There’s a very good reason why humans have a natural aversion to cockroaches: they’re dirty, destructive, disease-spreading pests. The World Health Organization (WHO) explains why cockroaches are so inhospitable:
- When they’re not partially disgorging the contents of their stomachs, they’re dropping their waste at regular intervals.
- They secrete a nauseous discharge from their mouths and organs on their bodies, leaving a foul smell that persists long after the bugs have skittered away.
- Then there are the diseases that roaches are suspected of carrying, which include diarrhea, dysentery, cholera, leprosy, plague, typhoid fever, and poliomyelitis.
- Roaches also cause allergic reactions in many people that can cause itching, swelling, dermatitis, and respiratory impairment.
For restaurant owners, a cockroach infestation can be devastating. When public health inspectors discover indications of roaches in a restaurant, they may be compelled to order an immediate closure. It’s no secret that the Sunshine State is home to more than its fair share of cockroaches. So how do restaurants keep roaches away in South Florida?
Ensuring that a restaurant’s doors stay open requires an approach that emphasizes prevention and combines regularly scheduled treatments and fast response, hopefully before a potential infestation is detected. Nozzle Nolen’s pest control plan for restaurants and other businesses guarantees that your establishment will remain free of cockroaches and every other type of pest, including rodents, roaches, ants, bees, wasps, mosquitoes, and bed bugs.
Why Roaches Spell T-R-O-U-B-L-E for Restaurants
The awful secret is that cockroaches and other bugs are present at some time in nearly all South Florida restaurants, but in most cases, a single appearance doesn’t indicate an ongoing problem. The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services provides a searchable database of inspection reports for restaurants, supermarkets, grocery stores, and other food-handling establishments.
Among the violations cited by inspectors of restaurants and other food services are conditions that invite a bug infestation, such as failing to cover garbage receptacles and improper food storage. Food inspectors take signs of roaches, flies, and other bugs in restaurants very seriously because of the danger of disease and even death from consuming food that has been contaminated by the insects.
How Do Restaurants Keep Roaches Away? The Steps to Take
A few simple actions by restaurants can minimize the threat that cockroaches pose to their customers, their employees, and their livelihood:
- Make sure food is stored away from walls and at least six inches off the floor.
- Either seal kitchen equipment to the floor or raise it at least six inches off the ground.
- Empty garbage containers frequently and keep dumpsters clean.
- Never leave boxes on the floor longer than it takes to unpack them. German cockroaches, which are prevalent in South Florida and especially destructive, are one of several cockroach species that lay their eggs in cardboard. When those eggs hatch, the roaches will look for locations in your kitchen and elsewhere to lay new eggs.
- Keep doors closed as often as possible and seal any holes in walls.
Other entry points for cockroaches are drains and cracks in the building’s foundation. Any objects attached to the restaurant’s walls need to be kept clean and sealed tightly to prevent the bugs from taking up residence in the space behind them. Stick to your establishment’s cleaning regimen religiously because cockroaches love dirt and grime.
Even after following these rules for preventing cockroaches, you and your staff may occasionally encounter signs of their presence, whether alive or dead. The only sure-fire way to eliminate the threat of cockroaches invading your restaurant’s kitchen, dining room, or storage areas is by partnering with an experienced team of pest-control specialists such as Nozzle Nolen, whose commercial pest control services are Green Shield certified and designed to prevent cockroaches and other unwanted guests from invading your premises.
Getting Started With Nozzle Nolen
In addition to keeping insects and rodents at bay, the comprehensive pest-control programs offered by Nozzle Nolen include the DisMist disinfectant service that destroys disease-spreading viruses and other organisms on your restaurant’s high-contact surfaces. Nozzle Nolen’s trained technicians make quarterly preventive visits to your establishment and respond in 24 to 48 hours when a problem arises. Schedule a free evaluation to find out how Nozzle Nolen can help you keep your restaurant pest-free.
Nozzle Nolen has provided expert pest control services to South Florida restaurants for more than seven decades. We hope we have answered, “How do restaurants keep roaches away?” If you have read this guide and suspect a roach infestation, don’t wait until it’s too late and let your business suffer. Call us at 800.226.6536 or Contact Us. We look forward to serving you.
