Getting the Best of the Pest

18 September 2015 | Updated 01 January 1970

A new white paper has been published that is designed to offer insights into the benefits of integrated pest management strategy.

The white paper – Can you afford to lose 200% of your budget for every pest outbreak – promotes the importance of a pest management strategy for business continuity as well as the impact for an organisation if it suffers an outbreak.

Published by support services provider Emprise, the paper shows how not having an effective strategy in place can be costly in terms time, money and reputation. It demonstrates how organisations can add value by taking a strategic approach rather than a reactive one. It also provides ‘top tips’ for helping companies improve their pest management operations.

With the number of pests on the increase, any organisation that fails to have a robust pest management strategy in place is in danger of losing productivity and having to close its premises down whilst an outbreak is treated.

Research by the World Health Organisation shows that living in a pest infested environment can also result in poor health. According to Ibis World, the UK pest control market is worth £389 million with annual growth of 4.4% forecast from 2010-15.

Apex Insight’s UK Pest Control 2013 report says hospitality and residential market sectors each represent 19% of the market by value with industrial and transport worth 15%, commercial offices 14% and the food retail sector 12%.

Less effective methods

Some of the key reasons for this growth are a natural increase in pest populations in areas such as food retailing and production and less effective methods of treatment as pests become more resistant to the chemicals and pesticides used. Government austerity measures have also had an impact on pest control as local authorities sought to find ways to reduce their spending and cut services.

A survey conducted by the National Pest Management Association (NPMA), showed that nearly all pest professionals (99.6% of respondents) have treated bed bugs in the past year. In the NPMA’s 2015 Bugs Without Borders survey, 75% of industry professionals said they had treated bed bugs in hotels, 45% per cent in office buildings and 20% in retail stores.

The rat population in the UK is estimated to be up to 80 million with an increase in sightings of ‘super’ rats being reported. Some reports state that this number could double in the next year. According to the BPCA, the insurance sector has estimated that rodent damage to wiring is responsible for 25% of all electrical fires in buildings. Insects, cockroaches and birds also cause problems.

The white paper looks at why reactive strategies which focus on treating the symptoms, rather than the cause, tend not to work particularly well and how, by carrying out a pest audit, any potential problem areas and how they will have an impact on business performance can be identified. Two case studies show how different organisations were able to treat pest problems by having a proactive pest management strategy.

The paper also looks at the benefits of taking a more holistic approach to pest control which as well as lessening the impact on the environment, is proving to be more successful at treating bugs and vermin that have become resistant to traditional chemicals.

To download the full white paper, visit the website

Picture: Unwelcome guests in the form of this cockroach can appear at any time and should be dealt with as part of a pest management strategy, according to a white paper

Article written by Cathryn Ellis | Published 18 September 2015