Pests and Pest Control in Education Settings

Schools, colleges and education campuses are not standalone environments. Education campuses are shared environments with regular transfers between home, work, and community spaces. The solution to pest management does not rest solely on reactive treatment but also on prevention, environmental management, and risk reduction.

Pests are unintentionally transported between environments, and it's important to think about the maintaining factors when considering best practices and risk reduction.

Managing Transfer Risks, Persistent Pests and Best Practice

Every day, pests are unintentionally transported between environments. This article outlines

• How pests transfer between home and school environments,

• The maintaining factors that allow pests (particularly German cockroaches) to persist

• What best practice pest management in schools actually looks like.

Many of the most problematic school pests are hitchhikers. They move via bags, clothing, lunchboxes, furniture, deliveries and shared equipment. The key issue in managing pests is not blame; transfer is normal in shared environments. The risk comes from poor systems that allow pests to establish once they arrive.

Common examples include:

Cockroaches:

• Cockroaches are drawn to water and food, often hiding near sinks, bathrooms and drawers where food may be kept.

• Transported in bags, cardboard boxes, second-hand furniture and food packaging.

• Cockroaches, particularly German cockroaches, thrive in environments where moisture, warmth and food sources are readily available, including basins, bathroom areas and food storage locations.

Ants:

• Follow food residues from lunchboxes and classrooms.

• Easily establish trails between indoor and outdoor areas.

Rodents:

• Attracted to unsecured waste, food storage and sheltered areas.

• Can move between nearby homes and school grounds

Bed bugs:

• Transported via bags, clothing and soft furnishings.

• Require a rapid, discreet and professional response if suspected.

Maintaining Factors: Why Pests Persist in Educational Settings

Maintaining factors are the conditions that allow pests to survive, multiply, and persist over time. They often persist because environmental conditions support them. German Cockroaches are a prime example and particularly challenging because they

• reproduce rapidly

• hide in tight, warm spaces

• are active at night and often go unnoticed until infestations are established.

Pests do not remain in education settings simply because they arrive. They remain because the environment continues to meet their basic needs. In other words, maintaining factors are what keep a pest problem going and commonly fall into four key areas:

Access to food

1. Crumbs in the classrooms.

2. Open or unsealed food in drawers and cupboards.

3. Food residue in staff kitchens and canteens

4. Waste not removed or bins not sealed

Access to water

Many pests, particularly cockroaches, rely heavily on moisture. Common sources include:

1. Basins and bathrooms.

2. Leaking taps or pipes.

3. Floor drains

4. Appliances such as dishwashers, fridges and coffee machines.

Shelter and harbourage

Pests seek out dark, protected spaces where they are unlikely to be disturbed, such as

1. Cracks and gaps in cabinetry

2. Cluttered storage areas

3. Cardboard boxes

4. Spaces behind appliances or within drawers

Lack of monitoring or consistency

1. Irregular inspections

2. No pest sighting log

3. Reliance on complaints rather than proactive monitoring.

Bottom Line

Maintaining factors are the reason pest problems persist. Effective pest management in schools and education settings focuses on identifying and reducing these factors. This job is usually a shared responsibility, and in educational settings, maintaining factors are most often identified by

• Grounds and facilities managers

• Cleaning and maintenance staff

• Canteen or food service staff

• Teaching and support staff who use the spaces daily

• Licenced Pest control providers during routine inspections.

This is supported by targeted pest control interventions and a structured maintenance program. The approach reduces pest pressure, limits reliance on chemicals, and supports long-term control while meeting duty-of-care requirements.