Pest control sector news and updates

Latest industry news for the UK pest management sector by British Pest Control Associaton (BPCA). Professional Pest Controller (PPC) online is packed with up-to-date business and legislation updates for pest management professionals, pest technicians and business owners. See the latest press releases from across the sector. Got a press release that should be here? Send it to us now!

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  • 08 October 2020

    Bayer appoints new digital marketing specialist

    Bayer Environmental Science has appointed Freddie Bendall-Brown as new digital marketing specialist, to support the business as they move towards more digital offerings. Formerly working for a Cambridge-based B2B marketing agency, Fre.... More

  • 07 October 2020

    BPCA launches new digital event PestExtra as PestEx postponed until 2022

    British Pest Control Association is launching a brand new digital event following the tough decision to postpone PestEx 2021.  Given the most recent government guidance surrounding events, BPCA has made the difficult but necessar.... More

  • 07 October 2020

    ICUP 2021 conference postponed

    With much regret, the organising and executive committees of the International Conference on Urban Pests (ICUP) have decided to postpone the 10th ICUP Conference. This had earlier been rescheduled to September 2021 in Barcelona, Spain.... More

  • 25 September 2020

    New business support measures announced by Chancellor

    Chancellor Rishi Sunak has announced new business support measures that pest management companies may be able to take advantage of after the furlough scheme ends next month. Chancellor Rishi Sunak has announced new business support measures.... More

  • 24 September 2020

    Interested in taking part in the Kickstart job scheme?

    BPCA is considering becoming an intermediary for the Government's Kickstart scheme and is looking for member companies to register their interest in being involved. The Kickstart Scheme provides funding to employers to create new.... More

  • 22 September 2020

    CRRU announces additional biosecurity for rodent tail samples

    Additional biosecurity measures when sending rat and mouse tail samples for rodenticide resistance testing have been introduced. Farmers, gamekeepers and pest controllers are asked to follow new packaging guidance at thinkwildlife.org.... More

  • 18 September 2020

    VIDEO: Identify and understand delusional parasitosis

    In this video Natalie Bungay discusses key strategies for how pest controllers can react when faced with cases of delusional parasitosis. This video is intended for those working in the pest management sector. Information correct at th.... More

  • 18 September 2020

    JOIN IN: Two new BPCA Committees now recruiting

    BPCA is calling out for employees of member companies to join our new committees. The Outreach & Communication Committee and the Professional Standards Committee will launch later this year.  The new Committees of the Board w.... More

  • 17 September 2020

    Guidance on test and trace procedures for pest management companies

    BPCA has released a free guidance document for pest professionals considering implementing a test and trace procedure during the Covid-19 pandemic. Download now With the easing of social and economic lockdown measures, the UK Gov.... More

  • 10 September 2020

    SURVEY: Help us change licences for gull control in 2021 and beyond

    After a challenging year for gull control in England, BPCA is asking the pest management community to help us make the process for getting a licence better. BPCA has the opportunity to positively influence Natural England regarding wha.... More

  • 04 September 2020

    No UK products authorised for control of wood mice, rodenticide users reminded

    Users of rodenticides covered by the UK stewardship regime are reminded that no product is authorised for control of wood mice (Apodemus sylvaticus), also known as long tailed field mice. This arises from an alert to the Cam.... More

  • 02 September 2020

    Open letter to the Scottish Animal Welfare Commission: glue traps for professional use

    BPCA has written to Andrew McKinlay, policy advisor for the Scottish Animal Welfare Commission (SAWC), in response to a call for evidence on the use of glue traps for pest management. This response will be shared with the SAWC's Glue Traps Working.... More

  • 02 September 2020

    Bayer launch new digital rodent pest management system

    BPCA member Bayer reveals a new digital pest control system, which aims to help pest management professionals control rodents in retail outlets, places of food production and warehouse facilities. Tim Peeling, Bayer product.... More

  • 28 August 2020

    NEW customisable pest advice leaflets for members

    A range of pest advice leaflets are now available for members to download, customise and print on the BPCA PrintShop (login required).  Our pest advice leaflets are a great tool for you to use when explaining the i.... More

  • 28 August 2020

    New Board members elected at BPCA 2020 AGM

    At BPCA’s 2020 annual general meeting (27 August), members of the Association elected new representatives to the BPCA Executive Board. With the Covid-19 pandemic having delayed the AGM for several months, the event was held onli.... More

  • 28 August 2020

    Three BPCA life memberships awarded at the 2020 AGM

    British Pest Control Association awarded three BPCA life memberships at the 2020 AGM. Frances McKim, Helen Riby and Jonathan Wade were all recipients of the prestigious life membership during the first ever Digital AGM on 27 Augu.... More

  • 27 August 2020

    VIDEO: BPCA Digital Forum 4 - Your digital pest event

    Watch it back now - our 4th all-digital BPCA pest management Forum. Packed with industry news, guest speakers and CPD opportunities. Speakers include Dave Archer (DKA Pest Control), Sean Parr (Pelsis) and Dr Bobby Corrigan (RmC Pest Managem.... More

  • 21 August 2020

    VIDEO: Rats and drains for pest professionals

    In this video guest speaker Davy from RatDetection.com talks about the options open to pest controllers and the risks associated with dealing with rats in drains. This video is intended for those working in the pest management sector. .... More

  • 06 August 2020

    VIDEO: Terms and conditions, contracts, force majeure and cancellations - BEB Consultancy

    Learn about the importance of water-tight contracts, terms and conditions. In this video, BEB Consultancy will cover subjects like: What contracts and terms and conditions you need? What is force majeure, and how could it affect.... More

  • 05 August 2020

    GALLERY: PPC magazine all 100 covers

    SPECIAL | PPC100 August 2020   And here we are today with our 100th issue! Thanks to our loyal readers and contributors. We&rsqu.... More

  • 05 August 2020

    Contego launches charity fundraising pledge

    BPCA member Contego continues long-standing tradition of charitable giving back with launch of its 'Pledge to Make a Difference'.  Contego got off the ground in 2004, following funding support from the Prince's Trust ch.... More

  • 05 August 2020

    Should I sign that? Contracts and small print with BEB Consultancy

    In this guest blog, specialist contracts and legal services expert BEB Consultancy talk about how to approach written contracts, hidden terms and reading the small print. Thousands of contracts are entered into every day. The.... More

  • 05 August 2020

    PestEx 2021 exhibition stands at 50% sold or reserved

    PestEx 2021 stands are already at 50% sold or reserved, as the industry looks forward to its first big event post-Covid-19 lockdown next March. With the London ExCeL confirming that they intend to be running full scale event.... More

  • 04 August 2020

    Control silverfish professionally

    TECHNICAL | PPC100 August 2020 Recent years have seen a rise in silverfish infestations and they can often be hard to control due to behaviour and habitat. We hear from global industry expert Dr Volker Gutsmann from Bayer AG, who expla.... More

  • 04 August 2020

    INFOGRAPHIC: A short history of public health pesticides

    TECHNICAL | PPC100 August 2020 Looking back over one hundred issues of PPC, it’s clear that the products in our toolkits have changed considerably. We asked Alex Wade, from member company PelGar International, to look back at rod.... More

  • 04 August 2020

    New luxury hotel discount BPCA member benefit

    BPCA has teamed up with new luxury hotel chain Blue Orchid Hotels, to offer discounts for members on a range of experiences and accommodation. Here to Help London and its collaborative partners Blue Orchid Hotels and Global Hospi.... More

  • 04 August 2020

    Current pest proofing products: applications and limitations

    TECHNICAL | PPC100 August 2020 Following on from his demonstration at PPC Live 2020 in Harrogate, Pestology’s Gulliver Hill talks to PPC about all things proofing. Proofing is about denying a pest access to its en.... More

  • 04 August 2020

    Spotta’s smart pest systems attracts $1.18 million in seed funding

    Investors have rewarded the commercial success of BPCA member Spotta’s smart pest systems with a $1.18 million seed funding round. This investment is said to reflect Cambridge-based Spotta’s huge potential in global market.... More

  • 04 August 2020

    Invasive pest fears for British Museum due to Covid-19 lockdown

    Priceless exhibits risk being damaged by invasive insects, due to an absence of visitors during lockdown, the British Museum has warned. Experts at the museum have warned that the lack of tourists visiting the institution du.... More

  • 03 August 2020

    Wild Justice hearing given go-ahead over Welsh general licences

    Wild Justice, the campaign group spearheaded by Chris Packham, has been granted an expedited hearing over "legality" of bird control licences issued by Natural Resources Wales (NRW). The hearing, believed to be taking place.... More

  • 03 August 2020

    Incentives for pest management professionals

     Business Feature | PPC100 August 2020 In this article, Paul Bates, Managing Director at Cleankill Pest Control, talks about motivating and inspiring staff using incentives, beyond giving a simple paycheck.  Y.... More

  • 29 July 2020

    Call for BPCA members to join waste tracking user panel

    The four UK governments and environment agencies are working together on a project to develop a UK-wide electronic waste tracking service to capture information on the movement of non-hazardous, hazardous and international shipments of green lis.... More

  • 24 July 2020

    New website for International Conference on Urban Pests

    A new permanent website for the International Conference on Urban Pests (ICUP) has been unveiled and includes free access to all previous ICUP papers and posters. The new site has been unveiled by the Executive Committee of.... More

  • 24 July 2020

    Free rodenticide resistance testing service resumes: Appeal to pest controllers for samples

    Free DNA testing for rodenticide resistance in rats and mice has resumed with the Campaign for Responsible Rodenticide Use. Chairman Dr Alan Buckle calls for tail samples of freshly killed rats and mice from pest controllers, farmers.... More

  • 23 July 2020

    Level 2 Award in Pest Management returns to Yarnfield following Covid-19 lockdown

    The announcement in March that the country would lock down to slow the spread of Covid-19 meant that BPCA’s most popular residential training course was postponed until further notice. Following the lifting of these Covid-19.... More

  • 21 July 2020

    Pelsis announce launch of new rodent monitoring product

    BPCA member Pelsis have launched a new remote rodent monitoring system for pest control professionals.  The TrapMe remote rodent monitoring system combines a trap with built in remote monitoring functionality and, accor.... More

  • 15 July 2020

    VIDEO: Social media and blogging for pest management companies

    Learning how blogging and social media can allow you to promote your business, share news stories and engage with other pest controllers. In this video, Scott discusses how to create an integrated social media strategy and privacy laws that.... More

  • 08 July 2020

    Warning to pest controllers after van containing pesticides stolen

    Following the theft of highly toxic aluminium phosphide-based chemicals from a van in Manchester, BPCA urges technicians to be careful about leaving pesticides unattended in vehicles.  Police have launched a major investigat.... More

  • 06 July 2020

    Bubonic plague case confirmed in China

    A new case of Bubonic plague was confirmed in China this week (6 July 2020) and, given everything that's happening across the globe with Covid-19, people are understandably worried.  However, modern medicine is quite the marvel and it's im.... More

  • 06 July 2020

    PelGar's Church Farm operations to end

    BPCA member PelGar will cease all pest control training and R&D activity at Church Farm training center in November this year. PelGar has made the decision to move all R&D operations in-house and cease physical training c.... More

  • 01 July 2020

    UPDATED: BPCA annual general meeting goes virtual

    Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, BPCA had to cancel the 2020 annual general meeting (AGM) that had been scheduled for 2 April. After seeking legal advice, we can now confirm we’ll be holding an all-digital, online AGM where eligibl.... More

  • 01 July 2020

    Look forward to PestEx 2021 - registration now open

    After a challenging year for pest management, BPCA is pleased to announce registration for PestEx 2021 is now open. With the London ExCeL confirming that they intend to be running full scale within the next few months, we can say.... More

  • 30 June 2020

    Open letter to Natural England: Individual licences for gull control in England, this year and beyond

    Today, BPCA has written to Dave Slater, the Director for wildlife licensing at Natural England regarding the future of individual licences for gull control.  The letter expresses our disappointment at the current state of li.... More

  • 23 June 2020

    Industry body releases Covid-19 working at height guidance

    The Ladder Association has released new guidance on the importance of health and safety while using ladders during the pandemic. Working at height has always involved an element of risk, which is why it is so important that.... More

  • 22 June 2020

    Ramps UK urges halting of in-transit fumigation practices

    The Register of Accredited Metallic Phosphide Standards (Ramps) UK has issued a warning regarding in-transit fumigation, following talks with the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).  Metallic phosphides are widely used as a biocid.... More

  • 17 June 2020

    University of Reading's Vertebrate Pests Unit to close due to Covid-19

    Rodenticide resistance testing is set to end at the University of Reading, as Covid-19 sees the institution make the tough financial decision to close its Vertebrate Pests Unit (VPU). The announcement also means that two research.... More

  • 15 June 2020

    PestWest release new smart flying insect control system

    PestWest has launched flyDetect®, a new remote monitoring pest management system for fly control, following a successful field test at a Sheffield hospital. Part of the Killgerm Group, PestWest specialises in flying insect co.... More

  • 11 June 2020

    HSE warning over KN95 face masks

    Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has issued a warning about the inadequate levels of protection provided by a substantial number of face masks, claiming to be of KN95 standards. According to HSE these masks, sometimes referred t.... More

  • 11 June 2020

    CHSA warns of shortage of cleaning, hygiene and PPE supply

    The Cleaning and Hygiene Suppliers Association (CHSA) has warned Covid-19 will have a further impact on the cleaning, hygiene and PPE supply chain. In an bulletin dated 10 June 2020, CHSA said: “Supply-side shortages i.... More

  • 06 June 2020

    VIDEO: Proud to protect - World Pest Day 2020

    BPCA has released a video in celebration of World Pest Day 2020. The short video entitled “Proud to protect” features several BPCA members and people from the BPCA Staff team speaking about what they do to help protect public he.... More