Pest Control For The Transportation Industry

Commercial Pest Control For The Transportation Industry

The transportation industry involves a high volume of people and turnover of goods, which can often mean that pests are may be coming along for the ride. Whether it is short distance transportation such as buses and taxis or more long haul vessels such as ships, trains or airplanes, no transportation company is immune.

In order to ensure you have the appropriate tools for success, we have put together a list of the most common pests within the transportation industry.

Common Pests Found Within The Transportation Industry

 Bed Bugs

Like many other spaces with high turnover, bed bugs can often be found in mass transit vehicles. These pests usually find their way onto transport vehicles by hitchhiking onto an individual’s infested belongings. From there, these hitchhikers can be taken to a home or a commercial facility or settle inside the transport vehicle, feeding on unsuspecting commuters.

Fleas

When people bring their pets, especially dogs onboard mass transit vehicles, fleas from infested pets can jump off, find harbourage and later feed on unsuspecting humans; as well as establish and infest the vehicle itself. Because these pests feed on warm-blooded bodies, transportation vehicles make for an ideal feeding ground.

These biting pests are not only a nuisance that may cause skin irritations, but certain species can also carry and transmit dangerous diseases like typhus.

Human Lice

Human lice are common pests within the transportation industry because of the high human turnover associated with public transit vehicles. These pests feed on human blood and normally nest close to the scalp (head lice) or seams of clothing in close contact to the body (body lice).

Body lice can drop easily from an infested person’s clothing while seated, or head lice can easily fall or crawl off from an infested person’s head (hair) when the individual leans or puts their head against the headrest of the seat. Because lice cannot survive away from the human body for more than 8 hours or so, an infested seat will provide an ideal transmission source to quickly find new hosts.

German Cockroach

German cockroaches are omnivorous scavengers. These pests are attracted particularly to meats, starches, sugars, and fatty foods, making cluttered and poorly maintained transport vehicles an ideal place to breed and thrive. These pests often enter transportation vehicles through cracks or crevices in windows or open doors or they hitchhike on people belongings and packaging or cargo.

Once inside, they can be extremely difficult to get rid of because these pests are very resilient, can hide in very tight spaces and breed rapidly with a short incubation period. Beyond being a general nuisance, these pests may also create a serious health risk by carrying potentially dangerous pathogens and contaminating any cargo on larger transport vessels.

Rodents

Buses, taxis and trains parked for the night in depots or bay areas, can sit idle for long periods of time. This provides an opportunity for rodents to invade transport vehicles. If not cleaned and inspected regularly or prior to being used for service, commuters can be exposed to these pests, droppings or urine.

Raccoons

Raccoons may nest and settle on or close by transportation vehicles and hubs because of the easy access to food sources and shelter. Due to their varied diet, raccoons are able to eat a variety of different food sources; however, they will often consume anything that is readily available.

These pests are normally very timid and cautious, but over the years, some have become urbanized and bold; they can also be very aggressive/territorial if they are provoked or if young raccoons are close by. These pests can also present a serious disease risk for any commuters or staff that may ingest any airborne raccoon dropping particles. The most common diseases that could be transmitted include rabies, leptospirosis, giardia and a variety of parasitic infections such as roundworm.

Overwintering Insects

Overwintering insects such as stink bugs (particularly the brown marmorated stink bug) or ground beetles can be common within any transportation vessel. As the weather gets colder, these pests start looking for warmer spaces to escape the inclement weather.

Many of these pests are more common to ships and trains because these vessels travel longer distances, and tend to be left in harbour and train yard areas for longer periods of time. The issue with certain overwintering pests is that they may contaminate any food or damage products prior to reaching its final destination. This can cause companies millions each year to replace the damaged goods for passengers.

Professional Pest Control For The Transportation industry

At Orkin Canada, we believe in protecting public transportation vehicles from pests. Because these vehicles are relied upon by so many individuals, our pest control experts take every opportunity to ensure that all relevant solutions are considered in order to avoid any pest related interruptions to your operations.

For professional and reliable pest control for the transportation industry, contact your local Orkin Canada branch today!