Commercial Pest Control And The Day Care Setting
Operating a day care center means every little thing that comes into the building must be safe for the children. When it comes to pest control, this can present a problem. You do not want to have harsh chemicals sprayed where children will be playing, and yet you do not want the pests either. With this in mind, most commercial pest control companies work together with the day care center to keep everyone safe. Here is a typical pest control program for a day care center and what you should look for.
Integrated Pest Management (IPM)
The first thing a pest control company does is to create an IPM with the head of the daycare center. This outlines when pest control is needed. It is important to note that seeing a single pest does not always mean you need to call in the exterminators. In addition, not all bugs or insects are harmful. Some may even be beneficial to the earth they live in, or will eat the more harmful insects crawling around. Th IPM will also give instructions on how to prevent an infestation. This will include how to properly dispose of leftover food, getting rid of diapers, and lawn or yard care to inhibit pests moving in. The service technician will also help to ensure the building is as secure as possible from pests entering. This can include filling any small cracks or holes, especially around pipes.
Pesticides
When looking for a pest control company for your day care center, you should try to find one that has the option of using chemical-free products. These products can be sprayed or placed in and around the building with no fear of harming the children. Of course, there may be times when the only thing that is going to work involves some chemicals. Talk with the technician to make sure you understand how long to keep the children off the area, what signs to look for in case one of them does become ill, and to make sure that the chemicals are the least toxic possible.
Clean Up
Once the pesticides – regardless of chemical content – have done the job, it is important to go through the building and outside area and clean up any carcasses. You can ask if the technician will come back to do this. When the technician does the clean up, he or she can be sure of what pests were exterminated. In addition, by cleaning up, you are removing a source of food for pests, which may cause a whole new infestation.
Children love to play on the floor and on the ground. They also tend to put things in their mouth they should not. Following the IPM designed with the commercial pest control company and then following through with any extermination measures are important to the health and safety of the children entrusted to your care. You do not need to freak out if you see a bug, but you do need to be aware of it and know when and what to do to ensure things don't get out of control.
Click this link for more info on commercial pest control.