Ask the technical team: March 2026

In this issue of Ask the technical team, we talk about fox control, flea issues, bird netting tendering, and search engine optimisation.

What can I do for fox control if we’re no longer allowed to use lead bullets?

Yes, the UK is phasing out the use of lead ammunition, including large-calibre bullets, for most outdoor shooting and hunting purposes, and this will affect fox control too.

The intention is for legislation to be introduced by summer 2026, followed by a three-year transition period, meaning the full prohibition will be in force around 2029.

You can still use shooting as a method of control, as the lead ammunition ban only affects calibres of 6.17mm (approx. .243) and larger.

But you should have a specialised fox management plan that takes into account the hierarchy of controls, surroundings (urban vs peri-urban/rural setting) and the law in the area in which you live.

If you’re a BPCA member and you need help putting a plan together, get in touch.

Will steam work to eradicate a flea issue on its own?

The short answer is that you should use steam in conjunction with other integrated pest management practices.

As a stand alone treatment, the use of steam itself would be largely labour intensive, and doesn’t provide a residual effect.

With direct contact to eggs, larvae and pupae, it would control these. These three stages are the largest portion of the flea population (roughly 95% altogether).

But you should also make recommendations such as hot laundering of pet bedding, human bedding and upholstery such as chair covers.

Hoovering is also a good way to remove large parts of the flea population, and can also cause additional stimulation to the pupae which encourages hatching before being followed up with a residual insecticide.

I've been asked by a company I'm tendering for a contract with if I'm CIS registered. The contract is for installing bird netting in the UK. Do I need to be CIS registered?

This comes up a lot in specialist installs, so you’re not alone. The short, practical answer: you don’t legally have to be CIS-registered to do the work, but it’s usually in your best interest to be registered.

The Construction Industry Scheme (CIS) applies to “construction operations” in the UK.

Installing bird netting on buildings is generally treated by HMRC as construction work, because it’s a permanent or semi-permanent installation attached to a structure. In practice, most main contractors will treat bird netting installers as CIS subcontractors.

You generally don’t need CIS if:
You’re working directly for a domestic homeowner
You’re supplying netting only (no installation)
You’re installing on a genuinely temporary basis (rare for bird netting).

If you need any more help with this and you’re a BPCA member, please get in touch!

I'm not good at technology stuff, but people keep saying SEO can help my business. How?

Scott from the marketing team here! Technical outsourced this answer to me, and yes, SEO sounds like tech wizardry, but the idea behind it is actually pretty simple.

SEO = Search Engine Optimisation. It’s the stuff you do so your business shows up higher on Google when people search for things like “pest control near me”.

Pest control is a “right now” service. People don’t browse for fun, they search when they’ve got a problem. Higher on Google means more calls from people who already need your help.

When people are searching online, Google looks at a few big things, so make sure these are up-to-date and correct:

Your Google Business Profile
Your website content
Reputation, ie Google reviews

SEO isn’t instant, it takes time to build. If you’re a BPCA member and you’d like a more in-depth chat about marketing, get in touch for a one-to-one session. bpca.org.uk/book

Back to news