VERTEBRATE PESTS: Of “Rats” and “Packrats”

We could have titled this column, "Bugs and Clutterbugs: Reducing Pest Problems in Buildings by Reducing Clutter." We all know there is often a direct relationship between clutter and pests — both vertebrate (mice, rats, urban wildlife) and invertebrate pests (ants, cockroaches, cereal pests, etc.).

By our nature, people tend to accumulate clutter, both in our homes and in our workplaces. Attached garages, attics and basements often evolve into big closets and sometimes become so cluttered they are (relative to pests) inaccessible. In addition, the everyday operations of many types of commercial accounts render these accounts clutter-prone. Lots of boxes, papers, discarded equipment and junk, books and a myriad of other items accumulate rapidly. But when clutter is not managed over time, it is highly conducive to creating pest problems. Unfortunately, cluttered accounts and clutterbug clients often expect their pest management service to compensate for the clutter and eliminate the pests regardless of the inability to gain access to where the pests are harboring. Let’s examine the relationship between clutter and pests a bit closer.

PROBLEMS WITH CLUTTER. Clutter creates several problems for both our clients and us as pest professionals attempting to service cluttered accounts and areas.

Pests gravitate towards cluttered areas because clutter enables them to hide and reproduce undisturbed from predators and people. Mice, rats and many insect pests typically gravitate towards corners and concealed walls for this reason. It is not uncommon for two to three families of mice (15 to 20 mice) to share the base of one cardboard box in a cluttered closet or even in kitchens and offices inside commercial accounts. Some insect pests, such cockroaches, ants and silverfish, prefer the various types of crevices that layered clutter (e.g., stacks of paper) provide.

Clutter can be harmful. In regions of the country where brown recluse spiders occur, these spiders often harbor among layered papers and within forgotten boxes in cluttered corners and similar areas. These spiders and other pests have bitten office employees, as well as children and teachers in schools, when they reach into piles to retrieve papers or other items.

Pest management efforts are impossible in cluttered areas. Should mice, spiders, cockroaches, etc., be embedded among boxes, paper piles and junk, there is little a pest professional can do to eliminate pests. There are no magic sprays, bombs or baits that will penetrate cluttered closets or rooms and eliminate hiding pests. In other words, to best eliminate pest infestations, pest management professionals must have access.

Cleaning efforts are diluted or impossible in cluttered rooms. Custodians in every office building, school, nursing home, etc., can usually quickly point the worst two or three clutterbugs in their building. They feel the frustration every day of trying to clean clutterbug rooms.

COMMUNICATION IS ESSENTIAL. One of the most frustrating aspects of everyday pest management work is communicating (or even attempting to broach) this sensitive subject with clients. Nevertheless, when we have accounts where the client’s clutter is significantly hampering (or even negating) successful pest management, we must inform these clients in a professional manner the importance of clutter control. This can (and should) be tactfully done. Consider including the information below on a leave-behind or a well-designed fact sheet by your company:

Dear Client: We are attempting to provide you with the best pest management service available, but we need your help. Today, it is easy for our workspaces and homes to quickly accumulate boxes, papers and all types of equipment. Unfortunately, research has shown that clutter and pest infestations go hand in hand. Thus, we offer the following tips in helping your (company, home, school, office, etc.) reduce clutter and by doing so, helping us to help you.

CLUTTER RECOMMENDATIONS. Offer the following to your clutterbug clients:

1. Reducing clutter makes you feel good. Reducing clutter has psychological benefits. Facing clutter each time you enter a room or look upon a cluttered desktop can be burdensome. Clutter presents an overwhelming feeling before you even start to work. Conversely, facing an organized area helps to promote quick work starts and facilitates efficient use of time. Once an area is organized, it is easier to keep it this way.

2. Reduce clutter in bite-size pieces. Sometimes clutter is so overwhelming we realize it will take hours of work to organize and thus we procrastinate starting. We tend to think in terms of "when things slow down, I’ll clean up this mess." But in these busy times, "clean-up days" are rare. It is far more realistic to allocate 30 minutes three to four days each week and reduce the clutter in bits and pieces. After just a week or two, cluttered areas will amazingly look organized again.

3. Use storage boxes. For items that must remain in storage, plastic see-through boxes exist in nearly every size, shape and color. Questionable and long-term items can be stored in inexpensive banker’s boxes in off-site storage rooms or areas until they’re needed.

4. Allocate specific storage spaces. Allocate specific areas of offices, backrooms, classrooms, etc., for organized storage. Operations prone to abundant clutter (schools, supermarket back rooms, etc.) should allocate certain rooms for organized storage. In older buildings, storage areas may be virtually non-existent. However, pre-assembled storage sheds of all sizes are now economically available and can be installed on the premises.

5. Organize a clutter reduction effort. When clutter for the entire operation, home, office or school becomes severe, clutter reduction teams can be organized. Clutterbug employees often fear losing valuable items during these efforts (thus part of the reason clutter accumulates). But this can be overcome (or reduced) when employees’ items are placed into banker boxes clearly marked with their names, the date and contents.

6. Clutter management efforts must have management support. Office managers, school principals, etc., should request from their custodial staffs on a quarterly basis those rooms or areas where the clutter is inhibiting proper cleaning and pest inspections. Reminder notes should be sent to the clutterbugs requesting their cooperation. Brief stop-by visits two weeks later by the management is necessary to confer the message that clutter management is important in the overall health of the building and its occupants.

7. Store items to prevent infestations. To discourage pest infestations into stored items and storage rooms, all boxes should be stored off the floor by a minimum of 8 inches — but preferably 12 inches. This space will allow for necessary access by brooms and mops. This space will also discourage any insects and rodents from hiding beneath the first shelf. It is important to avoid using storage shelves that enclose the bottom shelf close to the floor. It is common for schools and offices to either purchase or to assemble such storage shelves using 2 by 4 stud lumber and plywood. Begin the first shelf with the 4-inch side of the stud. With these types of shelves, the bottom shelf is enclosed and basically creates a "pest cave" in which mice and insects will hide and thrive. In situations where boxes are placed directly on the floor, an empty space of about 12 to 16 inches between boxes and walls is necessary. This storage-free zone also allows for inspection, cleaning and the application of pest monitors and traps.

8. Be considerate of employees. Building janitors and sanitation employees play a vital role in maintaining the overall quality and health of our buildings. Or it may be a fellow employee who is faced with cleaning up behind those that clutter or leave areas untidy. Please don’t make a janitor’s or a fellow employee’s job more difficult by rendering your own work area hard to clean due to clutter.

The author is president of RMC Pest Management Consulting and can be reached at rcorrigan@pctonline.com or 765/939-2829.