Household pests go to work – Part 1

Household pests can also be found at your workplace. You can help prevent them by following five precautions.

We often think of household pests being a nuisance but we don’t think about those same pests affecting us at work. Pests like fruit flies, ants and drain flies are an annoyance we can all do without. These kinds of pests are good at hiding. Don’t let them hide at your office, business, factory or wherever you work.

Guard against these pests and any other nasty intruders with these five precautions from Michigan State University Extension.

  1. Keep your food safe. Discourage people you work with from leaving food out overnight. Vegetables, and especially fruits can easily attract unwanted visitors. Everyone should store their food in the refrigerator or in sealed bags or containers.
  2. Take care of the trash. Food that hasn’t been eaten should be dumped in a garbage that has liners and secure lids that keep pests out. Garbage should be emptied every night.
  3. Wash the dishes. Don’t let those dirty glasses, cups and plates pile up in the sink. Get them into the dishwasher or washed right away. If there are countertops or similar type of surfaces used as counters in your work place, keep them clean.
  4. Fix leaking water pipes. Inspect the water pipes under sinks, in storage rooms or wherever you have water at your workplace. Leaky pipes can give insects and even mice a source of water to drink. Let them find somewhere else to congregate and get their drinks.
  5. Reduce clutter. Bugs love to hide in all kinds of stuff. Clean up your workspace and workplace, storerooms, desks and underneath the sink. When cleaning you can see any signs of infestation and take care of it. Some places have a day or two set aside each year that is designated for cleaning and decluttering. You can recycle, donate, sell or just plain throw away items to help reduce clutter.

Preventing an invasion of pests in your workplace is easy when you incorporate the five precautions into your schedule at work and get your co-workers to do the same.

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