5. Conclusions
The observations of this study are supportive of the importance of sanitation. However, given the small sample size a larger study is required to confirm them. Future studies should focus on clarifying the following: 1) Which sanitation practices had the most significant impact on pest management costs and effectiveness; 2) What factors influence the relationship between employee involvement in a facility's pest management program and management outcomes; 3) What actions or interventions can outside service providers perform to ensure that facility employees become active participants in the management program.
Overall, in relating sanitation with pest management effectiveness and cost, the facility with better sanitation had better program effectiveness and reliability. Lower costs operational costs were also tied to greater levels of sanitation. While financial investment in sanitation was not a good indicator of pest trap captures, facility employee knowledge of the role of sanitation in pest management was a better indicator. Therefore, better outreach to facility employees on how their actions impact pest management in their facilities is needed.
Acknowledgments
This project was funded in part by the USDA CREESE Methyl Bromide Alternatives Grant. Special thanks go to Mahsa Fardisi, Mohammed Zia al-Haq, and Yanlin Tian for their assistance in collecting data for this project. Additional thanks go to the managers of the two food processing monitored during the project for their assistance and responses to interview questions.