However, some pest outbreaks are easier to spot than others, which require special knowledge and equipment to identify. So, it’s best to bring in the experts.

At Allstate, our highly trained technicians will perform a comprehensive pest assessment of your property and note down all potential risk factors.

We understand the significant threat that pest activity can pose to your business, so we’ll recommend regular inspections, and initiate treatment if needed, to safeguard your property from potentially ongoing pest attacks.

Staying compliant with Food Safety Standard HACCP and Quality Standard ISO 9001
is an integral part of the day-to-day operations for many commercial properties such as restaurants and warehouses . Consider taking the following steps to keep your venue pest-free:

• Keep workspaces sanitised and regularly deep clean, remembering to check hard to reach areas
• Clean food preparation and dining areas often, wiping up spills and crumbs as soon as possible
• Hand wash regularly before handling food and if you suspect there is a risk of contamination
• Avoid leaving cooked food out to cool for more than an hour
• Use disposable gloves where possible and change them regularly
• Avoid cross-contamination of raw and cooked food
• Handle food with utensils that are sterilised
• Ensure that staff are trained in safe food handling and preparations

As expert scavengers, hungry pests are not shy about foraging through rubbish for food. Unfortunately, the large amounts of waste generated at most busy commercial properties can attract pests from far and wide unless it is properly managed.

Avoid unwanted pest outbreaks by establishing the following waste management guidelines for your facility:

• Keep all waste covered and tightly sealed
• Use sealed bins throughout venue, in all indoor and outdoor areas
• Regularly empty bins and keep them clean to reduce the buildup of rotten food and odours
• Consider implementing a recycling program
• Keep staff, employees and contractors up to date with waste management knowledge

While bringing in an expert to install pest control barriers and recommendations is a key part to keeping your facility pest-free, your employees also play an important role in implementing pest prevention-friendly practices in the workplace.

At Allstate, we believe that ongoing education and training for your staff, employees and contractors can encourage and foster a culture of proactive, safe pest prevention practices at work.

Training programs for staff should provide information about how to report any suspected pest sightings immediately and identify early signs of pest problems, proper food and waste handling and hygiene practices, as well as relevant food and workplace safety standards.

They’re noisy, hungry and unhygienic, and leave a huge mess behind.

Rats and mice are a feared pest in homes and hospitality venues alike. With their ever-growing teeth, they’ll constantly gnaw at not only food supplies, but also walls, electrical wiring and timber furniture, resulting in costly damage.

In addition to this, their fur, saliva and droppings contain a range of nasty germs and diseases – not the items that you’d want on your menu!

Signs of a rodent infestation

• As nocturnal pests, you’ll be more likely to see rodents in the evenings, when hosting your evening and nighttime guests
• Rodent droppings look like black rice grains, ranging from 3-18mm long
• Look for food scraps and crumbs lying scattered around, and spilled food from ripped packaging
• Listen out for squeaking, thumping, scratching and gnawing sounds coming from your roof and walls

Stop a rodent rampage at your venue

• Maintain excellent hygiene standards, including frequent handwashing and thoroughly cleaning your venue, including surfaces, dining and preparation areas
• Regularly inspect and cover all access points on your roof. Check vents and chimneys, and underneath doors as well
• Ensure that waste is properly stored and covered
• Regular yard maintenance removes hiding spots for rodents, so if you have plants, trees and shrubs, keep them well trimmed. Keep lawns mowed and tidy and remove piles of vegetation

Professional rodent management

Allstate uses targeted rodent baits and physical traps to control rowdy rodents at your venue.

From stovetops to toilet seats, ants march far and wide to forage for food. They encounter many different types of bacteria, viruses and bugs on their adventures and spread them all over your venue if left unchecked. What’s more, their bites can sting and trigger allergies.

Identifying an ant outbreak

• You notice ants marching along well-defined trails
• Carpenter ants nest in timber structures and will leave behind piles of wood shavings on the floor, also known as frass

Tips to keep ants away from your venue

• Practice proper food storage, keep supplies tightly sealed inside cupboards and pantries
• Clear away food spills and crumbs from floors and surfaces immediately
• Regularly disinfect food preparation and dining areas
• Avoid leaving dirty utensils, dishes and cutlery unwashed in the sink
• Look for potential entry points and seal them
• Mow any outdoor areas regularly and remove fallen or rotten fruit, as well as piles of vegetation
• Check that rubbish bins and skips have properly fitted lids and keep waste sealed in sturdy bags

Professional ant control

At Allstate, our technicians use a combination of chemical baits, targeted insecticide and ant control dust treatments to combat annoying ant outbreaks.

With the constant threat of pest outbreaks at hospitality venues, it’s essential to be covered by the most reliable pest management solutions to keep your business running smoothly.

Locally operated since 1986, Allstate has provided high quality pest control services to homes and businesses in all suburbs of Adelaide.

Available 24/7 for urgent advice, our highly trained pest technicians are fully equipped with modern pest-detecting tools and innovative, non-toxic treatments, which can be seamlessly integrated into a personalised pest management program for your venue.

Covered by comprehensive warranty, our pest management program will ensure that your venue stays open for business and compliant to government regulations for the long haul.

Well known for spreading diseases, cold-blooded cockroaches cannot regulate their bodies in cooler temperatures, and rely on the warmth, shelter and food in your home to survive. With the cockroach population peaking in summer, you’ll see them increasingly seeking refuge in your home as the mercury drops.

How to tell if you have a cockroach issue

• As nocturnal creatures, you’re more likely to see them when they’re active at night
• As they grow bigger, cockroaches leave behind moulted outer skins which are thin and pale-yellow in colour
• Cockroach droppings can vary in length depending on the species, but resemble coffee grounds and can give off a musty odour

Safeguarding your home from a cockroach issues

• Inspect your home for potential entry points and either cover or fill them
• Check the plumbing around your home for leaking pipes and drains and repair them as cockroaches thrive in moist environments
• Remove food sources by keeping your kitchen and dining areas clean, wipe away food spills and grease around your stove and oven, keep your dishwasher clean, and ensuring that food and rubbish is covered tightly
• Practice good hygiene by washing your hands with soap and water before and after food preparation, handling waste and coming into contact with contaminated surfaces

With the rodent population peaking in late summer and early autumn, and food sources dwindling as autumn progresses, rodents become increasingly active in their search for alternative resources and shelter. Unfortunately, this could lead them straight inside your home!

Spot a rodent infestation

• While they can be hard to spot, you’re more likely to physically see them scurrying about at night as they are nocturnal
• Listen for squeaking, scratching, scurrying and scampering sounds coming from your roof and walls
• Rodent droppings usually look like black grains of rice, and range from 3-18mm in length, and give off an unpleasant, musty odour
• Unexplained gnawed and partially eaten food items left scattered around your home
• Gnaw marks appearing on your walls, timber furniture, cables and walls
• Rodent nests are typically well hidden, but are constructed from foraged material scraps such as wood, straw, paper, fabric and cardboard
• Grease marks may appear on your walls and skirtings from rodent fur

How to stop a rodent problem

• Inspect your home, especially your roof, for possible entry points and seal them over
• Avoid leaving food items out in the open. Instead, keep them stored away in sturdy containers or packaging
• Keep rubbish bins and compost properly covered
• Cover vents with a fine mesh and install grates or caps on chimneys
• Fit weather strips around windows and draught excluders under doors
• Regular yard maintenance including keeping shrubs and trees trimmed, lawns mowed, disposing fallen fruit and piles of organic waste