Pest control for warehouses and distribution centres

Warehouses are easy targets for pests. Doors open all day, goods sit for weeks, and the building often backs onto fields, rail lines or a retail strip with plenty of garbage. This page is for owners, operators and site managers of warehouses, distribution centres and storage facilities in Ontario. Our commercial pest control for these sites follows four steps: inspect, identify, treat and follow up.

Which pests cause trouble in Ontario warehouses?

Mice and rats

Rodents are the most common warehouse complaint. Mice are the usual indoor problem, and rats tend to show up along the building edge, near dumpsters and under loading platforms. Both chew packaging, leave droppings on stock and use stacked pallets as shelter. Our mice and rats pages explain how to tell them apart, and the mice vs. rats guide covers the signs.

Cockroaches

Break rooms, washrooms and any area where staff eat can support cockroaches. They also arrive on cardboard and in returned goods. See cockroach control for how we treat them.

Wasps

Paper wasps and hornets often build under roof edges, on dock canopies and in unused equipment. A nest by a staff entrance is a safety problem, and nests are not a job for staff with a can of spray. Our wasp nest removal service covers this.

Stored-product insects

Beetles and moths can live in dry goods, pet food, grain and packaging. If your site holds food or feed, tell us when you ask for a quote so the inspection includes the stock and the spots where product collects.

Birds

We do not offer bird control. If birds are a problem at your site, you will need a different provider. We can still help with the pests above.

How does our inspect, identify, treat, follow-up process fit a warehouse?

1. Inspect. We walk the perimeter and the interior: dock doors, door seals, walls, drains, waste areas, break rooms and the storage floor.
2. Identify. We confirm which pests are active and where, so treatment goes where it matters.
3. Treat. We use targeted methods, such as exterior bait stations, traps and sealing recommendations, instead of blanket spraying across stock.
4. Follow up. We return to check activity, adjust the plan and report what we found.

This is Integrated Pest Management. Read more about the IPM approach.

What can be done at the doors and the perimeter?

Rodents rarely start inside. They arrive from outside, so the building edge is where most control is won.

• Exterior bait stations. Placed along the building edge in tamper-resistant boxes, and checked at each visit.
• Door seals and sweeps. A gap at the bottom of a dock door is an open invitation. We point out worn seals and gaps for your maintenance team to repair.
• Sealing. Holes around pipes, conduit and cables can be closed with materials rodents cannot chew through. We note where this is needed.
• Outdoor housekeeping. Dumpsters, pallet stacks and long grass next to the wall give rodents cover, so we flag these too.

What should your team do between visits?

Pest control works best when the site helps. Useful habits:

• Keep pallets and cartons off the walls so there is room to inspect behind them.
• Keep dock doors closed when no truck is at the bay.
• Clean up spills and split bags quickly.
• Keep a separate, sealed area for returns and damaged goods, and clear it often, since torn packaging and food residue draw pests.
• Empty break-room garbage daily and store waste away from the building.
• Report droppings, gnaw marks or live sightings to your site lead and to us.

What happens during a visit?

We tell you who is coming and which areas we will cover. Tell us about restricted zones, forklift traffic and any areas where you hold food, so we plan around them. We schedule visits within our working hours. We are not a 24-hour service, so tell us about your shift pattern when you ask for a quote and we will plan the visit with you.

What to expect when you request a quote

Tell us the building type, roughly how big the site is, what you store and what you have seen. You get price details or a call-back within 30 minutes of the request. That is the quote time, not the visit time. We then arrange the inspection with you.

For a wider look at what we offer businesses, see commercial pest control. If rodents are your main worry, our rodent control page covers that treatment in detail.

Get a free quote for your warehouse

Fill in the free quote form or call us, and we will plan the inspection around how your site runs.