Bird Control

Birds are drawn to grocery stores for a variety of reasons, but the primary attraction is food. With their keen eyesight, birds can see food from a distance. Seeking a meal, birds will enter the store through open doorways and can be trapped inside.

Grocery store receiving docks also provide an entry area for birds. Once inside, birds damage packaging, produce and bakery items, and defecate on products and people.

The presence of birds in a grocery store can pose a significant health hazard. On occasion, Trutech^® technicians are called to grocery stores for emergency bird removal after the store has been closed by a health inspector.

Birds inside a store are typically representative of the bird population outside the building, where they take advantage of ledges, pipes and awnings to roost and nest. Their droppings are unsightly and can become a major health hazard.

Solutions

Removing birds from inside a store is challenging, especially when the store is large. The birds are free to fly around, and there are many spots for them to conceal themselves.

Trutech^® technicians are experts in bird control, removal, deterrence and exclusion, and we have extensive experience in successfully removing birds from inside buildings. Our team has developed removal methods tailored to specific bird species and individualized characteristics of building interiors.

Bird removal on the exterior of grocery stores involves three techniques: minimizing available food sources; installing bird barriers, such as netting, to close off nesting areas; and installing bird deterrents to keep birds off ledges, pipes and awnings.

Minimizing food sources may require cooperation with the grocery store management team and employees. Trutech will provide recommendations on how to address these housekeeping issues with employees.

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Rat Control

Rats are drawn to the smell of food inside grocery stores. They will climb walls, gutters, utility pipes and wires to gain access to holes, vents and rooftops to enter a store. If they can’t find an existing opening, rats often gnaw a hole to gain entry.

Inside, rats cause tremendous damage, gnawing product wrappings to get at the food inside. Rats often sample multiple items in the grocery store as they feed, spreading the damage and contamination. Unfortunately, rat-damaged products often go unnoticed, and contaminated food can be purchased and taken home by customers.

Further, rats defecate and urinate inside the store. It is imperative to move quickly to address any rat problem.

Solutions

After performing a full inspection of your store’s interior, exterior and roof, Trutech^® technicians will provide a written report of findings along with an action plan. The report itemizes the rodent entry points on your building and serves as a checklist for repairs. It also guides future building inspections to ensure rats are not re-entering the building.

Following the assessment, our technicians will set up and monitor rat traps to remove the rats from your building. In conjunction with the trapping, we close off entry points around the building.

We also install rodent-control stations around the exterior perimeter to intercept new rats as they approach the store. These stations are monitored, cleaned and restocked regularly to help minimize the rodent population in the area and reduce the chance of reinfestation inside the store.

Finally, Trutech can also perform the remediation and sanitization treatments required to clean up the rodent contamination inside and around your building.

High places are no problem for us. Our team is trained to operate special access equipment such as tall-man lifts to safely repair multi-story buildings.

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Honey Bee and Stinging Insect Control

Honey bees, wasps and other stinging insects are attracted to sugar residue, which builds up at grocery store receiving docks, garbage cans and dumpsters. The abundance of available food makes grocery stores an attractive home for bee and wasp colonies.

Sometimes bees swarm – a normal process that allows for new colonies to be established – which creates a threatening situation for customers and employees. Liability concerns are high in this situation and are amplified when bee colonies relocate their hives to be closer to their food source.

The presence of bees is particularly dangerous when people are unaware that they are allergic to insect stings. Even someone not allergic can succumb to the impact of stings if too many are delivered. If help is not available, a serious health crisis – even loss of life – is possible.

Solutions

Good housekeeping by store staff is the first line of defense against stinging insects. The three prime areas – receiving docks, garbage cans and dumpsters – should be cleaned, hosed and pressure washed regularly and in response to accidental spills.

If this routine is not sufficient to ward off the bees and other stinging insects, Trutech^® can help. Removal and control methods depend on the situation and the characteristics of your building and its landscaping.

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