A good exclusion program focuses on several core areas while also taking into consideration every structure’s unique features and purpose. Here’s a look at key areas to focus on in residences based on input from a number of PMPs who provide exclusion services.
Here are some areas in residences to focus, based on input from a number of PMPs who provide exclusion services.
• Utility line penetrations in and around the structure, including: gas lines; plumbing; electric; cable; and, air conditions lines.
• Roof lines and roof intersections, particularly those with a pitch change.
• Unique building styles that leave openings under eaves for ventilation.
• Gutters.
• Attic and ridge vents.
• Doors and entry ways, particularly sill plate and exterior utility doors without thresholds.
• Garage doors.
• Random holes left open during construction. (These can be the most challenging to identify.)
• Broken wastewater pipes under structures and in walls.
In addition to access points in common with residential structures, such as roof lines and utility line penetration, here are some additional pest entry points to consider that are unique to commercial buildings.
• Customer entry doors.
• Roll-up and overhead doors.
• Dock doors.
• Dock leveler plates.
• Roof-top air conditioning units.
• Floor-to-floor utility line chases, including: gas lines; plumbing; electric; and, cabling.
IMPORTANT CONSIDERATIONS. Doors are obvious entrances for people and pests. Use door sweeps with strong exterior covers and interiors filled with rodent-resistant materials to prevent rodents from gnawing through. Ensure the gaskets are intact around the sides of doors and that astragal seals adequately close the gap between doors.
Although all exterior doors are important, ground-level doors and those associated with ramps are even more important as they’re an easy access points.
EXCLUSION IS ONGOING. There’s wear and tear of materials. Doors are constantly being opened and closed and may come out of alignment, expand or contract due to temperate, and door and door frames may expand at different rates, all of which contribute to creating gaps. Regular inspections are recommended.
• In addition to installing new, rodent-resistant garage or overhead door seals, add vertical rodent guard as weather stripping on either side.
• Rail doors, where cars come into an unloading shed or building, are particularly difficult to seal, yet one where mice commonly enter.
• Exclude to the tolerances of the target pest, including proper materials to use for exclusion, and gap and hole sizes that may permit pest entry.
• Use the proper materials. Using insulation products, such as expanding foam (exclusively) and other soft products, are generally ineffective.
• Use stainless-steel mesh products for excluding pests from small openings.
• Birds can be problematic. There are a number of factors that may contribute to bird activity, including bright white roofs, solar panels, and simply the location of the building. Solutions should be chosen on a case-by-case basis.
Mistakes to avoid
• Using only foam to fill every gap and hole isn’t an exclusion strategy, it’s a recipe for disaster. It’s easy to apply, but ineffective and can cause far more problems than solutions. It makes future exclusion efforts more difficult, as foam will need to be cut away and removed. Foam can make it difficult to see where a rodent originally chewed. It can also be very messy.
• Installing standard, rubber or vinyl door sweeps and seals won’t work. Rodents may gnaw through to create a new access point. Use rodent-resistant products.
• Only partially sealing entryways. Ensure entryways are completely sealed.
• Don’t forget to investigate possible fireproofing requirements as it relates to exclusion.
LANDSCAPE EXCLUSION. Alert customers to landscaping that may contribute to pest infestations. Suggest they avoid using plants that attract and harbor pests, and those that will accumulate trash. Keeping exterior areas clean inhibits pest activity.
Landscape rodent exclusion often involves subsurface barrier installations. In landscapes, use non-decaying materials such as galvanized hardware cloth or stainless steel screening, high density cement products, and appropriate, long-lasting liquid sealants. There are also newer products on the market, such as stainless-steel mesh “carpet” to prevent burrowing around commercial buildings.
SENSITIVE COMMERCIAL SETTINGS – PET STORES. Some commercial settings are more sensitive than others and the impact of a potential pest infestation could be devastating, not only in terms of physical damage, but of negatively impacting customer perception and brand damage—both very costly to a business. One example is a pet store. Pest exclusion is absolutely the best option in a commercial setting such as this.
In this unique setting, there aren’t only ample food sources, but there are live animals. Some common techniques for eradicating pests aren’t safe to use, including bait, bombs, or fogs, making exclusion even more critical.
A store development coordinator for a major pet store chain emphatically stated that proactive exclusion is absolutely essential. Proper exclusion and sanitation has to be the primary way the risk of pest activity is addressed. Reactive exclusion is okay—better late than never. Proactive exclusion is the ideal. It’s easier and more cost effective to prevent a pest problem before it begins. As we know, no matter the type of facility, there are so many places pests can hide once they’re in, it becomes much more difficult to remove them.
He also has some advice for PMPs providing exclusion services—urgency. Pests don’t take nights, weekends, or holidays off. Yours is not an 8–5 job. Pest issues have to be resolved immediately—pests reproduce so quickly and the potential damage to product and the business is far too great. Successful PMPs will understand the customer’s sensitivity to the issue and realize the time to resolve a pest problem was yesterday.
CUSTOMER INVOLVEMENT. There are certain exclusion strategies you can’t address, but your customer can. Here are a few examples.
• Trailers that are backed up to dock doors and used for storage can be problematic. The trailers may be used to store everything from pallets and cardboard bales to animal feed. It’s more of a problem when the dock doors are open and there isn’t a tight trailer-to-building seal. You may not be able to provide exclusion services in this case, but you can alert the customer to the issue and explain why it’s important to keep the doors closed.
• If automatic door closure timing mechanisms aren’t set correctly, it may allow pests to enter. It’s important to point this out to customers doors that open slowly or stick while open. Resetting the automatic door mechanisms is something they can do as part of the pest exclusion process. In some cases pests may actually trigger a door to open.
A retail store development coordinator mentioned that an extraordinary success for them is when store employees realize sanitation is part of the pest control solution. Keeping up with employee training is important so they understand proper trash disposal and close doors when not in use.
