Common Pests and Their Favorite Hiding Spots in Restaurants

No matter how superb your food is, the quality of your service, or the beautiful ambiance, nothing can tear down a successful restaurant faster than a pest problem.

Common pests are unhygienic and dangerous as many of them carry harmful diseases that could infiltrate your food, and make your patrons ill. In this case, you’re not only facing a doomed reputation, but you could have a potential lawsuit on your hands.

Pests in restaurants are common, but it’s important to call in restaurant pest control if you can’t keep them at bay. Here are the common culprits and where they tend to hide…

1. The Common Cockroach

Is there anywhere that a cockroach cannot infiltrate? The short answer is no. They’re the type of bug that shows up just about everywhere, no matter how clean your home or business is.

The bad news is that cockroaches carry a ton of bacteria that could spread throughout your restaurant kitchen. They’re also capable of triggering certain allergens and allergies among your patrons. They are a tricky pest to locate because of how swift, sneaky, and quiet they are.

They’re also capable of building large families in a small amount of time, leaving you with an infestation before you know it. You need to hire a professional who has the knowledge and tools to locate these creepy critters and take care of an infestation. This way you can prevent them from returning and regulate your kitchen/restaurant hygiene for the long term.

2. Rodents (Rats and Mice)

They may not be as common as cockroaches, but rodents pose a big problem when they’ve infiltrated your restaurant and its kitchen. Not only can they get into your stock and demolish it within days, but they can also spread very harmful bacteria throughout your facility, too.

Rodents are also capable of damaging your packaging, products, equipment, wiring, and other structures. This usually happens through constant gnawing and chewing. Their droppings harbor bacteria and diseases that can make your patrons very ill.

Fortunately, rodents are much easier to locate so you have a better chance of avoiding an infestation if you call in a pest expert as soon as you notice them!

3. Flies

There are tricky pests to try and control because they’re able to sneak into your premises through open doors, windows, openings, vents, and other cracks and crevices. They’re an annoying pest that tends to carry bacteria that could easily spread throughout your kitchen and restaurant.

What’s more, they’re also difficult to control in warmer climates, especially during the summer months. However, there are plenty of ways and means to control flies in your restaurant — you just need the help of a local pest expert.

4. Flying/Stinging Pests

Similar to flies, these types of pests are difficult to control, especially if your restaurant offers an alfresco dining area. Stinging pests pose a real problem to certain patrons who also might have an allergic reaction to their stings. This tends to up the stakes even more in terms of liability as a restaurant owner.

Such pests might include wasps, hornets, bees, etc. They’re capable of building large nests that can become very tricky to remove once they’re big enough.

5. Product Pests

These types of critters are so named because they tend to creep, crawl, and breed inside all your stored products. This includes pantry staples such as rice, flour, cereals, beans, nuts, barley, etc. Again, this poses a huge risk to the health of your patrons and your reputation if you’re serving these cooked products with insects inside them!

Product pests are also difficult to control as they breed quickly and can contaminate large amounts of product with their eggs and larvae.

6. Ants

This list of common restaurant pests would not be complete without mentioning ants. Although, ants are a common problem in many residential and commercial environments — just like cockroaches.

There is a huge range of ant species, each with its own characteristics. They’re all capable of causing damage to your kitchen, your stock, and your reputation. They breed extremely fast and are difficult to control. As soon as you notice an ant issue, call in a pest expert right away who can help you locate the colony, and set up appropriate control.

So, with all of the above in mind, where do all of these sneaky pests tend to hide and breed? Here are some of the most common areas:

Exterior surroundings outside your restaurant that tend to gather dirt, debris, clutter, and stagnant water
Your roof — ceiling cavities can gather dirt, grime, and dust and become a hot spot for insect breeding grounds
False ceilings — hanging ceilings create the perfect gap between your roof and the false ceiling that harbors pests such as rodents, cockroaches, and flies
Air ducting — your HVAC system is also a hot spot for insect breeding grounds, especially if you neglect to clean and maintain these areas
Drainage areas — it goes without saying that commercial drains get dirty, fast. If you don’t clean them on a regular basis, they’ll attract just about every pest in the book
Gas stoves — this piece of equipment features plenty of small nooks and crevices that also accumulate grease and grime at a rate of knots. This makes a perfect environment for insects like cockroaches and ants
Incoming stock — remember that you cannot count on the cleanliness of your suppliers and their delivery vehicles. Your supplies could harbor plenty of unwanted pests

At the end of the day, the best thing you can do to protect your business is to keep things as clean and hygienic as possible. Never wait to see if an insect issue will resolve itself. Nine times out of ten, it won’t. It might only get worse!

Need Help Getting Rid of Common Pests?

If you’re a restaurant owner and believe you could have a pest problem, Amco Ranger is here to find the source of your issue with these common pests, and take care of it once and for all.

As your local pest experts, we have in-depth experience in both residential and commercial settings. Interested in a free quote? Get in touch with us today.