Pest Control Operations and Social Distancing in Multi-Family Housing During the COVID-19/Coronavirus Outbreak

It’s likely pest control is the last thing on your mind if you are managing or working in multifamily housing with elderly or disabled residents during the Cornonavirus and the associated COVID-19 disease outbreak. We are all trying to keep the most vulnerable in our families and communities safe during this pandemic and must consider what social distancing and quarantine means for multifamily housing.

If you aren’t already, you may very shortly be contending with issues such as:

• Availability of employees (absences for illness, quarantine, or at-home childcare)
• The need for extra disinfection and cleaning activities
• Pest complaints
• Concerns about whom to allow into your buildings and units

Ultimately, decisions need to be made by the building or housing authority management, with advice from your local public health department. Each management group will have to base their decisions on a variety of factors, including area COVID-19 cases, your population of vulnerable and at-risk residents, priority for disinfecting “common-touch” areas, and staffing levels.  

During the initial stages of this epidemic, the goals of your effort should be to

1. maximize social distancing while we go through the most critical, initial stages of this pandemic; 
2. prioritize labor required for regular disinfection, garbage management, food delivery, and other acute and immediate needs;
3. ensure healthy staff are available to fill in for those who may require quarantine or those having to deal with illness, childcare, or other demands on time.

As the pandemic progresses, some of these goals may be adjusted depending on new cases appearing and people getting into a new routine.

There have been concerns expressed about pest control visits in public housing and what should be considered essential and non-essential. Below are a set of general guidelines to help make choices about your pest control service. These guidelines relate to housing sites with in-house pest management staff, but they can be applied to contracted service as well.

Also below are related recommendations for engaging with your pest control contractor, along with some resources from HUD and the CDC that will give you more guidance on policies, procedures, and disinfecting.

Advice on Pest Control Visits

Pest prevention practices that should not be suspended during the COVID-19 outbreak include:

• Garbage collection
• Call center operations taking calls about pest complaints; questions should be asked to determine severity for later prioritization
• Control of rats in residences (any infestation level)
• Removal of a bat found in the residence, or common spaces
• Common-area pest inspection/treatments in high-rise hallways, maintenance areas, garbage rooms, and garbage chutes; findings of any pests in the hallways should be recorded for later proximate-apartment follow-up
• In-apartment cockroach, bed bug, mouse, or fly treatments for high-level infestations in residences, or lower-level infestations if:
  • A resident has a non-COVID-19 medical issue involved, such as asthma
    (as a result of pandemic response measures, we currently have people spending more time in their home, exposed for longer periods to possible asthmagens and respiratory irritants)
  • a resident complains and consents to treatment for priority pests (bed bugs, rodents, cockroaches or other significant public health pests)

Work with your pest control providers to determine what you will consider a high-level pest infestation. Consult with your local health department and university extension specialists about prioritizing additional pests of public health significance (i.e. filth flies, fleas). Treatments conducted outdoors for wasps, fire ants, mosquitoes, termites, etc. could continue with proper precautions and should be decided on a case-by-case basis.

Here are some other considerations for helping those complaining about low-level infestations during this time, with a goal of providing temporary relief while adhering to social-distancing guidelines to the greatest degree possible:

• Can you give them information and tools like sticky monitors/traps and delay scheduling a pest control service visit?
• Can you recommend that they vacuum when this is practical? Or can you drop off a HEPA-rated vacuum that they can use to remove the pests themselves?

As a rule, use your discretion and seek the advice of public health officials.

How Long Could We Suspend Regular (In-Home) Service?

Aside from the above considerations about what should not be stopped, depending on COVID-19 risks, there may have to be a suspension of regular (in-apartment) activities for 1.5 to 2 months (essentially one-to two pest generations, and depending on the progress of the epidemic in the area). Pest control staff (or contractors) can use any extra time they have to continue implementing exclusion measures in common areas/maintenance areas/exteriors when not dealing with COVID-19-related issues.  However, note that any type of delay in pest management procedures will result in dealing with potentially more severe and extensive infestations.  It is critical to resume routine pest management operations as soon as possible after the risk of COVID-19 transmission has passed.  

That means if you have regular (monthly) pest control service or inspections scheduled in people’s homes, redirect that time and attention to common and maintenance areas. Purchase or ask your pest control company to provide tools that residents can apply in their own homes (monitors, cockroach bait stations, traps) and give residents advice on non-chemical DIY treatments like laundry and vacuuming. Discourage the use of over-the-counter sprays and foggers.

Stay Engaged with Your Pest Control Team

The pests won’t be going anywhere anytime soon, so stay engaged with your pest control providers. Some things you might want to discuss:

• Can the pest control contractor leave glue boards and snap traps in the office? Residents who complain about cockroaches and rodents may use these materials to avoid having outside visitors come into their homes, thus starting the pest control process and attempting some relief while reducing the potential for spreading the virus.
• Can the contractor provide disinfection services? Many of the EPA-registered disinfectants require a license to apply (depending on the state and their current enforcement of licensing laws, given this declared health emergency). Your pest control company may be licensed and have access to disinfectant products. Remember, cleaning is not disinfecting! Many techniques are different. It’s advisable that professionally trained and equipped technicians provide this service.
• Are the pest control technicians equipped with and wearing appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE)? Most pest control companies have gloves, masks, and even disposable suits intended to be worn over their clothing. Make sure the technicians are wearing PPE to protect themselves and your residents. PPE, especially gloves, should be changed between apartments.

 General Management Advice

Some general advice pulled from various pest control and HUD resources:

• Get an email out to your pest control team right away. If you have not already done so, now is the time to communicate with your staff (and residents) so they know you are responding proactively and not just reacting.
• If you have not done so already, find a safe way to hold maintenance staff meetings, morning muster, etc. Follow local public health guidelines and find a way to communicate without in-person and close-contact meetings: provide space so people do not cluster, set up meetings outside, or use video chat or email.
• Add an update on your website that states what you are doing and what residents can do. If a resident is curious, they can at least see that you are being proactive, not reactive.

Additional Resources

HUD maintains a Coronavirus resource page: https://www.hud.gov/coronavirus

HUD is advising that properties should be following the CDC’s guidelines when creating policies and making decisions: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html

HUD encourages owners and agents to follow CDC guidelines and the directions given by local health officials for emergency preparedness. See the Multifamily Asset Management and Project Servicing handbook. Specifically, Chapter 38 of Handbook 4350.1, Emergency and Disaster Guidance, should also be consulted.

Environmental cleaning and disinfecting recommendations from the CDC:

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/organizations/cleaning-disinfection.html

The CDC offers print material, including handouts you can distribute and posters to hang in offices or share with residents on bulletin boards:

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/communication/factsheets.html

When normal operating funds are not sufficient to address the COVID-19 needs of your properties, “reserve for replacement funds” may be accessed. See this guidance on COVID-19 for Multifamily properties for more information and good links:

https://www.hud.gov/sites/dfiles/Housing/documents/MF_Corona_QA_FINAL_3-12-20.pdf

PHA-related waiver requests should be sent to [email protected] 

PIH dedicated email address for COVID-19 questions: [email protected] 

Pest Management

While StopPests can’t do in-person trainings at this time, you can always view pre-recorded trainings on pest control at your own desk: http://www.stoppests.org/ipm-training/training-opportunities/stoppests-webinars/

Information and videos for those needing to remove bed bugs by hand:

https://www.bedbugs.umn.edu/bed-bug-control-in-residences/controlling-bed-bugs-by-hand

Bed bug information for building managers from Rutgers: https://njaes.rutgers.edu/bed-bug/building-managers.php

Assessment-Based Pest Management of German Cockroaches F.M. Oi, E. Weeks, J. Jonovich, and D. Miller https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/in1190

Acknowledgements

This guidance was written by

Stephen A. Kells, B.C.E., Ph.D. Professor, Dept of Entomology, University of Minnesota

Susannah Reese, M.S. Extension Specialist, StopPests in Housing, Cornell University

With contributions of the Urban IPM Initiatives members of the Medical, Urban, and Veterinary Entomology Section, Entomological Society of America (ESA MUVE). https://www.entsoc.org/muve/initiatives-urban

Sydney Crawley, Ph.D. Scotts Miracle-Gro

Zachary DeVries, Ph.D. Urban Entomologist, University of Kentucky

Dawn Gouge, Ph.D. Public Health Entomologist, University of Arizona - MAC Experiment Station,

Janet A. Hurley, A.C.E, MPA, Extension Specialist, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service

Faith M. Oi, Ph.D. University of Florida Entomology and Nematology Dept. 

Karen Vail, Ph.D. Professor and Urban Extension Entomologist, University of Tennessee, Knoxville

Changlu Wang, Ph.D. Urban Entomologist, Rutgers University

For more information or to find the IPM extension specialist in your area contact StopPests in Housing: [email protected]

Comments

[sadguru]

amazing blog an very helpful,a because of covid-19 it is very important to disinfect the home properly to keep the virus and germ away, disinfection pest control service is important, Thank you so much for sharing this,

[Bonita Evart]

How much notice should the landlord provide for in-home pest control? Where should this info be posted? Are they legally required to post the info, and for how long before they come?

[susannah]

@Bonita, Good question. It usually depends on the state you are in. I'll send a private email.
~Susannah

[Trevor John]

My landlord just sprayed without notice and found out by accident. What can I do? No harm caused, yet.

[StopPests in Housing Program]

@Trevor, It's unfortunate you were not given notice that pesticides were sprayed in your home. Check your lease. Find out what the lease says about entering your apartment. Also check to see what the pesticide notification laws are in your state.
Did your landlord apply the chemicals? If applying pesticides in someone else's home you typically need a pesticide applicator license. In some states there are certain exceptions for landlords.

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