Pest Control for Offices, Retail Stores and Warehouses on Long Island

Mice in a commercial building show up in three places: break rooms, storage rooms and loading areas. The UC Statewide IPM Program explains why.

• House mice build nests in sheltered locations, made from finely shredded paper or other fibrous material. A storage room full of boxes and old files is ideal.
• They are active mostly at night, and at times when food is available.
• They seldom venture more than 30 feet from their nest sites and food supply.
• They can survive in very small areas with limited amounts of food.
• Poor sanitation attracts them and lets them thrive in greater numbers.

Put that together. The mouse your staff saw in the break room is living close to the break room, probably in storage nearby, and it comes out after everyone goes home. Droppings and gnaw marks are the usual signs. UC IPM also says to pay attention to eliminating places where mice can find shelter. If they have few places to hide and nest, they can't survive in large numbers.

Sealing is the other half, and it belongs on the building maintenance list. The CDC says to seal gaps larger than 1/4 inch, about the width of a pencil, with steel wool held in place with caulk (CDC). Check around pipes, where utility lines enter, along loading doors and under exterior doors. Read our house mouse profile, or see our mouse service if you already have activity.

Warehouses have fewer break rooms and more boxes. Pallets, stacked cartons and a dock door that stays open for hours give mice everything they need: shelter, nesting material and a way in. Keep stock off the floor and away from walls where you can, close dock doors between deliveries, and keep cardboard waste moving out of the building. We place and check rodent stations along the walls and dock areas on every visit.

Ants are the other common office complaint, usually in the break room or along a window or baseboard. If staff are seeing a line of them, do not wait for it to go away. Our ant service covers offices and stores across Nassau and Suffolk.

Roaches are less common in offices, but they do turn up, usually from a break room or a delivery. If you see one, read our German cockroach profile and call us.

• No food left in desks overnight.
• Wipe counters and the microwave at the end of the day.
• Empty break room trash daily, with a lid on the can.
• Keep snacks in sealed containers, not open boxes.
• Clean out the fridge every week.
• Report droppings or ants as soon as anyone sees them.

None of it takes long. It just has to be everyone's habit, not one person's.

• Inspection. Break rooms, storage, loading areas, restrooms and the building perimeter.
• Treatment where activity shows. Targeted, not sprayed across open workspaces.
• Rodent stations where needed. Checked every visit.
• Entry point notes. Gaps your maintenance team should seal.
• A written record of the visit. For your files.

For most low pressure sites, monthly service is enough. It keeps stations checked, catches new activity early and puts a record in your file every month. If something picks up, we visit more often until it is quiet, then go back to monthly. Call (516) 509-6001 for a free quote.