Finding Rodent Entry in Red Bank, NJ
Challenge
Recently, I was sent to service a commercial account in Red Bank, NJ. For our commercial customers, especially restaurants and other food service establishments, we always recommend regular, periodic service calls so that we can inspect and identify pest problems in their early stages or, better yet, take preventative measures to stop infestations from developing in the first place. In the past, a common pest problem with this account was fruit flies. This business makes a variety of fruit smoothies, and all of those sweet, ripe bananas and mangoes are major attractants for those pesky little gnats. For this account, I always inspect, clean, and “biofoam” the drains an under the equipment to remove any harborage areas or rather insects. Biofoam has enzymes that dissolve all of the food debris gunk that accumulates in the drains, and is a major source of fruit fly problems.
Solution
After finishing up with the food prop area, I inspected the basement. On a prior visit, I had set up several rodent bait stations for mice. Inspecting the stations is a good way to monitor the level of rodent activity. If the bait is eaten away, you know that there is mouse activity. Here, I needed to replenish most of the bait stations. I wanted to locate any possible rodent entry points. it is helpful to look for daylight coming in. If you can see daylight through a gap or crack, it is likely large enough for a mouse. Here, I observed light coming in from the sidewalk delivery doors, and upon closer inspection, I found rust holes in the doors. These were the likely entry points for mice to gain basement access. I noticed the store manager of my findings. Metal door surface damage from rust spots usually requires sanding the damaged area and then applying an auto body filler putty to patch the hole, and then sanding and painting the patch. With metal doors, it’s important to keep an eye on the formation of rust spots. They will eventually eat their way through the metal.
