Pest Control
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Whether you run a restaurant, café, takeaway, school kitchen or food production unit, rats and mice are one of the most serious pest risks you face. A kitchen offers them everything they need, and their presence threatens food safety, your hygiene rating and your reputation. Even one mouse sighting should be treated as a reason to act.
Why rodents target commercial kitchens
Rodents go where survival is easy, and a busy kitchen makes it very easy:
- food waste and crumbs under and behind equipment
- dry goods stored in open sacks or poorly sealed containers
- warm plant rooms, ceiling voids and the spaces behind cooking lines
- gaps around pipes, cables, ducting and drains, and doors with worn seals
A mouse can get through a gap of about 6mm, roughly the width of a pencil, and an adult rat through a gap of around 15 to 20mm. Rats gnaw through plastic, wood and soft or damaged materials around service entries. Once inside, rodents nest close to food and keep out of sight during busy service.
The risks to your business
- Contamination. Droppings, urine and fur contaminate food, packaging and work surfaces, and rodents can carry salmonella and the bacteria that cause leptospirosis.
- Damage. Gnawed cables are a fire risk, and gnawed packaging means stock has to be thrown away.
- Inspection. Rodent activity is a serious finding for food safety officers. It can lead to a lower hygiene rating, formal notices and, where there is an imminent risk to health, closure.
- Reputation. A customer who sees a mouse is unlikely to keep it to themselves.
Signs to train your staff to spot
- droppings, especially along walls, behind equipment and in dry stores
- gnawed packaging, sacks, cables or door edges
- greasy smear marks along regular routes
- a stale, musky or ammonia smell in enclosed areas
- noises in ceilings or behind units after hours
- a live rodent seen at any time, especially in daylight
Most kitchens find out about rodents from these signs rather than from seeing one, by which point they may have been there a while. Make reporting them straight away part of every shift.
Why off-the-shelf traps are not enough
Shop-bought traps and bait boxes can catch a mouse or two, but rarely solve a problem in a commercial kitchen. Rodents are wary of new objects, placement takes knowledge, and rodenticides used carelessly in a food area are a contamination risk in their own right. Most importantly, trapping does nothing about the way in. A professional inspection finds entry points, nesting areas and runs, and the conditions that are keeping the rodents there, then puts a plan and written records in place.
Prevention in daily practice
- keep food sealed and stored off the floor
- empty bins at least daily and keep lids closed, inside and out
- clean under and behind equipment, not just the surfaces you can see
- repair damaged walls, floors, door seals and drain covers promptly
- check deliveries for droppings and gnawing before they go into storage
- keep external doors closed and bin stores clean
A pest prevention contract with regular monitoring makes sure activity is spotted early. Our guide to pest control contracts for food businesses explains what one should cover.
When to call us
If you have seen signs of rodents in your kitchen, act now rather than waiting to see if they recur. We inspect, treat discreetly around your trading hours, proof the entry points and leave you with written records. See our commercial pest control page or call 01926 632 929.