In the world of pest control, no two multi-residential buildings are the same. Every apartment is home to unique communities, living spaces, public areas, and environmental factors that require tailored and sustainable solutions.
Paolo Bossio with Advantage Pest Control has been working with multifamily managers and owners for years to create and execute bespoke pest management strategies. Ahead, he shares insights into what it takes to keep the pests at bay.
First, what makes pest control in an apartment such a unique challenge?
One of the biggest reasons multi-residential properties pose a unique challenge for us is the fact that there are so many shared walls and vents, which makes it easy for roaches, bedbugs, and all manner of crawling insects to move from one unit to the next.
In fact, we’ll often find that the unit we’ve been called in to tackle isn’t even “Ground Zero” for the infestation and that they are actually getting invaded by pests who have traveled from neighbours who are units down the hall.
That’s another factor, too: Infestations in an apartment may originate in units with people who either don’t know they have an issue, have a cognitive disability and can’t express their issue, or are maybe too embarrassed to say something. Some of the
worst infestations we have seen have been from units that have a zero history of complaints.
And that’s the crux of the challenge; the fact that apartments are home to different people living right next to each other, each with their own unique factors that need to be considered. This is why we will start by doing block treatments and inspections to assess each issue in a more comprehensive manner and hone in on everything that may be contributing to the infestation.
Has the pandemic been a factor in multifamily infestations?
It has, in its own way. Due to the pandemic, many restaurants, plazas, bakeries, and food providers like that shut down and transferred solely to delivery through services like Uber Eats or Skip the Dishes. That increased delivery traffic played a part in relocating roaches, mice, and rats from commercial buildings to residential properties. There is also the fact that people were working from home and eating more inside their units, which caused a huge rise in pest control-related issues in residential properties.
What is a “dynamic, integrated approach” to pest management, and why is it more effective for multi-residential buildings?
A dynamic approach simply means that it takes all factors into consideration and that you need a tailored and ongoing strategy based on the building’s specific issues, requirements, and populations. It is an approach that recognizes the fact that insects and people are very dynamic and that, because of this, a dynamic integrated pest management technique is best practice for multi-residential, which we know to be true through experience. For example, we can’t treat an apartment where the tenant is bedridden the same way we would treat an apartment that has a newborn baby.
Take us through a typical multi-residential engagement.
We always like to start with an inspection and generate well-documented notes on problematic units. By doing this, we can design and conduct the appropriate remediation strategy, as well as follow up as necessary. Again, the idea is to do that upfront assessment and legwork to figure out exactly what’s going on and how we can stop it using our integrated services and technologies.
What are common questions/concerns clients typically have during this process?
That’s why communication is key with building staff, tenants, and homeowners. It’s also why we always provide reports and preparation documents so that there are no surprises and everyone has confidence in what we’re doing. That’s the thing with pest control; proper preparation is 80% of the program.
How does Advantage Pest Control help clients prepare for the winter?
We self-audit at Advantage Pest Control. What this means is we hire a specific technician to visit all of our accounts in the fall to make sure that stations are being placed correctly and filled properly as well as check for structural issues on the properties to ensure points of entry are addressed before insects and rodents look for access.
