The reason that the professional pest control industry exists is to protect people in the homes in which we live and the places where we work and play. However, professional pest controllers are operating in a landscape where there are challenges that are actively making their work in protecting the public harder every day and social landlords need to be aware of these challenges to create a collaborative and effective approach alongside their chosen pest control provider.

Taking chemical resistance seriously

What is the resistance status of rodents in your area? 

This is one of the leading questions that every pest professional should be asking. With increasing levels of chemical resistance to the most commonly used rodenticide baits being detected throughout the UK, it is vital to know that the products being used to gain control are achieving the required result. 

The consequences of not taking this seriously are eradicating all non-resistant rodents in the population, leaving only resistant rats or mice to pass on their genetic code. This presents a risk of making entire product groups useless, leaving fewer options for control. 

Social landlords and housing officers should make sure that their pest control contractor knows this information and, like our team here at Pest Solutions, has an active tail sampling programme to scientifically test for DNA sequences for resistance, allowing the right product choices to be made.

Chemical resistance has also been observed in insect control, such as with bed bugs, which can be a major issue in a range of social and affordable homes, including shared residences and retirement schemes.

Changing behaviour in pests, changing behaviour in people

If chemical resistance was not bad enough, we have also observed a sharp increase in learned behavioural resistance in pests. In some urban environments, such as Edinburgh and Glasgow city centre, rodents will simply refuse to interact with traps or bait stations, meaning a greater chance for them to create a home, in our homes.

This presents a real challenge. To tackle this, we conduct ongoing field research into topics like behavioural resistance to plastics to ensure that our control methods continue to work. One of the worrying trends that we have observed is evidence of Coeliac disease in rodents. This is concerning as most of our products are grain-based, meaning that these rodents will avoid baits due to food intolerances.

One of the areas that our team felt so strongly about that encourages behavioural resistance in rodents is the unacceptable level of littering in our towns, cities and streets. This creates an abundance of food choices where our products just cannot compete for palatability. In response, we have launched our “Enough is Enough” anti-littering campaign to help educate the public about the relationship between littering and pests.

We would encourage social landlords to engage in positive and proactive dialogue with tenants on the impact littering has and the increased chance of pests entering your home and causing a wider public health danger because of this.

The physical and mental health impact of pests in your home

Social landlords provide affordable homes for people to make their own and to have a safe, affordable and long-term place to call home. Looking after this and taking pride in it is incredibly important for so many across the country. This is why, social landlords need to have effective and proactive pest control management protocols in place. Engaging with a pest control provider before an incident occurs is vital and gives you piece of mind that your tenants are protected from pests in their homes.

The potential physical and mental health implications for tenants whose homes are at the centre of a pest issue can be incredibly damaging, particularly if they have to be moved to temporary accommodation whilst the situation is dealt with. By having effective pest control management protocols in place, social landlords can be as prepared as possible.

Don’t go for the cheap option, go for the best option

Across most sectors, budgets are tighter than ever. Every business, local authority and social landlord needs to analyse their spending and prioritise their resources and investments as well as making difficult choices along the way.

On some occasions, some businesses view pest control as an afterthought and therefore, it can often be sacrificed when having to make decisions around spending. We work hard to encourage businesses that an investment in pest management, is an investment in your people and we would echo this to social landlords.

Therefore, investing in the right solution, and not the cheapest one, is vitally important. Before you begin a partnership with any pest control company, establishing they have the correct and up to date credentials as well as a successful track record across a variety of businesses and sectors. Creating a strong, long-lasting relationship with your pest control provider can put you in a strong position for years to come.

Why we believe in pest control – done differently

In the homes and businesses of many of our towns and cities, the battle for effective, long-term pest control is being slowly lost. As a result, it is time to do something different. When choosing the right pest control partner, it is essential to select a TrustMark approved BPCA member company to ensure that you achieve effective lasting results for your tenants.