Commercial IPM Contracts, Part 2

The technical section of the proposal requires information on the company’s concept for developing a comprehensive IPM plan, including inspection and identification, control techniques for various pests, documentation of pest problems and service (logbook), product list, quality assurance program, detailed safety program, and environmental protection.

Assembling a proposal of this magnitude is an ominous task. My suggestion is to develop what, in military terms, is referred to as a standard operating procedure, or SOP. You may want to develop an SOP now or later in the year when things slow down.

If the company’s SOP is well-written and conveys a working knowledge of IPM, responding to the request for proposal simply involves adjusting the program to meet the specific needs of the customer. This type of documentation is an excellent package to use in soliciting commercial accounts and obtaining a better price for these services.

RFPs usually contain a list of specific do’s and don’ts with regard to pest management practices, as well as a list of pests that are expected to be addressed in the technical proposal. The RFP frequently indicates pest management objectives, which may be site-specific and set action thresholds for specific pests. For example, the Smithsonian Institution recently prepared an RFP requesting that the technical proposal address pests common to their museums and storage facilities, i.e., fabric and paper pests, wood destroying beetles, large and small cockroaches, ants, filth flies, miscellaneous crawling pests, rats, mice and birds. The following is a small excerpt from the technical proposal I recently wrote for several companies submitting proposals in response to the Smithsonian Institution’s RFP. It provides a sample of the type of information a company may be expected to provide.

PEST MANAGEMENT TECHNIQUES:

Small Cockroaches

Two species are responsible for most pest complaints and pesticide use in public and commercial buildings in the United States. They are the German cockroach (Blattella germanica) and the brownbanded cockroach (Supella longipalpa), both of which are smaller than ¾ inch in length. Although it is widely believed that these insects can never be eradicated from the workplace, it is possible to totally eliminate them from a limited area, such as an office. However, the degree of success depends not only on control measures, but also on occupant attention to detail when it comes to cleanliness and housekeeping.

Cockroaches and their egg capsules are continually reintroduced on custodial trash carts, equipment, artifacts, packaged food and other materials brought into the facilities. However, these invaders will not survive and multiply if they cannot find food, water and harborage.

Sanitation: Cleanup to reduce cockroaches in an office environment must focus mainly on the food residue in and around coffee machines, microwave ovens, refrigerators, trash cans and furniture where exposed food is stored. Occupants concerned about cockroaches in their workplace must understand their own responsibility for storing all food in tightly sealed containers, and for cleaning surfaces on which food is prepared or consumed. Daily afternoon trash pickup is recommended. Removal of corrugated cardboard is especially important since it provides excellent harborage for cockroaches.

Cockroach problems can be significantly reduced if the facility uses dedicated trash containers and recycle bins with tight fitting lids and plastic liners which are replaced daily. The most effective cockroach control technique for food service areas and trash rooms is regular steam cleaning or pressure washing of all possible structural crevices and equipment.

Sticky Traps: Many types of cardboard or plastic sticky traps are available to help the pest control technician or installation personnel pinpoint sources of cockroach infestation, or monitor areas where occupants have complained but no infestations can be visually detected. Sticky traps are not intended for control, but rather to guide and evaluate control efforts as part of the inspection process.

The threshold for application of pesticides in any area is two cockroaches; however, it is Company X’s policy to further evaluate the problem and determine if there is a more effective way of reducing the population prior to pesticide application.

Vacuuming: This technique will be used to the maximum extent possible. It allows the physical removal of cockroaches and other pests without the need to apply insecticides. This technique is useful even with heavy infestations. The vacuum used has a HEPA filter, which removes microorganisms and other particulate matter larger than 0.3 microns.

Caulking: Permanent reduction of cockroach populations may be achieved by eliminating harborage. A caulking gun is probably the most appropriate symbol of modern pest control. Part of Company X’s service includes sealing the entire crevice so that cockroach access is totally eliminated. Only materials of the type and color approved by the S.I. will be used. Types of spaces where caulk or grout are the most effective include food service areas, restrooms and janitors’ closets. The most common types of cracks to eliminate include areas where sinks and fixtures are mounted to the wall or floor, around all types of plumbing, baseboard molding andcorner guards, areas where shelves and cabinets meet walls or door frames, and any cracks on or nearfood preparation surfaces. Cracks and crevices which are too long to be caulked will be submitted by work order and reported to the COTR by Company X’s staff entomologist.

Baiting: Containerized, paste, dry or gel baits should be the standard insecticide treatments for cockroaches in most occupied spaces. The small, plastic bait containers are placed as close as possible to the dark, concealed spots where cockroaches are actually living, preferably adjacent to edges and corners.

The use and success of containerized baits are predicated on the elimination of nearby alternate food, and use of enough containers. For example, Company X uses at least two to three bait stations per infested desk. When available, containerized bait stations with red or clear see-through covers are used to determine when bait is consumed and if the station is being used as a harborage site. Other bait stations are replaced after three months or sooner at the beginning of a baiting program if cockroaches are very numerous. To maximize effectiveness, paste, gel or dry baits, containing hydramethylnon, boric acid, or abamectin are applied in many small dabs or spots close to harborage sites with a syringe-like dispensing tool.

Pesticide Application: See action level previously discussed. Application of pesticides is limited to crack and crevice treatments, which are sometimes the most practical and effective way to apply pesticides in food service areas, restrooms and trash rooms.

Crack and crevice applications are only made with plastic extension tubes and directly into the crack or crevice. No residual is applied to exposed surfaces, and incidental surface accumulations are immediately cleaned up. Boric acid dust may be used in situations where longer residual control is desired, however, it is only applied in protected voids where the dust will remain dry and undisturbed. Dust is not applied to areas such as drop ceilings.

Preventative treatments using residual insecticides will not be made on the interior of structures. The only products used a "preventative" are the insect growth regulators (IGRs), primarily hydroprene and methroprene. The IGRs, which are persistent products and have extremely low toxicity, high volatility and excellent activity on immature stages of insects with gradual and complete metamorphosis, are used as crack and crevice, ultra low volume and/or point source applications. They will not be used in the Museum of Natural History, which houses the insect zoo, or any other locations where live arthropod collections are maintained.

PREPARING YOUR PROPOSAL. As you can see, proposals take time, thought and some work to prepare, and need to include very detailed information about the pest problems and solutions. Fortunately, many requests for proposals may contain similar types of information (although not exact), making repeated proposal preparation easier.

While the IPM program for small cockroaches detailed above may not exactly match your company’s IPM approach, it is an approach that several companies are using successfully. The proposal is, by design, made to be customized by each firm and for each situation.

Dr. Richard Kramer is president of Innovative Pest Management, 18100 Darnell Drive, Olney MD 20832, 301/570-7138.