived from chrysanthemums, and desiccants, like silica gel, to damage insects’ exoskeletons by causing their bodies to lose moisture and dry out. Repellants and desiccants are most effective when used in small openings around the exterior of a building. Sealing these openings with caulk after treatment will help reduce the pests’ hiding spots and the chance of future infestations.

Pheromone Traps and Insect Growth Regulators (IGRs)
With the help of modern science, pest management professionals can now use pests’ biology against them. Pheromone traps and IGRs are two techniques that use synthetic copies of chemicals involved in pest reproduction and growth.

• Pheromone traps – Pests use pheromones, which are secreted chemicals, to communicate with another pest of the same species. Pheromone traps incorporate synthetically replicated versions of an insect’s pheromones to lure the pest to a sticky trap. Most often used as a technique to manage flying insects, pheromone traps can help identify and monitor pest populations.
• IGRs – IGRs prevent target insects from reaching full maturity by using man-made versions of their hormones to disrupt pests’ lifecycles. Once a pest is unable to mature, and thus reproduce, the population stops increasing.

Insect bait
An effective alternative to traditional spray pesticides, insect baits use chemical formulations that are held in a stable matrix.. Low-volatile baits will most often be used as gels and applied to cracks and crevices, or as a small bait puck with the chemical secreted inside a protective casing. Pest management professionals will often use bait pucks in damp, dark areas or under shelving in foodservice areas to control cockroaches. Since these baits do include chemicals, your licensed pest management professional will apply them in areas that will not put staff or patients at risk.

Organic Cleaners
Consider switching to an organic cleaner instead of a chemical cleaner in your facility’s kitchen and cafeteria. These environmentally friendly products use naturally-occurring bacteria and enzymes to break down grease and grime. Organic cleaners can eradicate breeding areas for drain and fruit flies when used in and around drains, sinks and garbage disposals.

Before implementing any of these treatments, it’s important to accurately identify the specific problem pest. The green pest management techniques discussed above will be most effective when selected to target a particular pest. Make sure your pest management professional is properly trained in pest identification and biology. And, remember that all of your pest management efforts are futile without the help and support of your staff. Ask your pest management professional to conduct a training session to equip your employees with the resources and knowledge they need to monitor and report pest activity.

With so many green options available, it’s best to work with a reputable pest management professional to choose the best methods for your facility. A strong IPM program and effective management methods can help your facility maintain a reputation for superior patient care as well as environmental responsibility.

Patrick Copps is Technical Services Manager for Orkin’s Pacific Division. A Board Certified Entomologist in urban and industrial entomology, Mr. Copps has more than 30 years experience in the industry. For more information, email Mr. Copps at pcopps@rollins.com or visit www.orkincommercial.com for more information.