PET Food Processing - March 2020 - 61

OPERATIONS

21st

century pest control
The latest technological advancements helping pet
food operators better manage pest control.
By Keith Loria | petfoodprocessing@sosland.com

O

One of the biggest and most exciting trends in the pest
management industry today is embracing progressive
technologies. Changes in FSMA, accessible technologies, lower thresholds and sophisticated clients have all
forced the pest management industry to really explore
and develop various innovations.
"The pest management industry is embracing the
food safety mindset better now than in the past and
building more robust programs as a result," says Bennett
Jordan, director, technical support and regulatory compliance, Copesan, Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin.
Some of the greatest advancements in pest management technology over the past 15 to 20 years have been
in the realm of monitoring with advancements in pheromone traps, and especially barcode software programs
for comprehensive pest data management.
"The essence of monitoring is the analysis of data and
gaining insights on trends, hotspots of activity and root
causes," says Billie Johnson, Ph.D., food safety/regulatory compliance manager, BHJ North America, Omaha,
Nebraska. "It still takes a professional to interpret the
data, but the reporting and mapping capabilities of the
programs have been tremendous."
Another huge innovation over the same time span is
widespread use of insect growth regulators (IGRs). IGR

usage was adopted in parallel with the software development and the value of IGRs may not have been realized
without monitoring data to show their efficacy.

Best practices
Jim Fredericks, chief entomologist and vice president, technical and regulatory affairs, National Pest
Management Association (NPMA), Fairfax, Virginia,
says there are plenty of things processors should do to
help control pests.
Among them are ensuring the facility has adequate
waste management systems inside and outside; stores
garbage in sealed containers at all times and disposes of
it on a regular basis; seals all pest entry points around
pipes, the foundation and loading docks, as well as any
cracks or crevices in the structure with an appropriate
sealant; and addresses any areas conducive to pest activity, such as clutter or debris, open trash, standing water
and overgrown vegetation.
"The best method of pest control in food processing facilities continues to be the Integrated Pest
Management (IPM) process, whereby facility managers
work with their pest control professional partners to inspect, identify, recommend, treat, and evaluate pest hot
spots to prevent infestations," Fredericks says.

Proper management
of waste, clutter and
debris both inside
and outside a processing facility can
help control pests.
©James Steidl - stock.adobe.com

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