Protecting your stored products from a pest infestation

There are various types of insects that can invade your pantry or food storage spaces. These insects can infest food products such as cereals, grains, rice, fruit and seeds.

These insects present a constant health hazard in Australian households and the food industry. These pests should not be found in commercial premises such as food processing plants, warehouse units, stores, restaurants, silos and farms.

Food processing plants and grain storage will benefit tremendously from hiring a professional pest management service to contain and remove infestations while keeping hygiene and sanitation at their highest levels and adhering to all applicable regulations and laws.

Consult our pest exterminators in Sydney!

We provide eco-friendly commercial pest control services. Check out our commercial services below:

• Hotels
• Cafe
• Food Court
• Food Processing
• Restaurants

Pests commonly found in stored food

To get rid of pests in stored food, the food that has been contaminated must be removed and thrown away to avoid pests from spreading.

Our professional pest management services from Masters Pest Control Sydney will help you effectively manage and ensure minimum disruption to your business operations.

Our pest management process focuses on 3 main aspects to ensure the most effective solution to your pest problems. These are:

Prevention

Preventing access to stored food on your premises is the first line of defence against pests. High hygiene levels and sanitation have to be kept throughout the year, especially during the warm parts of the year when the high temperature. Stored food should be kept at temperatures below 16°C. All excess food material, as well as accumulated dust, should be cleaned up. Food should not be kept on the floor and near walls. All raw materials should be stored in robust packaging that can help in preventing pest infestation. Tight-fitting insect screens should be installed and kept in good condition at all times.

Inspection

Food infestation by pests can be localized to a small area, such as a bag of chips. However, if it is left undetected and untreated, pests can spread quickly. This is why regular inspection and monitoring are a must when preventing pest infestations. It’s best to thoroughly inspect incoming food or stock before placing them in the main storage area. Traps and lures need to be used for effective monitoring. The use of pheromone pots and similar glue traps can help monitor infestations. Pest traps such as those using UV light or pheromones should be installed to control and monitor all flying insects.

Extermination

We’ll remove pests and apply preventive measures to provide a long-term solution. We understand how important it is to protect food and your storage space from pests.

Preventing contamination in stored food and other products is our top priority. This is why our pest control service includes the following:

1. Dusting – some dust has pesticide properties and can be even mechanical in nature, eroding the insect’s cuticle and causes desiccation.
2. Fumigation – fumigants which are gaseous substances, can be used to effectively get rid of pests in food, disregarding their life stages. Fumigation procedures need to be done in gas-proof areas so gas can be contained for enough time that it needs to be effective.
3. Precision Spraying – this can be used to deal with pest infestations in structural areas and the environment. The success rate depends on the access and cleaning of loose residues.
4. Space sprayers – using finely atomized droplets with approved pesticides are useful in managing and containing cross infestation. Thermal droplets are used to spread aerosols with approved pesticides.
5. Exterior infestations – in cases where exterior infestations have been identified, pest managers need to use an approved insecticide treatment to deal with insect activity on the outside areas of buildings and storage facilities. The use of residual insecticides will reduce pests in food.
6. Auto-aerosol spraying devices can be used to spread a measured amount of aerosol insecticides in the air. Only formulations based on pyrethrum can be used because others can have high toxicity to mammals. Expert pest managers say that this procedure has only moderate effectiveness and highly depends on location, design, distribution, and reticulation that all influence the result.
7. Controlled atmosphere – in situations where gaseous substances can´t be used, the material and other goods can be placed in large ovens at 60°C for half an hour to kill pests in all their stages of life.
8. Grain protectants – protection of foods from pests must be done in all product stages, from harvest to processing. Grain protectants are insecticidal dust that is applied to grains in transportation. As these grains are intended for human consumption, strict regulations and guidelines exist and need to be followed.

If you want to protect your commercial property from a pest invasion, you may book our pest exterminators in Sydney. Call (02) 8007 4666 now to solve your pest food problem!