Bug Bytes

How Severe Weather Can Affect Stored Product Pest Control in Food Processing Facilities

By Shannon Sked, Ph.D., BCE
No Comments

Severe weather can increase stored product pest risks in food and beverage processing facilities by damaging building protections, disrupting routine sanitation, inspection and monitoring practices as well as causing an increase in stored product pest activity. While severe weather does not create stored product pest risks by itself, storm-related damage and operational disruptions can make existing pest activity harder to detect and manage and create conditions that are conducive to pest activity and survival

Continue reading

Bug Bytes

Improving Audit Scores with Pest Management

By Nicole Keresztes James
No Comments

Most audit standards that concern food safety include an assessment of a facility’s capability to manage pest-related hazards. Implementing robust pest management strategies can significantly support positive results during food safety audits. Effective pest management is a crucial component of a strong food safety culture in food production facilities, resulting in ongoing improvements in audit performance.

Continue reading

Dead cockroaches
Dead cockroaches
Bug Bytes

The Gray Zone of Insecticide Repellency: Revisiting Long-Held Assumptions About Pyrethroid Effects on Pests

By Alvaro Romero, Ph.D.
No Comments

Recent studies under controlled laboratory conditions have demonstrated that German cockroaches still make contact with pyrethroid-treated surfaces—contradicting the common belief that these compounds are strongly repellent. Pest management professionals should consider how formulation type, application strategy, and environmental context influence pest behavior.

Continue reading