Vineyard Pest Control

Professional Pest Control For Wineries

From new wine producers to wine companies that have a century of experience, the wine industry offers a particularly inviting environment for pests looking to get easy access to food, water, shelter and breeding sites.

In order to ensure your wine production facilities are protected against pests, it is important to have the assistance of a licensed pest control provider that is well established within the industry.

How Orkin Canada Protects Your Vineyard & Winery Facilities Against Pests

Orkin Canada offers proven pest control expertise within the wine industry. Our wealth of knowledge and experience is both industry leading and effective, ensuring any pest issues within your winery will be professionally controlled.

Here is how your Orkin Canada winery pest control specialist keeps your facility professionally protected:

Step 1: Assess

Your Orkin Canada technician will start the pest control program by performing a thorough inspection of your vineyard to determine pest pressures and conducive conditions. These areas include the exterior perimeter of your winery, processing areas, storage/warehouse areas, cellar rooms, shipping/receiving areas, lunch rooms/cafeterias, extraction areas and other problem areas within the vineyard.

When your winery pest control specialist is finished inspecting your vineyard, you will receive a thorough written report that outlines pest pressure points, potential pest types and problem areas, as well as a recommended plan of action to protect your winery against pest infestations.

Step 2: Implement

If your Orkin Canada technician finds a pest infestation or the potential for one within your vineyard, they will implement a treatment plan designed to effectively control any on-site pests. Even in the absence of active pests, they will develop a preventive/protective plan of action to prevent future infestation from happening.  Environmentally-conscious treatment methods and products are used based on the principles of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) to protect your employees and more importantly your winery against any potential contamination risks and pest related economic losses.

Once the preventive/treatment plan has been implemented, your Orkin Canada technician ensures that expert care is taken to keep pests out of any areas where wine is being processed and stored.

Step 3: Monitor

Once your winery pest control expert has implemented a treatment plan, they will follow-up and monitor the program’s effectiveness and the pest activity on-site. Monitoring helps increase the effectiveness of the pest control program and allows your Orkin Canada technician to gauge the type and extent of the pest issue on your property. Monitoring will also provide data on pest activity and trends on your property; which can be used to develop treatment thresholds, make educated treatment decisions and determine timing for effective pest management. Your expert technician will also provide you with tips and advice on how to prevent future pest infestations.

Common Pests In Vineyards & Wineries

Rodents

Due to easy access to crops (grapes), rodents, such as rats and mice, can be commonly found throughout many vineyards. These pests are known to breed rapidly, creating a medium to large sized colony in a matter of months.

Rodents can directly contaminate unprocessed as well as processed grapes with their droppings, urine, salvia and body hairs, which are loaded with pathogens or they can indirectly contaminate processing surfaces when they walk over it. In addition, aerosolized droppings and urine from rodents can be dangerous to employees and visitors if inhaled, as particles may contain potentially dangerous pathogens such as the hantavirus and e-coli. These pests can also cause structural damage to property and machines within wine processing sites, damage to electrical wires can cause fires; resulting in expensive repair costs

In situations with more scarce resources/lower crop yield, rats may become more territorial, creating increased competition and potential for more dead rat sightings. This can impact your business reputation and may result in potentially failing audits.

Mosquitos

With plenty of access to pollen, dense vines and standing water, vineyard areas can be ideal environments for mosquitos to thrive. These pests can breed in the smallest amounts of water/moist soil, which can commonly be found throughout the vineyard.

Patio areas on-site can also result in female mosquitos feeding on any customers who may visit the winery. These pests can also enter and rest indoors, feeding on staff.  Mosquito bites are not an annoyance, but can also create a disease risk for any customers who may have been bitten by infected mosquitos. This could potentially damage your winery’s reputation and can result in economic losses, as winery tourists or wine enthusiasts may avoid visiting  your winery.

Learn more about how Orkin Canada can control the mosquito population within your vineyard.

Flies

The access to the sugary and organic matter provides flies with ideal conditions to thrive. The aromas released during the wine-making process can attract house flies and fruit flies to your property. These flies commonly feed on any organic or decomposing matter, making vineyard and food service areas susceptible to fly infestations. Waste receptacles can also be ideal harbourage areas for flies to breed and feed.

Due to constantly feeding on waste and organic material, these pests can carry and transmit a variety of dangerous pathogens. There are also serious risks of potential contamination to crops and finished products, resulting in expensive and reputation damaging risks for your business.

Learn more about how Orkin Canada can control the fly population within your vineyard.

Spiders

Though many spider species may be harmless to humans, certain species whose venom is potentially dangerous to people and they pose significant risks to staff and customers if bitten. These pests can also alarm and even scare customers and staff when spotted.

Ants

Though these pests may be small, ants can become a serious issue for vineyard and winery operators. These pests are attracted to sugar/sugary substances, so the grapes and wine making process is an ideal environment for ants to thrive.

Once a colony has been established, it can also have an impact on your bottom-line. These pests may feed on grapes both in vineyard areas or during the winemaking process, contaminating the wine in the process.

Wasps

Wasps like other pests are attracted to sugary sweet scents, making wineries with processing facilities an ideal environment to establish a hive. These pests are not only an annoyance, but can also be a danger to any staff or visitors on your property because of their ability to sting repeatedly.

When a wasp nest has been established within a vineyard, it can create a dangerous situation for your employees. Wasp species such as Yellow Jackets, may also feed on ripe grapes, resulting in a lower crop yield or even a contaminated batch of wine.

Birds

Because of the easy access to grapes and insects, pest birds such as starlings can be a common problem throughout your vineyard. Starlings can have a serious impact on crop yield, feeding on entire bunches of grapes and contaminating the crops in the process.

Many bird species can be very aggressive, creating a potential risk to your employees and customers being attacked. Biohazards from birds such as droppings, fluids, shed skin particles and feathers may contain a variety of different viruses such as avian bird flu, histoplasmosis and even E. coli that may cause severe illness for any staff or customers.

Let Orkin Canada Protect Your Winery Against Pests

When it comes to the safety and security of crops and your winery’s reputation, having an expert pest control provider can play a key role. With over 70 + years of pest control experience, Orkin Canada provides unparalleled expertise and knowledge to keep your wineries pest-free.

Whether your vineyard is located in Vancouver Island, the Okanagan Valley, Niagara, or even Halifax, you can trust the experts at Orkin Canada to provide reliable pest control services for your commercial winery.

For professional pest control for your winery, contact the local experts at Orkin Canada today!