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Housekeeping
On pest patrol
Pests are unsolicited occupants causing irreparable damage
to the sensitive business of hoteliering and restauranteuring. Express Hospitality
looks at the extent to which hotels and restaurants go to control pests
Successfully running a hotel business requires considerable commercial acumen.
But one thing's pretty clear - paying guests never want to share their space
with the uninvited ones.
According to Radha Rao, a food and hospitality consultant, it is heartening
to see people in the industry getting more aware about quality and standards.
“With more international chains making their foray into our markets, more
entrepreneurs are aware of Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP)
and are looking towards getting this accreditation. I’m sure that those
who have this accreditation are sincere in its application and not using it
as a wall decoration,” she says. However, she feels that the percentage
of businesses with HACCP is small compared to the size of this industry.
Almost all hotels in the star category and those that are located in urban areas
and up-market restaurants in India are implementing pest control procedures
and methods. Rao adds, "While the West is very stringent in implementing
pest control measures and have made it a mandatory practice, in India we call
for these measures usually only when the menace of pests gets out of control.
I don't think this is the general mindset, but most of us do it. Awareness about
pest control is more in the West compared to our country probably we are a bit
lackadaisical about it."
Education about different pests, awareness of spread of illnesses through them,
losses incurred - both direct and indirect by the hotels and restaurants including
goodwill of clients, stringent training in hygiene and sanitation are some of
the issues that need to discussed.
According to Srikanth Rai, proprietor of Industrial Pest Control Services, Hyderabad,
it has the best solutions to offer when it comes to pest control. But the problem
is with the payment from hotels and restaurants. “If a hotel wants total
pest free service, they have to shell out that kind of money, but most hotels
and restaurants consider pest control to be a waste of time and money,"
he says.
High costs and ignorance of the availability of good products and equipment
are the main hindrances for effective pest control. Normally medium-sized hotels
and restaurants look at pest control as one of the last expenditure costs, as
there are other immediate pending areas to be tackled. That is one of the reasons
why they generally tend to spend on this area only when the problem gets out
of hand.
Rao says, "Government bodies, municipal corporations
and licensing authorities, hotel and restaurant associations and those who already
have HACCP accreditation have the responsibility to educate others in their
fraternity and make them aware of the hazards through pests and rodents. Close
monitoring by these agencies may make the hotels and restaurants put on their
thinking cap and introduce pest control as a routine procedure in their operations.
The hotel staff have to be imparted training in this area as an ongoing and
not as a one-time process. More than anything, prevention is better than cure
and education in this area is of prime importance.”
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Rodents
Danger signs
- Droppings
- Damaged stock and damage to fabric of
premises
- Nesting material - shredded insulation,
cardboard, etc.
Potential harm
- Spread of infections such as Salmonella
and Weil's disease
- Damage to stock and buildings
- Contamination of foodstuffs and goods
Business consequences
- Immediate loss of customer and employee
trust
- Damage to goods, foodstuff and your hygiene
reputation
- Cost can be considerable. Temporary closure
may be necessary
- Failure to comply with legislation such
as Prevention of Damage by Pests Act
Precautions
- Arrange immediate removal with rodenticides
- Get rodent proofing and design advice
- Schedule regular control visits to prevent
more outbreaks
Trapping of rodents (by mesh and glue traps) is
the most widely accepted and practiced method to manage rodents in the
kitchen. Poison baiting has its limitations in managing rodent populations
in sensitive areas such as kitchens. Use of anticoagulants such as Racumin
can be effectively used here.
Cockroach
Danger signs
- Droppings and smear marks
- Live insects
- Dead insects, egg cases, cast skins
Potential harm
- Spread diseases such as the Salmonella
- Contaminate foodstuff
- Damage everything; cockroaches will eat
almost anything
Business consequences
- Immediate loss of customer and employee
trust
- Damage to goods, foodstuff and your hygiene
reputation
- Cost can be considerable. Temporary closure
may be necessary
Precautions
- Deploy appropriate insecticides
- Regular night inspections by qualified
technicians - cockroaches are nocturnal
- Regular cockroach control monitoring with
Insect Detection and Insect Monitor Unit
Mere use of insecticides without proper hygiene
gives only temporary relief. Several insecticides belonging to different
class of compounds (organo phosphate, carbamate, synthetic pyrethroid,
etc) are currently available in the market. Products containing propoxur
(like Blattanex Conc.) give good flushing action. When the infestation
level is high, one should use products having properties such as above.
For maintenance, one can prefer to use products having long residual activity
(like Solfac WP or Solfac EW). In most hotel kitchens, the surfaces are
covered with tiles and in such situations products having absorption properties
will give good results. Cockroach gel baits (like Goliath) are ideal in
kitchens. Boric acid powder baits are also commonly used.
Biting insects
Danger signs
- Live insects and their bites
- Skin irritation
Potential harm
- Cause customers to leave immediately
- Severely damage employee relations
- Lead to staff absence and resignations
Business consequences
- Immediate impact on customer and employee
trust
- Serious damage to your health and hygiene
reputation
- Lost revenue when customers and staff
vote with their feet
Precautions
- Species identification is a must - you'll
need professional for this
- Insecticide spray treatments
- Regular inspections by technicians to
prevent a recurrence
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The damage
Rao feels that the damage to property like furniture, furnishings and gardens
is one of the concerns. “Other major concern is of course irreparable damage
to stocks - food and others, poisoning of cooked food, if proper control measures
are not followed. Irrevocable damage is done if any pest is found by guests
in rooms or in food - that results in not only losing the customer but very
bad publicity and loss of other potential clients too," she adds.
The solution
Chemicals are still the predominant type of pest control. It dates back 4,500
years when the Sumerians used sulphur compounds as insecticides. The Rig Veda,
which is about 4,000 years old, also mentions the use of poisonous plants for
pest control. The ancient Chinese and Egyptians are also known to have used
chemicals.
But it was only with industrialisation in the 18th and 19th century that chemical
pest control like pyrethrum and derris became the method of choice. In the 20th
century, the discovery of several synthetic insecticides, such as DDT, and herbicides
boosted this development. Rao says, "Chemical solutions, sprays, herbal
pastes and tablets, traps - both traditional and contemporary, fly catchers,
fumigation and fogging are some of the products and methods.”
Most hotels today opt for imported chemicals, especially because they are recommended
by the WHO. "The chemicals need to be of high standards as well as adhering
to WHO norms," says Rai. Today, there are plenty of eco-friendly chemicals
for pest control available in the local market, which Rai thinks have become
more than a norm.
Top-end hotels are now focusing a lot on pest control though it is not a process
which can be done overnight. Prashant Vaidya, assistant chief engineer at J
W Marriott in Mumbai, says, "We clean five to six rooms per day and finish
all 358 rooms in about three months. We also have a Make Ready Team, which checks
the room all over again. The public areas including shafts, elevators, restrooms,
etc are covered every week.”
The cost factor
On an average, the cost of effective pest control in a three-star category hotel
with about 50 rooms and two restaurants along with other basic facilities would
range between Rs 5,000 to Rs 10,000.
According to Rai, the cost varies from hotel to hotel. "There
is a huge variation in costs when it comes to the size and location of the hotel.
Also, the cost depends on the type of pest that we are dealing with. Some hotels
tend to compromise on the extent of the concern and limit their expenditure.
On the whole, pest control expenditure is still to figure as a priority expenditure
among hoteliers and restaurateurs,” he says.
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areas, a professional approach is a must. Employment of a Pest Management
Professional (PMP) is advisable. They will survey the area, gauge the level
of infestation and will select appropriate chemical and non-chemical methods
to manage the pests.
One-time pest control service is basically a fire-fighting
exercise and will not serve greatly to reduce the pest problems. Experience
in many hotels show that long-term contracts (yearly or more) will help
the PMPs to fully understand the situation and take short or medium to
long term measures to successfully manage the pests. A PMP who is having
contract with the hotel for pest control should be able to make the kitchen
staff understand the importance of pest management in kitchens to get
full co-operation during the insecticidal spray activities.
Kitchen staff, if they sight any pests, should immediately
report (preferably in a format giving details such as name of the pest,
number, time, place, sighted by whom, etc) which will help the PMP to
take appropriate control steps. It is also very important to the hotel
management to select a qualified and professional PMP to operate in the
kitchen areas. Selecting a pest control service is as important as selecting
other professional services.
Basic food supplies are the main concern when it
comes to fumigation services. Pests will infest flour, grains, seeds,
legumes and all types of dry foods such as pasta, biscuits, corn flakes
and sugar. PMPs apply gas fumigants under a controlled environment in
which a highly potent gas is applied directly to the foodstuff in order
to control all pests found therein. The gas will kill the pests and then
dissipate while leaving the physical and chemical properties of food unchanged.
Fumigation is a very specialised procedure and extreme
safety measures are to be undertaken in order to avoid any gas leakage.
The hotel management should also have a fair idea about HACCP.
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Hiring a professional
Pest management, in and around the hotel, is a key component of good sanitation.
Pest problems are basically encountered in guest rooms, lobbies, banquet halls,
dining rooms and kitchens. Pest management in kitchens of hotels is one of the
toughest jobs being handled by most Pest Management Professionals (PMPs). According
to Sharad Kapoor, chief engineer, Fortune Katriya, Hyderabad, "Most hotels
in the country do not have exclusive in-house PMPs. They are mostly outsourced
and that is the best solution in given circumstances. It turns out to be much
cheaper."
Adds Vaidya, "When we outsource pest control, the efficiency is much more.
We have an in-house manager to overlook their operations. Also, outsourced professionals
are better equipped and experienced to tackle adverse situations." The
following points should be kept in mind while selecting a PMP and before starting
pest management activity in a hotel premise:
- Ask someone you know who has used pest control services.
Inquire about the type of pest problem encountered and how satisfied they
were with the service.
- Membership in the Pest Control Association (for
example Indian Pest Control Association, Pest Control Association of India,
Bayer's Pestguard Professional Club, etc) is a good indicator that the company
has access to modern technical information and follows a code of ethics.
- Reach a complete understanding with the company
before work starts, find out what the pest is, how it will be treated, for
how long a period of time, and what results can be expected.
- Be sure you know what is guaranteed.
- Buy value, not price. What appears to be a real
bargain may need a second look. Likewise, higher price may not necessarily
be the best value.
- Get two or three estimates. All treatment procedures,
guarantees, warranties and terms of contract are not the same.
- Choose a company that will give you ‘call backs’
without charging a service call. Such service may cost more, but it is worth
it for the peace-of-mind it offers you.
- Make sure that the company has got appropriate licenses
issued by the government and ensure that the products are registered by the
Central Insecticides Board, Govt of India. Do not encourage the use of pesticides
that are meant for agricultural pest management.
- From your PMP contractor request Material Safety
Data Sheets (MSDS) for the products, which are intended to be used in the
kitchen areas.
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