Do you suffer from a pest problem in your office? With a late, hot summer in full swing this August, and the good weather possibly continuing into September and October (it’s not unheard of – even in the UK!), many workplaces will have implemented a casual dress code, pumped up the air conditioning and thrown the windows wide open. But a cool breeze isn’t the only thing that those wide open windows are going to grant access to…
Whether it’s wasps, flies, ants, mosquito, midges or bees, summertime can be open season for office and workplace invaders. To help you keep your office pest free, we’ve compiled a few tips and tricks to deal with a range of unwanted creatures…
Ants
Have you noticed trails of ants marching across your professional space? It’s time to take a stand against surface mess. From crumbs on desks to sticky sugary surfaces around the coffee station, eliminating foodstuffs on your workplace surfaces will go a long way towards preventing ant invasions which occur when one “scout” ant finds a food source, then summons the rest of the nest. Use a warm, wet cloth and cleaning spray to wipe down surfaces immediately after use to stop this from happening.
Flies
Is there anything more annoying than a great big fly droning around the office? When your office is warm and the windows are open, flies inevitably materialise. They are – however – less happy in cooler climes. Consider shutting your windows to keep flies out and instead using powerful air conditioning to keep your professional space cool. If this is not an option, then taking our the bins every day, keeping surfaces clean, ensuring fruit is stored in the fridge and hanging fly paper at your windows will help to tackle the problem.
Rats
Water sources – including leaky faucets and pipes – can attract rodents in the summer months, including mice and rats. As the weather gets warmer, rubbish can fester and become pungent more rapidly too, which can also lure rodents into your workplace. Ensuring that leaks are fixed and that your refuse is disposed of at the end of each working day will help to prevent the issue.
Wasps
Perhaps the most loathed of summertime workplace pests, wasps in the office can be a potentially dangerous disruption for your team, possibly causing those people fearful of them to run away and abandon their desks entirely. While ensuring that fruit and spilt sugary substances are stashed safely and cleaned up properly respectively will ensure that you don’t encourage wasps, if there is a nest nearby, calling in a professional pest control team to remove it is the only foolproof solution.
We hope you’ve found these tips useful – although we’ve published it towards the end of the summer, don’t forget that it might come in handy for future summers, too!
Do you need help with keeping your workplace clean and tidy to prevent pests during the summer months? The Abbey Cleaning Service provides bespoke office cleaning services across the South Wales region, keeping your space spick and span so that you can get on with business. To discuss your requirements, contact our commercial cleaning experts today on 029 2067 9323!
