Bed Bugs, Bird Control Hot Topics Overseas

Editor’s note: Frances McKim, a partner in Active Solutions and PestBusiness.com, recently attended a pair of meetings in the United Kingdom that were organzied by Pest-Ventures. She filed the following report.

NOTTINGHAM, UK - Nearly 100 delegates attended each of the two seminars organized by Pest-Ventures and held April 15-16, near Nottingham, UK. Delegates came from all sectors of the UK market – private and government pest controllers, manufacturers, consultants and trade associations – were in attendance. Yet throughout the event, communication remained the recurring theme to achieve successful pest control.

Bed bugs – a case of tough love
The rise of bed bug infestations across the globe is well documented. Almost as many theories about their cause exist as there are outbreaks. One thing that is certain, if treatments are to be successful the homeowner or hotel management must know what is expected of them. In the public sector, Tony Bull from the London Borough of Hounslow, said, “For many of the domestic bed bug call-outs we get, a surveyor is sent around in advance to advise the householder how to prepare for the treatment visit. If there is no preparation by the householder we walk away – it really is a case of ‘tough love’.”

The seminar members broke into discussion groups. Pest control technicians certainly did not escape attention either. Thoroughness of treatment is a prerequisite of control. Any adult females left behind are nothing more than “ticking time bombs” explained Clive Boase of the Pest Management Consultancy.

Birds also were featured strongly. Controlling birds in built-up areas is always a politically sensitive issue. Liverpool (a port city in the north west of England), is currently European Capital of Culture. Yet the center of the city supported a high pigeon population. A campaign to deter people from feeding the birds, either accidentally or intentionally, coupled with scaring techniques was put in place.

Engage with the public
The campaign has been highly successful. With creative thought and communication skills, the program has been turned around from a “pigeon reduction policy” which would have attracted little media attention or support to a high profile campaign supported financially by the business community. The public, and in particular children, has been engaged by means of a slick animated cartoon DVD asking people not to feed the pigeons. (Click here to view the video). In addition, mechanical bird scarers (called Robop) which resemble a Peregrine falcon – a natural predator of pigeons – have been used. As pest professionals, the merits of the Robops might be queried, but as PR vehicles for the campaign they are true stars – each model having been personalised and named – with the coverage obtained in the media has far exceeded anything the city could have purchased.