Pest Control
Pests — rodents, cockroaches, flies, and stored-product insects — carry pathogens such as Salmonella, E. coli, and Shigella on their bodies and in their droppings. A single mouse can leave dozens of droppings a day, and a few cockroaches can quickly contaminate an entire dry-storage area. California regulations (Cal. H&S Code §§114259, 114259.1, and 114259.4) require food facilities to keep premises free of vermin, identify pest activity quickly, and use approved control measures. The modern standard for meeting these rules is Integrated Pest Management (IPM): prevent infestations through sanitation and exclusion, monitor regularly, and apply targeted controls only when needed.
Integrated Pest Management (IPM)
IPM is a layered strategy rather than a single product. It starts with prevention: deny pests food, water, and shelter. It continues with monitoring: trained staff and a licensed Pest Control Operator (PCO) inspect the facility on a schedule, looking for live insects, droppings, gnaw marks, and other signs of activity. Only after these steps does IPM call for control measures — and even then, the least toxic method that will work is chosen, such as traps, exclusion repairs, or carefully placed bait stations, before broad pesticide spraying is considered. Routine, calendar-based pesticide application is discouraged because it does not address the conditions that attracted pests in the first place and can contaminate food.
The three pillars: food, water, shelter
Almost every pest problem can be traced back to one of three needs being met inside the building. Cut off food by storing ingredients in tightly sealed containers, cleaning spills immediately, taking out trash on a schedule, and sweeping crumbs from under equipment. Cut off water by fixing leaks under sinks, in walls, and around dish machines; do not leave standing water in mop buckets overnight; and make sure floor drains are flowing freely. Cut off shelter by removing clutter, keeping storage on shelves at least six inches off the floor, sealing cracks and holes, and not letting cardboard boxes pile up — cockroaches lay egg cases in the corrugations.
Recognizing signs of infestation
Knowing the calling cards of common pests lets staff react before populations explode. Rodent signs include dark, hard droppings the size and shape of grains of rice, gnaw marks on wood and packaging, urine stains that glow under UV light, nests of shredded paper or insulation, and small holes through drywall or around pipes. Cockroach signs include live insects (cockroaches scatter when lights turn on), brown bean-shaped egg cases called oothecae, shed exoskeletons, a strong oily or musty odor, and droppings that look like ground pepper or coffee grounds. Fly signs include live adults, maggots in floor drains or in spoiled food, and sticky residue on surfaces near the source. Stored-product pest signs (weevils, flour beetles, Indianmeal moths) include live insects or larvae inside dry goods, fine webbing in flour or grains, and small round holes in packaging.
Exclusion: keeping pests out
Most pests enter the building rather than appearing from nowhere, so physical barriers matter. Seal cracks, gaps, and holes larger than about one quarter inch — a mouse can squeeze through that space. Install tight-fitting door sweeps so the gap under exterior doors is less than a quarter inch. Screen any window that opens to the outside with mesh of at least 16 squares per square inch. Exterior doors should be self-closing; high-traffic doors may use air curtains that blow downward and outward to discourage flying insects. Vents and exhaust openings need rodent-proof screens. Loading-dock doors should not be propped open during deliveries any longer than necessary.
Receiving inspections
Inspect every delivery before it is accepted. Reject any item whose packaging shows holes, gnaw marks, webbing, droppings, live insects, or strong off-odors. Look carefully at flour, rice, dried fruit, pasta, and other dry goods, as well as the underside and corners of cardboard cases where pests often hide. If one bag in a shipment is contaminated, inspect the rest of that shipment for further evidence. Document the rejection and inform the supplier so they can investigate the source. Pest-contaminated food cannot be saved by repackaging, washing, or freezing — it must be rejected or discarded.
Pesticides and the role of a licensed PCO
California treats pesticides used in food facilities as restricted-use products. They must be applied by a licensed Pest Control Operator who is trained to read product labels and follow federal pesticide law (EPA FIFRA). Before any treatment, food is removed from the area or fully covered, and food-contact surfaces are either covered or washed, rinsed, and sanitized after the treatment dries. Pesticide containers stay in their original labeled packaging, locked away from food, single-service items, and food-contact surfaces. Employees should never bring a personal can of bug spray from home to use in the kitchen; consumer products are not labeled for food-service use and can contaminate food.
Sightings, reporting, and outdoor areas
Most pests are good at hiding, so seeing one during the day usually means many more are out of sight. Any sighting — a roach in the dish pit, a mouse darting along the wall, maggots in a drain — must be reported to the person in charge immediately. The person in charge records the incident, looks for the entry point, removes the food source if any, and contacts the PCO if the problem is more than a single insect. Outside the building, dumpsters and grease bins need tight-fitting lids, must be cleaned routinely, and should sit on a hard, drainable surface as far from the back door as practical. Trim back vegetation that touches the building wall — it gives rodents a bridge inside.
Last updated: May 2026