How to Read a Pest Service Report and Hear What It’s Saying

You contract with a third party to perform pest control at your site. The technician comes, performs the work, drops off the service report (or emails it), and … then what?

If it just goes into a binder or some file folder, you are missing out on valuable information that can be a huge help in keeping your site safe. Understanding how to read a pest service report can help facilities identify risks earlier, recognize patterns and make better decisions before issues grow.

Every service report should answer three key questions: what pests were found, where they were found and how many were present.

So, what information is in your report, and how can you use it?

Know what you're dealing with.

One of the first things to examine is what kind of pests were found. This is important because different pests have different habitats, food preferences and behaviors. That information leads to targeting inspections, finding the foods they are feeding on and determining how to best treat them.

There’s a big difference in finding a granary weevil versus a flour beetle. The former is going to be in whole grains, while the latter is mostly found in broken grains or milled products. This helps to find infestations quickly and respond to them.

Location tells the story. 

It’s not just what was found, but where it was found. Location data is obviously helpful in determining where to inspect, but it also points to conducive conditions.

When a trap by a door keeps catching mice, it’s likely they are coming in through a gap in the door. However, if those mice are found in traps in the middle of a warehouse, they likely came in on infested product. It makes sense that the pest problem is going to be near where pests are caught. Additional traps and monitors can circle that area to help contain the issue and stop its spread.

Numbers reveal the trend.

The quantity of pests captured also gives a snapshot of what’s happening. An insect light trap (ILT) covered with large flies points to a pretty serious issue, while an ILT with only a few occasional invaders indicates somewhat less of a problem. Ideally, we want to catch all these issues when they are still small, but sometimes pest issues can quickly appear.

This is where trending data — pest numbers tracked over time — becomes a story. A major part of how to read a pest service report is looking beyond a single service visit and understanding what the data shows over time. Knowing what, where and how many at one point in time shows what’s happening right now. Looking at those numbers over time shows whether a pest problem is becoming more severe, staying the same or getting better.

The data can point to a new conducive condition, such as a sanitation issue or an exclusion opportunity. If the number of Indianmeal moths keeps inching up in a certain area, it’s likely there is a food source that was missed on the last inspection. After a treatment, the expectation is that pest numbers will decrease. Looking at the last three to six months of data can point to problem areas that need more attention. Then, the underlying conducive conditions can be fixed.

Quick visit or quality service? 

Part of a good pest control service is not just checking traps but taking the time to inspect areas and find conditions that can lead to pest problems. The amount of time a technician spends at the account can indicate whether this is happening. If there are 100 rodent bait stations on the outside and a technician finishes in 30 minutes, something was missed. There is no way to check that many traps in that short amount of time. The technician could be racing through the job and not adequately performing the service.

Additional documentation should also be on the service report. The technician needs to document conducive conditions and items that need to be addressed. They should be reporting things like broken door seals, spilled or damaged product, vegetation touching the building, moisture problems and anything else that would provide the food, water or shelter pests need.

If the comments or notes section says something like, “Completed the service. Thanks for your business,” that doesn’t help identify or fix problems. The longer a pest issue goes on, the harder it will be to deal with.

Of course, once these issues are documented, it’s the facility’s responsibility to fix them. You can’t blame the pest control company for roof rats getting in when large trees are providing them with a pathway to enter.

The 'why' behind the treatment.

Inside food facilities, pesticides are not typically used regularly. They should only be used when a pest problem exists or is highly likely to exist. If pesticide use was noted on the service report, why? What was the target pest? That pest should have been noted elsewhere in the service report.

If a pesticide was applied for German cockroaches, but no cockroaches were noted, it raises the question of “why?” again. A technician should be able to justify the use of pesticide when it is applied.

Coverage doesn't change risk. 

When pests that aren’t covered by the contract are discovered, recommendations or suggestions should be documented in the service report.

Termites are a good example of unexpected pest discoveries. Termites are rarely covered with a typical pest control service. If they are found, your pest control provider should include a recommendation that termite treatment be approved.

Just because a pest isn’t covered under a general contract doesn’t mean it magically stops being a pest. Especially in an environment where food is being processed and held, it’s important for options to be presented. Ship out a product with termites on it, and it will get rejected, just like a product with cigarette beetles in it.

Bird issues are another common occurrence outside of facilities. Outdoor birds present a risk of birds getting inside, as well as a risk of contamination from people tracking bird droppings indoors.

Be ready before the audit. 

If your facility is inspected by any of the major audit systems, there are a few things to check up on in your pest control binder or online portal before the audit. Items like insurance and licenses expire, so make sure all the information is current and valid. The site map should be accurate and up to date. The same goes for the approved pesticide list.

If any of these documents are more than three years old, it’s time for the pest control company to review them and update anything that needs it. Conditions are always changing, and the pest program should adapt to those changing conditions.

It’s a federal requirement under good manufacturing processes (GMPs) for food facilities to have a pest management program in place. Major audit standards also require it. It doesn’t matter how big or small a food facility is — pest control is important to keep food safe. Periodic checks ensure standards are being followed and your site is fully protected.

Ultimately, knowing how to read a pest service report is about more than confirming a technician completed a visit. The report should help facilities identify risks, address underlying conditions and strengthen food safety before small problems become larger ones.

The author is consulting entomologist and owner of 360 Pest and Food Safety Consulting.