Starting Your Own Business Doesn’t Have to be Tough

Posted on: 29 October 2015

As the manager of a storage facility, one of the things that you need to be aware of is your risk of pest infestation. The last thing you need is to find out that your storage units have become home to insects or rodents. The best way to protect your property from pest infestations of any kind is through proactive prevention. Here are a few tips to help you keep pests at bay on your property or deal with a current infestation.

Preventing Insect Infestations

Not only can insects of all kind spread disease, but they can also damage furniture and the building structure. Additionally, storage spaces provide lots of small areas where pests like brown recluse spiders can hide. Since they are venomous, a tenant unknowingly moving furniture around in their unit could be bitten and face serious medical concerns.

Avoid these types of hazards by having your property sprayed with a pest control barrier product either once a month or quarterly. Talk with your local pest control service about the best treatment plan for your storage facility, since you'll have a lot of space to cover and many units to protect.

Evaluate every storage unit on the property to be sure that they are all airtight. Gaps around the doors or along the walls can be entry points for insects that can then nest in the dark, enclosed space of the unit. Keep your plants, trees and bushes away from the perimeter of the buildings as well, because those are great spaces for insects to nest in, which can lead to more of them finding their way inside.

Preventing Large Pest Infestations

From rodents to raccoons, larger pests are also a threat to your storage unit. Not only can these pests make your customers uneasy, they can spread diseases throughout the property. The most effective way to keep larger pests like these out is by ensuring that there isn't anything drawing them in. For example, make sure that your trash containers are stored in an isolated space that isn't close to the storage units. Invest in garbage containers that include locking lids or rodent-resistant tops. When they can't get to anything inside, they have no reason to come back.

Be sure to do thorough unit inspections any time a tenant clears out, because that helps to ensure that nothing gets left behind to draw rodents. Sweep out every empty unit right away so that there are no crumbs, seeds or other debris. Finally, include a statement in your site policies to prohibit the storage of food in units. That way, you don't have to worry about a storage unit with poorly packaged food drawing pests that you'll have to fight with later.

Addressing Specific Infestations

Sometimes, even your best efforts to prevent pest infestations are ineffective. If you find yourself facing a specific infestation, it's important to know how to deal with them. Here are a few common insects you might find.

• Bed Bugs – Since bed bugs can hide in the smallest of spaces and reproduce rapidly, you could end up with a widespread infestation before you know it. All it takes is one new tenant moving a piece of furniture that's harboring a few bed bugs. They're very difficult to get rid of without an aggressive pest control treatment that targets not only the affected units but also includes a preventative treatment for the rest of the property.

• Cockroaches – Despite the fact that most people associate cockroaches with dirty places, the truth is that cockroaches will infest anywhere that has a nearby food source. If a new tenant moves boxes into a unit and brings cockroaches, you're going to have to treat the entire property to keep them from expanding their territory.

Pest infestations are a hazard of owning a storage facility, particularly since so many people come and go on a regular basis. With these tips, you can help keep your entire facility free of insects, rodents and other worrisome pests.

For other ideas on unit maintenance and upkeep, you can reach out to other storage unit companies in the area (or visit sites like http://www.allamericanself-storage.com) to discuss best practices with local storage facility managers.