Today it is time to spend a day with Bart of our Pest control division. He is a certified pest control technician and has multiple pest control activities on a daily basis. Bart is part of the EWS Pest control team, which exists of a close group of staff members. As a pest control technician he has a very independent job and a nice responsibility in the client relationship with the goal to keep the locations in his region free of pests. For our first appointment, I meet him for a contract inspection at a road restaurant.
Image 1: Bart collects his stuff for the first appointment
We enter through the back entrance and Bart knows exactly where he can find all detection spots. He checks them all, but now the only catch is a meatball. He tightens a couple of mice traps (detection and catching spots) that have sprung. Next, he checks and replaces all glue plates of the insect lamps that are hanging there. Bart inventories how many insects were caught, gives them all a name (determination) and reports this in the EWS client portal with the help of his tablet.
Image 2: Catch of the day, a meatball
After finishing the inspection, a client evaluation takes place. After that, our contact signs the digital work order on the tablet. We return to the company car and move on to the next address, a shopping centre. Here are multiple locations with pests detection and catching resources. All pests risk areas here have to be checked. Where necessary, the sprung traps are tightened again or the luring boxes are filled up with poison again, if allowed. That’s because poison is a last resort that Bart is allowed to deploy. The government has strict regulations for this. As pest control technician you visit beautiful and interesting locations, but also places that are not very clean. The mice and rats traps are often out of sight and that’s why you can mostly find them placed strategically and smart in corners or places that are hard to reach.
Image 3: Mice trap in a corner of a building
In the waste room of the shopping centre we catch a mouse. This is the only catch of the day. Everything is checked, replaced and tightened where necessary. Every inspection is reported in the EWS client portal. After evaluation of the findings and risks, a digital signature of the contact finishes the inspection and we go on to the next location. This is the warehouse of a wholesaler. Here are many rats and mice traps and other detection spots. We inspect them all. In many rats traps, bait is placed, because the client recently discovered pest nuisance here. Bart checks if the bait is eaten and adds bait where necessary. We carry out the inspection round outside at the garbage containers and inside in the warehouse. No catch over here as well. Bart does encounter many risks that can lead to rodents feeling at home at this location. Waste that is lying around and edible stuff, but also a hole in the ground as nesting opportunity are all dangers.
After an elaborate inspection, we sit down for a cup of coffee and meanwhile, Bart updates all findings in the EWS Portal. As soon as he’s done, Bart informs his contact in a personal conversation about his findings. Bart clearly communicates the urgency of resolving the pests risks. The client can consult the advice, provided with illustrating photo’s, in the EWS Portal. The contacts signs for the visit and is going to tackle the risks.
Image 4: Bart inspects the rats traps, placed in accordance with the IPM norm
Now we are going on our way to the next and last location. This is a big hotel that has called for our help for the pest control. We place multiple rats traps outside the building for them and in the building there are extra mice boxes. These all have to be checked. We start inside, looking for our contact to here about the actual situation regarding pests. From the conversation, it becomes clear that methods for the prevention of pests are being changed and that he makes an effort to stimulate the staff to work clean. Pests are attracted by waste and food remains. A clean working environment and the right discipline of staff members of our client contribute to an environment that is free of pests. This method is called IPM, Integrated Pest Management.
We first inspect the traps outside the building. Bart checks all the rats traps and detection spots yet again. We establish that some bait has been eaten and in the gravel we find a hole. It is clear that rats often come here and Bart shows what you have to pay attention to in order to find out if there are rats. However, now there is no catch.
Image 5 and 6: checking rats traps outside
After everything outside is checked, we go on inside the building. Over here, the mice detection spots are outside of view of the guests. We check the first traps and it immediately becomes clear what our contact meant by saying that the work environment has to be cleaner. We see a lot of mice excrements, that have been lying here for a couple of weeks. Bart inspects every catching and detection spot, which are spread over multiple places, and he concludes that there is no catch. He also concludes that the excrements are from a generation of mice of a few months back.
Image 7: Mice box in one of the kitchens Image 8: Hole in the wall through which mice can enter
After everything is inspected, Bart processes the findings in the EWS Portal once again, he discusses everything with his contact, he makes agreements with him about the found risks and problems and the related urgency and the report of the pest control is signed in the client portal. We return to the car and my day with pest control comes to an end.