6 Pests You May Find in Your Office

6 Pests You May Find in Your Office

It’s a given that experiencing a pest invasion at home is one of the most frustrating events that many of us have experienced. But a pest infestation at work? It’s as if you can’t escape the persistent pests! Since office buildings have the three essentials for a pest – food, water, and shelter – they are just as susceptible to a pest invasion as a house. As we get further into the colder months, it is only more likely that pests will be searching for warm shelter in nearby buildings, which could mean your office. Let’s look at six common pests that also work hard in office spaces, but not in any way that we enjoy.

Ants

Ants are a constant problem in various climates and regions, so it makes sense that they would also be an issue in an office. Any kind of spill or crumb is attractive to the worker ants that are trying to feed their whole colony. This means that desks, counters, and floors with food residue are attractive to any ants in the area. Ants will eat just about anything, but they favor sweets and protein-rich foods above all. If your office has room for food storage, it’s helpful to keep everything properly stored and sealed when not in use. Snacks, cereals, and breads are all appealing to food-loving pests like the ant, especially when the containers are easy to break into.

There are a few different ways that ants can get into an office. They can fit through cracks in the exterior, gaps around doors and windows, and behind the baseboards. If the office is temperate and has some kind of consistent food source for the ants, chances are good that they will make it their new home. If the office is on the ground floor, it is even more common for ants to be a problem at some point. Snack wrappers in trash cans and food left out over the weekend are the main targets of most ant species, so cleaning up after eating is essential in preventing ants from having an office party.

Spiders

Where there are small insects, spiders are sure to follow. They eat all kinds of small pests both inside and outside, which can actually be helpful in a couple of ways. For one, it’s a form of natural pest control that comes to us completely free! Secondly, finding multiple spiders in a home or office is a sign that there are further pest issues there. It is not a coincidence to find five spiders at the office in one day. Spiders also enjoy the warmth that offices provide, so finding their webs is fairly common during the cold seasons. Despite the benefits that their presence may provide, spiders are a pest you do not want around for the long term. One spider is creepy enough, but if that spider reproduces and lays hundreds of eggs, it will be a new kind of nightmare for the office.

Spiders are most abundant in cluttered spaces since they have countless hiding spaces to choose from in order to be protected from us. Clutter also invites other kinds of insects, so there are multiple benefits for a spider searching for their new home. In a typical office, spiders can be found in the corners, under desks, in closets, and near the windows and doors. They will only stay where the eating is good, so you may not see as many if there are not other pests in the area. The only spiders with bites that are worrisome are the brown recluse and black widow. Their venom is enough to cause medical issues for humans and animals if not treated immediately, so please seek medical attention if you or a coworker has been bitten by one of these. But considering how rare it is for them to be found near an office, as well as how infrequently other spiders bite, it is not a major concern that you need to add to the list.

Drain Flies

This may seem like an odd choice, but if you have ever experienced an infestation of fuzzy flies, you know how frustrating it can be. Drain flies, also called moth flies, thrive in moist environments. They live in any place that is dark and damp, which is why they typically choose to stay in unclean drains. They can also be found in bathrooms and janitorial closets, especially if there is a mop that has not been properly cleaned before storing. They are most active at night, so you may not see them too much during a typical day at the office. And since they only live for about 2 to 3 weeks, drain flies are not a problem for long if they don’t reproduce. 

The good news about drain flies is that they don’t spread diseases or bite us, like some other varieties of flies. But that doesn’t mean they are free of any problems when they invade. Drain flies spread bacteria due to their unsanitary living conditions, so you don’t exactly want them landing on your lunch after crawling around in a drain. They eat, rest, and lay eggs in drains, so drain flies are never really free of the bacteria found there. Drain flies can even cause problems after they aren’t living anymore, which is even more annoying. The dead flies can aggravate symptoms in people with asthma due to the dust on their wings, especially if they are just laying there for a while. The easiest way to prevent drain flies from setting up shop in your break room is by pouring hot water down the drain once in a while. It will flush away any fly remnants and prevent them from being able to live there for the time being.

Rodents

Rodents are a pest that typically peak in the fall and winter, so their time to shine is coming. Although they seek food and water like any other pest, rats and mice also prioritize warm shelter more highly than others. They need a hidden space from any other beings in order to build their nests and continue multiplying at a rapid rate. This includes behind walls, in dumpsters, and behind cardboard boxes. Any gap or hole in the exterior of the building is an easy entry point for rodents, as they are surprisingly flexible for being larger pests. This is why it’s important for the building management to stay on top of any imperfections in the exterior, as this can be a major health hazard if rodents actually do get inside and start reproducing.

Besides being a warm shelter, offices with any kind of food is appealing to rats and mice. Cluttered spaces with opened food and trash cans containing food containers are a rodent’s paradise, as they can find all kinds of treasures in there. Rodents will eat all kinds of items, including things that we consider non-edible, so they will forage for anything left over from a work week. But besides carrying a ton of diseases and making a mess with their nests, rodents can be a hazard in other ways. If they chew through any kind of electrical wiring, which they are known to do, there is now a fire hazard in the office. If, thankfully, nothing dangerous comes out of them chewing on the wires, it is still an expense to repair the damage and ensure that the wiring is completely fixed before something adverse happens. No good can come out of having rodents in the office, no matter how hardworking they are in their own right.

Gnats

As tiny pests that are forgettable until they make an appearance, gnats can be quite annoying when you are trying to get your work done. They love anything organic and odorous, so a full trash can is right up their alley. Any leftover spills or food residue in the food prep area is also appealing to the gnats, and they would be more likely to lay their eggs in the trash here since the larvae would have an immediate food source. This is the most destructive phase of the gnat, as many adult gnats don’t even eat! Besides the garbage, gnats can also lay eggs in damp plant soil. So if you have any houseplants in the office, be sure not to overwater them and inadvertently create a gnat habitat.

Even though most gnat species don’t bite us, they are still a nuisance. Imagine trying to do your work while batting away tiny flying insects that don’t seem to take the hint, and you can see why preventing gnats is better for productivity. Gnats need warmth in order to survive, so a temperate office is the perfect place for them to live out the winter. They would perish pretty quickly in a cold climate. If your office has the air conditioner turned up at all times, you may be okay in the gnat department. But it is still a good idea to take out the trash and wipe up any food spills before the gnats discover what a great home this would make for them.

Carpet Beetles

Even in an office with the stereotypical office carpeting, carpet beetles can still find things to eat. They eat all kinds of fabrics that have an organic base, so anything that is polyester or a mix may be less appealing to them. One of their main foods is keratin, or animal protein, so carpet beetles need some organic nature to the materials they eat. These beetles are smaller than most, and they can either be completely dark or have lighter spots sprinkled across their backs. Carpet beetles lay anywhere from 50 to 100 eggs at a time, and they always make sure to do so near the materials their larvae will devour. It can be a rug, clothing, or even pet hair, if there is enough of it tumbling around.

As with gnats and many other tiny pests, the larval stage of the carpet beetles is the most destructive. This is when the young carpet beetles are eating everything they can in order to gain energy and weight for their approaching adult stage. The damage done by carpet beetles is often mistaken for clothes moths and other fabric-eating pests, since the small holes can look the same. But carpet beetles tend to stick with the materials they can reach on the ground, while moths and crickets can get to the higher places they like to stay once inside. Carpet beetles could technically be considered to be beneficial when they eat dead insects, which they do more often than we may think, but it’s not enough to justify keeping them around the office where they can just as easily consume the carpet and fabrics. A regular vacuuming schedule should be enough to keep carpet beetles from setting up shop in the office, especially in these later months.

Pest Control is an Essential Office Supply

Some of the best ways to prevent pests from ruining your workday are actually the easiest. If your staff is responsible for taking out the trash, make sure it is being done on a regular basis. This is the prime pest habitat, so preventing the trash cans from overflowing is a necessity in maintaining a pest-free space. Also, keeping the food preparation area clean greatly helps to keep the pests down. Whether you have a whole break room or just a small countertop with a microwave, it is important to keep it free of crumbs and spills as much as possible. Dispose of any old, opened food that has remained unclaimed for weeks (you know the snacks and containers we’re talking about) before insects find this new food source. When everyone in the office does their part in keeping a tidy space, you won’t have to add the stress of a pest invasion to your ever-growing list of responsibilities. 

Of course, pest control services are greatly helpful no matter what stage of pest issues your building is having. Responsive treatments are productive in eliminating any current pest problems, but preventative services are just as efficient in maintaining a pest-free space, if not more so. It is much easier to prevent infestations from happening than to treat a full-blown invasion. Whether you are looking for preventative or responsive services, Pointe Pest Control is here to help! Our team is always here to solve your pest problems, both residential and commercial. Contact us for a free quote and to learn how our EPA-approved treatments can be the biggest stress relief in your office yet. 

Citations

Drain flies. (n.d.). NYC Health. Retrieved October 31, 2022, from https://www1.nyc.gov/site/doh/health/health-topics/sewer-flies.page 

Persson, A. (2022, October 4). How to get rid of gnats for good. My Move. Available at https://www.mymove.com/pest-control/remove-gnats/ (Accessed on October 31, 2022). 

Posegate, A. (2011, July 26). The scoop on gnats: The weather they like & why they drive us nuts. Washington Post. Available at https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/capital-weather-gang/post/the-scoop-on-gnats-what-weather-they-like-and-why-they-drive-us-nuts/2011/07/26/gIQAjSyoaI_blog.html (Accessed on October 31, 2022). 

Potter, M.F. (n.d.). Carpet beetles. Entomology at the University of Kentucky. Available at  https://entomology.ca.uky.edu/ef601 (Accessed on October 31, 2022).

Shetlar, D. (2014, April 10). Drain flies (moth flies). Ohio State University Extension. Available at https://ohioline.osu.edu/factsheet/ENT-41 (Accessed on October 31, 2022).