Many businesses have had to close or severely alter how they operate during the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic to help flatten the curve and stop the spread of the virus.
One thing that hasn’t changed is the presence of pests. They’re still out there, still trying to get into our homes and businesses. And just because a business is temporarily closed doesn’t mean it’s vacant. Cats Eye King is here to help!
How Are Closed Businesses Affected?
Many businesses had to suddenly close their doors when stay-at-home orders were issued. This means that important sanitation steps may have been missed. Restaurants are especially vulnerable to this because of food and food waste like grease being overlooked. Offices have similar issues due to food at people’s desks and in break rooms. In addition to food and water, pests also search for warmth and shelter inside structures.
What Pests Should You Look Out For?
Some of the most common pests businesses will have to deal with during the pandemic are rats, mice, cockroaches, and flies.
Rats
- Rats can fit through a hole the size of a quarter.
- Rats are also rodents and like mice, they chew on objects such as pipes, furniture, wood molding, plastic, aluminum, and electrical wiring to help keep their teeth short and sharp.
- Rats are used to abundant food trash from humans, and those resources are no longer there.
- When usual food sources are gone, rats will start to seek out other options, such as inside businesses like restaurants and offices.
- While there’s no evidence rats can become infected with COVID-19, Dr. Corrigan does worry that rats could become a vector for the virus by scurrying through sewer pipes full of human waste and carrying it indoors.
Cockroaches
- Cockroaches can access a structure by crawling through small holes and cracks around doors and windows and by hitching rides on bags, packages, and other things brought inside.
- German cockroaches carry pathogens that can cause food poisoning and dysentery.
- Infestations can quickly become severe because cockroaches reproduce rapidly.
- They lay up to 40 eggs at a time, which mature in about two months.
Flies
- Flies will get in through small holes and gaps in doors and windows.
- They feed on garbage and sewage and pick up germs like E. coli and Salmonella.
- They spread these pathogens to your employees and clients by contaminating food and water.
- Drain and fruit fly populations will quickly multiply if gone unchecked