What is Pest Control?

While we live in harmony with many animals, when uninvited rodents, birds or insects invade our homes and businesses it’s not always on such good terms. This is where pest control or pest management can help to eliminate or manage these unwanted creatures and pests.

These pests can include vermin from rodents such as mice and rats to cockroaches, bed bugs, fleas and wasps as well as pest birds such as pigeons, seagulls and crows.

Why is Pest Control necessary?

When animals become pests, it’s generally bad for business, whichever way you look at it. Not only can they create costly problems, but they are not conducive to your paying customers. Additionally, pests can pose a health risk to both staff, visitors, and customers. Here’s a few reasons why pest control is important: -

Diseases

Pest of all types can cause the human population to become ill through the diseases they carry. For example, rodents’ faeces near food or a kitchen can contaminate food, while flying or crawling insects can carry bacteria, like salmonella and E. coli. Rodent’s are incontinent and anywhere they go they will leave a trail of urine. Rats’ urine contains significant diseases including Weil’s disease.

Each of these can lead to serious intestinal illness, and even bird pests such as pigeons and seagulls carry viruses and bacteria. They can also affect existing medical conditions like asthma or trigger allergic asthma, through their feathers and dander.

Expensive

Be they rats, mice, squirrels, cockroaches or bed bugs the presence of pests in any commercial premises can have serious financial implications for business owners. These pests can not only damage buildings, stock and equipment, but they can also cause serious damage to a company’s reputation.

Be aware that local authorities have the power to close premises on health and safety grounds if pest numbers warrant it, due to legislation. This would have a severe impact on your business and its finances.

Ongoing Maintenance

If the pests are not moved on or eliminated, the maintenance for a business in both financial costs and time can be highly prohibitive. Dealing with pests quickly and efficiently will reduce ongoing maintenance and costs such as extra cleaning.

Legal Ramifications

In addition to all the above, there can also be legal ramifications due to not meeting required legislation for health and safety rules. Pests can also cause serious health risks in other ways such as slippery surfaces from bird droppings. This can pose a potential slip or fall hazard and the risk of an impending legal case.  

What are Pest Control methods?

There are obviously different pest control methods for different pests. As a professional pest control company, we tailor our services appropriate to the risks and compliance requirements. Our initial pest risk site survey is critical to allow our teams to recommend a service that fits your business and the pests causing a problem. Here’s a brief list of some pest control methods we utilise: -

Pest Bird Control

To control birds such as pigeons, seagulls and crows there are various methods from bird deterrents including harmless lasers and bird repellent gel. For buildings and businesses where pest birds cause a problem, these can be moved on with bird proofing methods such as bird netting and spikes to encourage pigeons for example to roost elsewhere.

Rodent Pest Control

An infestation of mice and rats can have a severe impact on any business, but there are a variety of rodent control solutions that can deal with any rodent problem. This may include the use of ‘bait boxes’ containing non-toxic and, in some cases, toxic rodenticide. These are always carefully positioned to ensure a safe and discreet treatment, where children and pets can’t access them. 

Insect Pest Control

When it comes to insect pest control, understanding the biology of the bugs is essential to be able to determine a targeted approach to get rid them. Identifying the exact species is vital for effective control and protection of your business and providing the right insect control treatment to resolve the insect infestation.

Wildlife Pest Control

The risks that wildlife can pose vary from damage to the structure of buildings to harming crops and plants. It is important to consider all aspects when dealing with wildlife pest control from ecology to pest control under the broader term of wildlife management.

For further advice and information on any type of pest control, or to book an initial survey call us on 0333 567 2020, or contact us today.

Author: NBC Environment/Orkin