A fast food restaurant located in a busy commercial area of Sainte-Madeleine, on the South Shore, called on our services after the discovery of field mice in the kitchen and food store. The situation was urgent: in a catering establishment, the presence of rodents constitutes a serious violation of hygiene standards and can lead to an administrative closure. Located near a former industrial area transformed into a mixed sector, the building had many openings that were difficult to control. The Nova Extermination team intervened as a priority to limit the health risks and restore operating conditions that complied with regulatory requirements.
Emergency Inspection and Health Assessment
The inspection began outside of operating hours to allow for a comprehensive assessment without disrupting operations. The technician inspected the kitchen, the cold rooms, the storeroom, the garbage room and the entire outdoor perimeter. Evidence included fresh faeces behind cooking equipment, traces of nibbling on flour sacks and nuts, and galleries dug into the insulation of the cold wall. The main source of field mice access was through a leak around the drain under the prep sink and through a gap between the wall and the flooring near the service door.
In a food context, each finding is carefully documented to meet the requirements of a possible health control. The inspection report identified four high-risk areas and three priority ports of entry to be addressed. The seriousness of the situation justified the implementation of an accelerated protocol aimed at resolving the problem in less than a week. For reference, our page on field mouse extermination describes the methods used in this type of intervention.
Intensive protocol for food environments
The treatment was carried out on two consecutive nights to avoid any impact on the restaurant’s business. On the first night, mechanical snapshot traps were placed in all detected traffic areas, indoors and outdoors. No anticoagulant rodenticides were used indoors, in accordance with good practices in food establishments. Outside, secure baiting stations have been placed along the walls and near the garbage room. On the second night, traps were raised, captured individuals were safely disposed of, and devices were repositioned to target areas that were still active. A rodent decontamination intervention followed immediately to sanitize the contaminated surfaces: disinfection of contact areas, elimination of soiled materials and treatment of residual odours that could have attracted new individuals.
Exclusion work and compliance
Once the residual population was eliminated, the exclusion work was carried out in depth. The duct passages under the sink were sealed with steel sleeves and rodent-resistant mortar. The service door bottom gasket has been replaced with a reinforced model with a metal core. The gaps along the walls were filled with steel wool attached to the mortar. These interventions were documented in a report submitted to the owner to compile a compliance file. Our achievements on comparable field mice interventions and on mouse problems in restoration illustrate the rigour of our approach in this sector.
Restaurant owners in Sainte-Madeleine and neighbouring municipalities such as L’Assomption face significant migratory pressure from rodents every season. Working with a team like Nova Extermination, which understands the regulatory issues of the food sector, is a key advantage in keeping an establishment up to standard at all times.
In a restaurant, prevention is not limited to the structure of the building. It also includes daily operational practices: cleaning areas under equipment at the end of each shift, regularly inspecting storage and delivery reception areas, and training staff to recognize the first signs of rodent intrusion. Early detection allows for quick action, before the infestation spreads and compromises the reputation of the establishment. A regular partnership with a professional extermination team is the best insurance against these risks in the restaurant industry.