Saint-Antoine-sur-Richelieu, a rural and heritage village in the Montérégie region established on the east bank of the Richelieu River, opposite Saint-Denis-sur-Richelieu, is also home to a few storage buildings on the outskirts of its village core. It was in a food distribution warehouse, on the edge of the land along the river, that our experts were called upon to take care of a severe spider problem. The operations manager reported bulky webs between high-density racks, in loading docks and technical areas, as well as a regular presence of spiders on conveyors and handling equipment.
Specific challenges of a food warehouse
Working in a food distribution warehouse requires particular rigour in terms of regulations and health. Our team at our extermination company first carried out a full inspection outside of business hours, covering cold storage areas, ambient temperature dock spaces, employee break rooms, roofs accessible from the inside and technical ducts. We identified several species including large spiders, jumping spiders and many cross spiders that took advantage of the metal structures to spin their webs in the illuminated areas where insects converge at night.
The presence of spiders in a food environment can lead to non-conformities during certification audits. The urgency of the situation and the requirements of the establishment’s HACCP plan guided the selection of our response protocol, which focuses on low-residue methods and is compatible with indirect food contact areas.
Intervention protocol adapted to the industrial environment
Our spider extermination plan for this warehouse was based on three phases. The first phase consisted of an industrial vacuum operation using high-power vacuum cleaners to remove all the canvases, cocoons and individuals visible on the metal structures, beams, conveyors and partitions. This step, carried out in parallel with a cleaning of the docks, made it possible to immediately eliminate the most important biological load.
The second phase consisted of the application of gel insecticide in the identified refuge areas: hollows in metal profiles, spaces under pallets, wiring ducts and wall corners. The gel has the advantage of being targeted, without dispersion in the air, which is ideal for areas near foodstuffs. The third phase involved an exterior insect spray treatment around the entire perimeter of the building, including the loading docks, slab joints and vegetated curbs that bordered two sides of the warehouse.
Reduction of attractive sources and sealing
Root cause analysis showed that the outdoor lighting of the docks, running all night, attracted large numbers of flying insects that were an abundant food source for the spiders. We recommended replacing white spectrum lamps with yellow or amber spectrum lamps, which are much less attractive to insects. In addition, professional caulking of entry points around platform doors, duct passages and façade joints was carried out to limit future intrusions.
A sticky trap monitoring program has been installed at the four corners of the warehouse and at the main entrances. The data collected makes it possible to monitor the evolution of the populations and to intervene in a targeted manner before any re-infestion. The operations manager was provided with complete documentation to be included in the audit file. For more examples of our professional interventions, see our case study spiders in a commercial environment and our wasp realization in warehouse. Our customers in the Saint-Antoine-sur-Richelieu area benefit from a quick intervention that complies with the strictest standards of the food industry.
Results and regained compliance
The intervention took place in two consecutive nights to minimize the impact on operations. As soon as activities resumed, the manager noticed the disappearance of the canvases in all the treated areas. The internal audit carried out ten days later did not reveal any non-compliance related to pests. The quarterly monitoring program put in place ensures continuous monitoring and allows this warehouse to maintain its food safety certifications, with complete peace of mind in the Montérégie.