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When is a pest not a pest?
This was a question that the BPCA Chief Executive Ian Andrew wrote an opinion piece on. His article struck a chord with me in view of the issues I face as a pest control technician. What guides my own actions and decision making? How do I help people with opposing viewpoints?
Those opposing viewpoints are "I don't want you to kill anything" to "can you just chuck a load of poison down - I don't care what you do, just get rid of them."
The vast majority of my clients sit in the spectrum between those two views and are glad for a balanced, professional approach. One large part of my job is convincing people of the wider issues involved in pest control. To be fair, people with strong views have not always considered the broader angles but will often listen respectfully.
How does the question affect my decision making?
A lovely old man called me out to his house in West Dorset. He had said he had a hornet issue in his phone call and when I arrived I asked him to show me the problem. He said that they had seen a hornet in the attic a few years ago and showed me a hole in a wall by an outbuilding. He had spotted a hornet going into the hole. I couldn't see anything as I stood with him, so asked the question,"Have you seen a number of hornets around the hole?" "No. Just one once."
So this is where the question 'What makes a pest a pest?' can be helpful. For a moment I did consider doing a treatment, but dispelled the thought quickly. Take the money and run? No.
For me to puff a dust or squirt some insecticide into the hole in that circumstance would have been unprofessional (pest control is evidence based), disingenuous (there was nothing there) and contrary to legislation (insecticide product labels don't allow speculative treatment).
I explained this to the man and I think he just hadn't thought about it. In summer, we see hornets, wasps, bees and all sorts of creatures that might give us a tinge of fear, but are they pests? The hole was next to the door to the outbuilding, but here's a different scenario - if I stood there and watched lots of hornets or wasps using the hole then there is a clear and obvious wellbeing issue. The man and his wife were grateful for the advice and took my card for a future time, when their welfare might be properly threatened, not that I wish that on them.
The image above is quite helpful and helps in the decision making process. What if this wasp nest is developing in the porch of a family home? The queen can lay 200 - 300 eggs a day and it could grow into a nest of thousands. However, what if it is on an old shed that is never visited at the bottom of a very long garden? Some people could be persuaded that they don't have a pest problem in that case.
How many tradesmen would try and talk a client out of giving them work? Yet I often find myself reasoning with people who have called or sent a message that they don't have a pest problem. One rat spotted running across a garden once, is not a pest. That being said, they might like to remove the clutter from the garden, make sure it isn't overgrown, remove the bird seed, dig out the little plastic pond and not give any creature a reason to stop by on their travels. It's all pest control and free advice!
Pest control involves primarily the welfare of the customer, but also wildlife, nature and the environment. Mr. Andrew said, "As pest management professionals, we must walk a fine line on these matters."
How does the question help me to help others?
A young couple had a rodent problem in their thatched cottage. I decided to put some traps in the lofts and also around the house perimeter, particularly in areas where they had sightings.
As I was working outside, a car slowed down, stopped and the lady driver took a good long look at what I was doing. A few minutes later she came striding across my client's garden with my client somewhat sheepishly in tow. It was the next door neighbour. "You're not going to kill any birds are you?"
I tried to reassure her that this was unlikely and just let her have her say. When she left I reminded my client that it was they that were suffering from sleepless nights and stress. It was their home that had been invaded, not the neighbour's and they were also doing their neighbour a favour by taking action. Pest controllers do their best to respect all points of view and try to be understanding, but when a pest really is a pest, then we have to take decisive action.
So what does make a pest a pest?
Well, Ian Andrew summed it up very well in his essay: "A rat can live freely as a rat wherever it chooses, so can a mouse, fly, cockroach, ant, flea or bird. It’s only when its location brings potential harm to us that the word ‘pest’ starts to apply. Being a pest is conditional on whatever risk exists."
In conclusion, my business Three Counties Pest Control does its best to respect the "I don't want you to kill anything" viewpoint, but will endeavour to persuade an individual holding this view of the following:
The pest industry is advocating prevention rather than eradication.
Live capture is not necessarily more humane.
The Royal Society for Public Health qualification that all pest technicians hold is what it's ultimately all about - public health.
Three Counties Pest Control does its best to also respect the "can you just chuck a load of poison down" viewpoint, but will endeavour to persuade an individual holding this view of the following:
The pest industry is advocating prevention rather than eradication.
The Royal Society for Public Health qualification that all pest technicians hold is what it's ultimately all about - public health.
We won't take unnecessary risks with animal welfare and the environment.
Mr. Andrew concluded with some advice for pest controllers: "Be absolutely clear that you are mindful of animal welfare. But be even more clear that the work we’re undertaking is to protect public health by preventing damage, disease and distress."
Three Counties Pest Control certainly endeavour to apply this.
Got a pest problem? Give us a call!
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