FOOD SAFETY – By Rene G., Bird Control Expert
Take the Birds off the Patio’s Menu
Pests birds,specially Pigeons, Mynahs and House Sparrows are not uncommon in foodservice settings. They can discourage customers, cause expensive property damage and threaten customer and employee health. The parasites and fungi found in bird droppings have been linked to more than sixty diseases including Histoplasmasis.
Birds congregate around roofs, ledges or semi-enclosed/outdoor dining patios for either one or more of the following reasons:
- To socialize with each other
- To feed off the food and water sources available
- To sleep on the flat surfaces of the ledge or roof: or
- To breed
The most common techniques used in Mauritius to keep birds from ruining your business include exclusion methods like bird netting and landing deterrents, bird spikes – such measures proved successful at first but with the length of time prove insufficient as the birds modified completely their behavioral and feeding pattern. BirdNetting and BirdSpike, do not, unfortunately, remove birds from site except relocating them to available nearby shelters, where they comfortably await to fly in/out at, their ‘favourite happy hour’ which is breakfast and lunch time.
Whether a restaurant currently has a bird infestation or not, making the building less appealing to them is always a good prevention step. Since birds are very difficult to get rid of, once they nest, hinder access to common nesting sites such as open areas under HVAC units.
The basis of any effective Pest Management program is Sanitation. Even though, it will be impossible to eliminate Food and Water on the tables/chairs’ patio or restaurant , employees should remove food debris and waste regularly and frequently hose down the dining area. Such efforts will lessen down the chance of bird and other pest infestation, giving customers the opportunity to spend an enjoyable evening dining outside.
Unfortunately, more and more hotel managers are facing serious bird problems in their restaurant at breakfast and lunch time and the main reasons are, abundance of food displayed and deliberate feeding by staffs and resident. It is important to note that Bird Control is an on-going process in areas of heavy food traffic and a combination of methods yield much effective measures than a single one.
With the help of technology, more effective and innovative control methods are nowadays available- the service of a licensed professional is recommended in cases of serious infestation in Food Environment. A professional will always carry a bird survey of the site before recommending appropriate measures as a two bird control jobs are never alike.
They may be cute, exotic to visitors, but pigeons, mynahs(martin), house sparrows are a health hazard you SHOULD NOT ALLOW near your restaurant.