DistinctSean!

Gaining a Distinction is a rare feat in Pest Control. Our congratulations to Sean Banks who has achieved BPCA/RSPH Level 2 with DISTINCTION. 

We are proud that our Technicians are the best around. Hours of hard work paid off for Sean as he can now add a Distinction in Pest Control to his growing business. Customers all over West London can now be assured that one of the best Pest Controllers in the business will come and deal with any Pest problem they have!

Pestforce Conference draws near!!

We are really looking forward to the Pestforce Conference next week, being held in Milton Keynes. The pest control industry is changing very quickly with lots of new rules and legislation, so these events are really important. They ensure our Technicians remain at the forefront of the industry and provide customers with the best care and service we can provide.

The event will involve presentations from inside and outside of the industry and also showcase some of the latest innovations in the sector............. look out for flying pest control drones!!!

The event has been carefully planned to avoid taking up time during the busy summer insect season (fingers crossed) but with technicians all over the UK finding the right place to hold the event is never going to convenient for all.

If you see lots of Pestforce vans in Milton Keynes next week, don't panic there is not a massive pest problem in town.

Pest or Best No. 9: The Bat

The word “pest” is quite subjective and will differ from person to person dependent on what they like or dislike or potential phobias.

As a professional pest control business we feel that education is a great way to help customers and the public understand the delicate Eco-system that exists and show how “pests” can be both good and bad……

Bats are the staple of the 80’s vampire horror film- a cloud of bats casting their shadow over the light of the night moon, setting the scene with the element of fear, which seems to be the emotion instilled into many homeowners across the UK when a group of these furry flying fiends approach, in some instances people develop chiroptophobia, the strong fear of bats. However it is often argued that bats have been unfairly assigned this label; stories of blood feeding, bedroom dwelling, hair assaulting creatures of the dark passed down from generations of Halloween novels are often completely unfounded, leading to misinformation of how bats should be treated, which begs the question; are bats truly domestic pests? Or a species to be protected wherever possible?

One typical bat stereotype which is true, however, is that bats seek refuge in dark corners of a property, typically within an attic or a small gap between walls. If left untreated for an extended period of time, bats can quickly damage structures by chewing through typical domestic building materials and creating additional entry holes. Additionally, bats can compromise the structure of buildings and small rooms as a result of their urine, which can degrade wooden flooring and home insulation. Those who have lived with bats inside their homes have quickly recognised the problem as a result of foul odours close to where the bats have claimed their nest, bat droppings create a pungent smell and can also cause respiratory disease in if encountered and left untreated.

However, much to the delight of farmers across the nation, bats have recently been noted to perform ‘vital pest control’ on corn crops throughout the world. Researchers from the Southern Illinois University in the United States have carried out experiments which saw bats solely excluded from a 20x20m enclosure where corn-feeding insects could forage freely. The experiment saw bat activity in feeding on the herbivorous corn earworm larvae reduce their population by 41% in those areas, which has been estimated to save $1bn globally. When compared to a study in April 2011 by Science publication, loss in the bat species could cost agricultural sectors $3.7bn each year in North America alone.

In conclusion, despite their poor and often misinformed reputation as a dangerous creature, bats have an important role to play within the world’s agricultural economy, saving the world billions of dollars each year by feeding on the larvae which can destroy crops. However, bats can still impact your health if you are in frequent contact with them. It is highly recommended a professional, with the correct equipment, deal with the problem as soon as the issue has been identified.

Swansea Sharpshooter’s Second Place Success!

It is with great pleasure that Pestforce congratulate Mark Harris of Pestforce Swansea for his exceptional performance in the BASC .410 World Shooting Championship on September 12th 2015 in Powys Mid Wales.

The competition consists of experienced shooters from across the world, firing at clay pigeon targets with a .410 shotgun, attempting to hit as many targets out of 50 as possible.

Pestforce Swansea’s own Mark Harris shot an impressive 45 out of 50, coming joined second with three other shooters, one accurate shot away from tying with the new World Champion who claimed 46 out of 50.

The entire Pestforce network congratulate Mark for this impressive feat and wish him the best for next year’s competition!

Visit Mark Harris' Facebook Page or Website

Pest or Best No. 8: The Rabbit

The word “pest” is quite subjective and will differ from person to person dependent on what they like or dislike or potential phobias.

As a professional pest control business we feel that education is a great way to help customers and the public understand the delicate Eco-system that exists and show how “pests” can be both good and bad……

The guest of this week’s Pest of Best article could have easily been renamed “Pest or Pet” due to its unique behavioural patterns. It is also one of the most controversial figures within the pest control world, drawing the ire of farmers, pest controllers and animal rights activists for extremely different reasons; either as crop killing creatures or cute and cuddly critters. We are of course speaking of the rabbit.

The question that needs to be answered however, is; why exactly are rabbits classed as pests and do they deserve to be?

Rabbits, first and foremost are a popular choice of household pet, according to a survey taken by the PFMA (Pet Food Manufacturers Association) in 2014 with 1.2 million households claiming to have own a rabbit as a household pet. Furthermore, a rabbit is common addition to young families with children; due to their maintenance as household pets, children can benefit from the experience of caring for the creature.

However, despite their ‘cute and cuddly’ appeal, rabbits are a widely recognised problem for many (farmers in particular). Wild, untrained rabbits can cause major damage to domestic and commercial gardens by eating plants and shrubbery.

Farmers have particular issues with wild rabbits as there have been many documented cases of rabbits destroying large amounts of crops within their fields, which is a key attribute to the requirements of rabbit control as pest control service.

Additionally, rabbits have the capability to weaken the foundation of roads, fields and gardens as a result of their constant burrowing of not only the single rabbit, but also of their young. Female rabbits have the distinct attribute of producing 5 litters of up to 6-8 young at a single time, which can further lead to dramatic increases in their burrows’ population- providing farmers and homeowners more problems if the rabbit colony is left uncontrolled.

There are many arguments for and against rabbits being a member of the pest family due to the potential destructiveness these usually docile creatures could bring to gardens, it is important to remember that not all rabbits can be domesticated household pets which brings the unfortunate requirements of rabbit control.

Pestforce Directors Race The Sun!

The directors of Pestforce raised a staggering £3000 for the children's medical research charity Action with the Race The Sun Charity Challenge!

Sean Taylor (Managing Director) and Paul Smith (Commercial Director) were amongst the 200 plus participants competing in the Lake District based event on August 29th, which started with a lengthy bike ride at 06:19AM before sunrise, followed by a testing hike up Britains second highest mountain- Helvellyn at 3,116ft (950m). It didn't finish there...

The race against time continued with a further bike ride before a 3km canoe course within the Lake Thirlmere, concluding with another bike riding which totalled 50km on wheels!

The challenging course took Sean and Paul 10hrs 55mins against the sunset, finishing a respectable 26th.

For more information about the Race The Sun event, click here.

Pest or Best No. 7: The Wasp Continued

The word “pest” is quite subjective and will differ from person to person dependent on what they like or dislike or potential phobias.

As a professional pest control business we feel that education is a great way to help customers and the public understand the delicate Eco-system that exists and show how “pests” can be both good and bad…… However this week, we have a returning guest in the Wasp- but not just the common wasp we see terrorising our barbeques, instead we have its South American relative, The Brazilian Wasp.

The Brazilian Wasp has been predominantly featured in the online press and physics publications at the time of this post, but not for the reasons most would predict. Instead of the imagined ‘swarms of wasps attacking households, risking the lives of many’, the truth is actually quite the opposite. The Brazilian Wasp may be able to treat cancer!

The venom produced by the Brazilian Wasp to protect itself from predators contains a special toxin which create large holes on the surface of the cancer cells where the crucial cancer molecules can leak out of the membrane. Co-senior study author Paul Beales of the University of Leeds said this revelation “would be an entirely new class of anticancer drugs” if the research continues to be fruitful as it “could be useful in developing new combination therapies to treat cancer”. For the full report, visit thePhysics.Org website.

It has been said that future studies will allow to examine whether this toxin is strictly selective in killing cancer cells, while avoiding harm to normal cells, which is a process to research cures for further illnesses. So, when thinking about the benefits of the wasp family in the eco-system, remember that some varieties have the ability to potentially save a life.