USDA approved organic premises and Pest infestation
Hello Everyone,
We are food manufacturing company in sunny Australia.
We regularly experience cigarette beetle, Indian meal moth, cockroach infestation in spite of maintaining very high level of premises cleanliness.
The contract pest control company is recommending various chemicals that can be used to eliminate this problem but majority of the chemicals can't be used as we are USDA-NOP approved organic processor.
The option available to us is to move all the stock out of the area that is to be treated and then return stock back after 48hrs.
Considering we have huge warehouse this exercise is not viable every month.
I was wondering if anyone has encountered same type of issue and would like to recommend chemicals that are effective and approved by USDA.
Thanks in advance.
Dear QM_Aus,
Your description of the situation reveals some elements to take into consideration:
- Despite of the intensive cleaning, unfortunately there are still some hearths of infestation.
- It looks like a good option to increase the detection, to look after these hearths, allowing to remove these sources of re-infestation.
- You need to well monitor your suppliers, to be sure that there is no infestation caused by your suppliers.
- The sources of the cockroaches / beetles / moths may be from different places.
- I advise you to invite some other pest prevention specialists, to hear what they have to say about it. Than you will have second or third opinions.
- One note on the use of chemicals: These substances exterminate the living insects, but they will not kill the larves inside the eggs, neither remove the source of a pest hearth. And, as you have mentioned, it's a costful exercise.
From an autumnal France, I wish you very good luck with this hard topic!
Kind regards,
Gerard Heerkens
Dear QM_Aus,
Your description of the situation reveals some elements to take into consideration:
- Despite of the intensive cleaning, unfortunately there are still some hearths of infestation.
- It looks like a good option to increase the detection, to look after these hearths, allowing to remove these sources of re-infestation.
- You need to well monitor your suppliers, to be sure that there is no infestation caused by your suppliers.
- The sources of the cockroaches / beetles / moths may be from different places.
- I advise you to invite some other pest prevention specialists, to hear what they have to say about it. Than you will have second or third opinions.
- One note on the use of chemicals: These substances exterminate the living insects, but they will not kill the larves inside the eggs, neither remove the source of a pest hearth. And, as you have mentioned, it's a costful exercise.
From an autumnal France, I wish you very good luck with this hard topic!
Kind regards,
Gerard Heerkens
Thank you very much.