Protecting Your Inventory from Unwanted “Consumers”

Pest control. It’s a topic you simply can’t ignore when selecting a warehouse or 3PL partner. Whether it flies, crawls, or burrows, pests are a constant threat, especially to facilities storing food-grade products. Without the proper procedures in place, this can mean big problems for your stored product.

Before trusting your inventory to a warehousing provider, ask the questions below to ensure that your products are in good hands.

• What inspections take place around pest control? It is important to work with a facility that goes beyond regular checks on interior and exterior traps. Make sure the actual product is being examined, as well as the tops and sides of pallets, for any pest activity. Some facilities will take extra measures, such as using pheromone traps, to make sure nothing was missed during regular inspections.
• How often are the inspections conducted? A reputable warehouse will have a pest control professional visit at least once a week. Additionally, the warehouse itself should have staff perform detailed inspections during inbound, outbound, and storage processes to ensure product is pest-free at all stages.
• What is the audit process to ensure their pest control vendor is doing their job? Make sure that your warehousing provider does random checks on traps, pallets, etc. directly following an inspection by their vendor. This will reveal if the vendor is doing a thorough job.
• What is the corrective action when pests or pest evidence is found?  Corrective actions are all dependent on the situation. Give a potential warehousing provider a pest related scenario and confirm they can provide a suitable plan of action. 
• How are live insects handled when found? In the event that live insects are found, your warehousing provider should have their pest management company come in to do fumigation or fogging upon your approval.