Why Commercial Pest Control Shouldn't Be Considered a DIY Job
If you notice the occasional ant or other such insect in a commercial facility you own or manage, you may not need to worry about an actual pest infestation in the building. Very often, you can take care of one such random bug with a quick shot of bug spray and be done with the problem.
However, if you suspect the building does have an infestation of insects or rodents, or want to ensure your commercial facility is protected from the risk of such an infestation, this is not a job to be handled by your maintenance crew. Note a few reasons why you shouldn't have your janitor or other such staff address a potential pest infestation and why this problem involves more than just some squirts of over-the-counter sprays and chemicals.
Cleanup
Spreading chemicals and bug killers around a commercial building, or putting out poisons for mice and other rodents, may actually kill those pests, but this means that those carcasses will then need to be cleaned from the building! Bug carcasses and dead rodents in a commercial facility are often just as unhealthy as live pests, but your maintenance or cleaning crew may not know how to find such carcasses after you kill those bugs and insects or how to safely clean them from your property.
An exterminator can set out traps or poisons for bugs and rodents, and then also know how to clean carcasses once those pests are dead. He or she may even lure rodents out of the building to be trapped and killed elsewhere, so that you don't have their carcasses on your property at all.
Types of pests
You may assume you know what type of pest you have in your building, if you've actually seen the bugs or mice that have infested the structure's framework. However, even if you have seen certain pests yourself, you could have other pests in the building as well; for example, ants may have invaded an employee kitchen because of open trash or food spills that are not cleaned, and these problems could also attract roaches or mice. Termites are not the only bugs that feed on wood, and other insects might also be eating away at exposed or moist wood in the building.
A commercial pest control professional will know how to treat the pests you see, and will also know if being infested with certain pests might indicate that your building is also host to other types of insects and rodents. He or she will then ensure all those pests are addressed properly.
