The top ten pub pests and how to deal with them

Summer is coming - bringing with it all kinds of bugs. Biologist Philippa Codling names her top 10 pub pests and tells you how to squish them.

When it comes to health and hygiene, no pub, club or bar can afford to be complacent. One of the surest ways to bring down the wrath of environmental health officers - and lose a lot of business and goodwill - is to have an infestation of pests.

All it takes is for one customer to spot a mouse and before you know it the resulting bad publicity can hamstring the business. That is why pubs and bars, like any organisation that handles foodstuffs, need to take a proactive approach to pests. Rather than control, the key is prevention.

This is as much about basic cleaning and hygiene as it is about using the services of a specialist contractor.

Employees, whether they are short-term or permanent, need to be trained in how to keep their working environment as healthy as possible.

Preventing infestations can save time, money and no end of hassles. Your policy should range from the obvious - training staff to clear up spillages, for instance - to the professional - bringing in a contractor to "proof" the building.

Remember, it is always easier to prevent problems rather than dealing with them after the event. Failure to handle pest prevention can result in more than just bad publicity. Pubs with poor hygiene standards will lose both money and customers and could even be closed down if the situation gets out of hand. A few simple steps will avoid such an expensive outcome.To that end, I have highlighted the 10 pests most likely to cause a nuisance to publicans. Forewarned is forearmed!

Fruit flies​

Active in spring and summer, these insects are the number one pest problem for public houses and bars. These particular insects favour fermenting organic materials, particularly those with a high sugar content. They will quickly seize upon any spillages of alcoholic or sugary beverages, especially around post-mix stations, beer lines and behind spirit dispensers.

The key to prevention is cleanliness. Make sure spillages are quickly cleared up, especially in those hard-to-reach places, and the flies will have to look elsewhere for their drinks!

House mice​

The second most common pub pest, these small mammals are active all year. However, the colder autumn months result in mice seeking food and shelter indoors, often leading to infestations in inadequately protected pubs.

Preventing mice-related problems generally involves a combination of cleanliness and proofing. Professional contractors can find the gaps in the walls that the mice use to get in and seal them up.

Brown rats​

Next on the list are what most people think of when the words "pest control" are used - rats. Another year-round problem, rats escape into town centre buildings where there are defects in the sewer system. They can also be found in country pubs near farms, arable land and canals. Rats, like mice, are most problematic during autumn and winter.

Again, the way to beat them is to deny them a food source. For example, rat incisors can easily chew open unprotected rubbish bags, so a good first step is to invest in rodent-proof bins.

Garden ants​

Like most insect pests, these are active in the warmer months. They are a nuisance to publicans as a single worker ant can locate discarded sugary foodstuffs in a kitchen or restaurant, signal its fellow workers and pretty soon they return en masse. Good hygiene and cleanliness will force them to look elsewhere.

Insects from bird nests​

Wild birds like pigeons are not always seen as pests despite the diseases they carry and the damage and food contamination caused by their droppings.

For publicans, however, the main threat comes when they nest on the roof and in disused lofts. Those nests often harbour a variety of insects that migrate down into the building and go after foodstuffs. The spider beetle and biscuit beetle are just two examples.

Pubs should invest in simple anti-perching deterrents like sprung wire and stainless steel post systems and ensure there are no entry points to loft areas. This will prevent birds from nesting and can also restrict the number of droppings staining the benches in your beer garden!

Filter flies​

These pests love pub cellars where they can breed in decomposing organic material such as food waste and spilled beer, as well as in dirty drains. This demonstrates once again that while keeping the public areas clean is enough to satisfy customers in the short term, good hygiene practice is essential in all parts of a pub.

Common wasps​

Wasps are more prevalent at the height of summer. They are a particular problem in beer gardens where they cause a nuisance to people drinking outside and they can also enter bar and restaurant areas through open doors and windows.

Proofing the interior with strip curtains and fly screens can help to keep these horrible stinging pests away from your kitchens and your paying customers.

Emptying waste bins regularly and cleaning spillages beneath bins and on and around garden furniture will reduce the attraction for these pests outdoors.

Dermestes beetles​

Also known as hide or larder beetles, these pests feast on high protein debris such as animal matter. They can be a problem behind the bar if food waste such as bacon rind is not cleared up swiftly.

House flies​

House flies normally appear in summer but may occur all year round indoors where hygiene standards are particularly poor. These flies constantly pursue waste food material, especially if it is high in protein. They will often be seen around rubbish bins.

Pubs with kitchens and restaurants need to maintain high standards of hygiene and have adequate proofing measures such as strip curtains, chain link doors and fly screens as well as electric fly-killing units.

Fleas​

Because so many customers bring dogs with them into pubs, fleas can be a serious problem. Thorough and regular cleaning can help to prevent them jumping from pets to humans.

Philippa Codling is a biologist and technical manager at commercial pest control specialist Terminix, part of hygiene and cleaning services company Ecolab Inc.​

Outside: the pest hot spots​

There is little point in making the inside of a pub a clean and healthy environment if the exterior is a haven for pests. There are several main outdoor areas where pests can congregate:

• Broken/missing drain covers allow entry by rats and enable cockroaches to find plenty of food and harbourage. Nine out of 10 urban rat infestations above ground can be traced to the drain and sewer system.

Dense vegetation close to external walls and the storage of items such as pallets and barrels against walls provide cover for foraging rodents.

Refuse in unprotected plastic sacks rather