Technical pest management news

News about UK pest species for the pest control sector. Get the latest updates about rodents, insect and avian pests from Professional Pest Controller (PPC) magazine and the British Pest Control Association (BPCA). Got a story that needs to be shared with the pest management community?

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  • 23 August 2019

    INFOGRAPHIC: General licence decision tree 2019

    Legislation | PPC96 August 2019 Need a hand figuring out whether you're covered by the new general licences or if you need to apply for an individual licence? Take a look at our infographic.  . More

  • 23 August 2019

    Best practice or Balderdash?

    Best practice| PPC96 August 2019 You don’t need a contract for a wasps nest… or do you? While our tools and technology over the years have evolved and adapted, our practices haven’t necessarily changed at the sa.... More

  • 23 August 2019

    Developments in mosquito management

    Technical| PPC96 August 2019 Traditionally mosquitoes have been treated with pesticides and insect growth regulators by pest controllers, but scientists have been looking at how we can fundamentally change our foe to make them less of.... More

  • 22 August 2019

    Proactive bee management experiments

    Your association | PPC96 August 2019 It can’t be said enough - we love bees. Nobody would choose to treat bees and so as pest management professionals we should all be looking at ways to minimise the public health risks of bee in.... More

  • 22 July 2019

    VIDEO: Risk management assessments for pest management professionals

    A health and safety risk assessment considers the hazards present in a task or activity. RAs looks at the likelihood of harm that might occur and the severity of that harm.  In this 1 hour webinar, Technical Officer Natalie Bungay.... More

  • 09 July 2019

    Asian hornet sighting confirmed in south Hampshire

    Last Wednesday the National Bee Unit confirmed a sighting of an individual, female Asian hornet in New Milton, Hampshire, after it was reported by a member of the public.    The first confirmed sighting in the UK since O.... More

  • 02 July 2019

    Monty Python actor warns of Deathwatch Beetle threat to UK churches

    British comedian and documentary filmmaker Michael Palin is supporting the future of the UK’s historic churches and chapels with a voiceover for a new animated film. The 80 second animation, produced for the National Church.... More

  • 28 June 2019

    'Watch out for wasps' says BPCA member Bayer

    Signs of a second bumper wasp season in as many years are being seen across the country and BPCA member Bayer suggests the mild winter is to blame. In a press release published this week, Bayer national account and technical.... More

  • 27 June 2019

    VIDEO: General licences for bird control; update and next steps

    An update on the current (June 2019) bird general licence situation in England. This webinar will have the most current advice for pest controllers who lethally control pest bird species. During the webinar, we looked at the benefits of thi.... More

  • 13 June 2019

    Defra release three new general licences for bird control

    Three new general licences for the killing or taking of wild birds in England will be issued at 00:01 on Friday 14 June, says Defra.  The recent call for evidence demonstrated a range of impacts that individuals and groups experi.... More

  • 06 June 2019

    Bee removal and Glis glis added to Find a pest controller tool

    The ever-popular BPCA Find a pest controller tool now includes options for ethical bee removal and Glis glis treatments. BPCA member companies that offer bee removal (rather than insecticide treatments) or specialist Gli.... More

  • 04 June 2019

    BPCA marks World Pest Day 2019 with message to local authorities

    Today is World Pest Day and to celebrate we’re launching a targeted campaign to local authorities. We’re urging councils across the UK to put pest management firmly on their radar, highlighting the threat to society and the knoc.... More

  • 29 May 2019

    New general licences grind to a stop after Defra take over control from Natural England

    New general licences for bird control, such as the all-important feral pigeon and gull control for the purpose of public health, are to be delayed. BPCA has confirmed that new licenses will not be published according to Natural England&rsqu.... More

  • 29 May 2019

    Updated advice on interim measures for bird control after new licences delayed

    BPCA had originally advised members that if they could wait for the appropriate general licence to be released, they should. However, now it seems we could be experiencing a longer wait, we’re advising that anyone who needs to co.... More

  • 28 May 2019

    Creating excellence in cockroach baiting programmes

    Pest control | PPC95 May 2019 Steve Broadbent from Ensystex is back in PPC for part two of his cockroach article. Steve’s talk went down a storm at PestEx 2019 with some people calling it the best seminar they’ve ever.... More

  • 28 May 2019

    Wax moths: communal pupal chambers and inquilines

    Pest control | PPC95 May 2019 BPCA Consultant member John Lloyd of Independent Pest Management and Insect Consultancy is back in PPC, giving us advice on how to spot and treat for these rare pests. Signs of Aphomia sociella.... More

  • 28 May 2019

    Pest controller and customer relationships in flea treatments

    Pest control | PPC95 May 2019 Richard Moseley, National Account and Technical Manager of Bayer CropScience investigates what a pest management professional can do to foster a strong customer relationship. Now is a key period.... More

  • 22 May 2019

    VIDEO: Direct bait application in burrows available to watch now

    Watch back our webinar on direct bait application in burrows presented by BPCA Field Officer, Natalie Bungay. Burrow baiting is a technique used by professional pest controllers to reduce/eliminate neophobia to bait containers when controllin.... More

  • 21 May 2019

    Ask the technical team May 2019

    Technical | PPC95 May 2019 Rodenticide confusion, open trays, resistance searches and invasive hornet questions are all in the BPCA Technical team inbox this issue. When you’re a BPCA member you can get technical suppor.... More

  • 14 May 2019

    Open letter to Secretary of State regarding call for evidence: Bird control licences

    BPCA has written to Secretary of State Gove in regards to Defra's call for evidence on the impact of the revoking of three general licences for bird control. The letter is published in full here. You can download the letter as a PDF here.... More

  • 08 May 2019

    BPCA prepares to gather evidence for Defra on general licences

    Defra has initiated a formal evidence gathering exercise to capture information from all concerned parties about the impact of the recent withdrawal of three general licences for bird control. BPCA is collecting the evidence of me.... More

  • 08 May 2019

    New general licences for controlling Canada geese and wood pigeon comes into force

    On Friday 3 May Natural England published two new general licences for controlling birds. The licences, which allows people to kill or take Canada geese to preserve public health and safety and wood pigeon for preventing serious damage to c.... More

  • 02 May 2019

    BPCA talks general licence changes with Natural England

    Yesterday (Wednesday 1 May 2019) BPCA met with Natural England to discuss how pest management professionals can continue to protect public health after general licences for bird control were revoked last week. SPEED READ BPCA has met with.... More

  • 29 April 2019

    New general licence for controlling carrion crows comes into force

    Natural England has published the first of the new general licences for controlling birds.      The licence starts to replace the previous general licences for controlling carrion crows, a priority species for farmers looking.... More

  • 26 April 2019

    Interim measures for controlling birds now that general licences have been revoked

    Last night (Thursday 25 April) the general licences for bird control in England were revoked after a legal challenge. Natural England is expected to release new licences next week; however, pest management professionals can still legally us.... More

  • 25 April 2019

    General licences for bird control in Scotland to remain in place

    Scottish Natural Heritage has reassured users of their general licences that they remain in place in Scotland. In light of the recent decision by Natural England to revoke three of their general licences for controlling certain wild birds.... More

  • 25 April 2019

    Free tests and new guide tackle spread of resistant rats

    All professionals involved in rodent control have a role in tackling the spread of rats that survive high potency rodenticides, according to Campaign for Responsible Rodenticide Use chairman Dr Alan Buckle. In November last year, resis.... More

  • 24 April 2019

    General licences for bird control will be revoked - BPCA respond

    BPCA has been alerted that as of this Thursday (25 April 2019), Natural England is revoking three general licences for controlling certain wild bird species in England. The revoked licences (GL 04/05/06) cover 16 species of birds “inc.... More

  • 23 April 2019

    California moves towards rodenticide ban

    Legislation to ban certain rodenticides in California, USA is now heading to the Assembly Appropriations Committee for approval. If approved, Bill AB 1788 would:    Ban second-generation anticoagulant rodenticides (SGARs.... More

  • 23 April 2019

    General licences for bird control: major changes to licensing requirements

    Natural England is revoking three general licences for controlling certain wild birds as of Thursday 25 April 2019. These licences (GL 04/05/06) cover 16 species of birds including several members of the crow family, Canada goose, some gull.... More

  • 07 March 2019

    PestEx Seminar schedule announced in full

    The PestEx 2019 seminar schedule packs in illustrious speakers from across the sector. Delivered by industry experts, we’ve called in favours from all our friends to make sure you leave PestEx that little bit better informed. All semina.... More

  • 06 March 2019

    Ask the technical team March 2019

    Technical | PPC94 March 2019 Tricky insect ID's, managing complaints and bad neighbour bed bug management questions are all in the BPCA Technical team inbox this issue. When you’re a BPCA member you can get technical support.... More

  • 18 February 2019

    Pest control frequency calculator released exclusively for BPCA members

    BPCA has created a downloadable frequency calculator to help pest management professionals select the appropriate amount of site visits per-year based on the probability and the severity of pest infestations on any given site. The member-only.... More

  • 11 February 2019

    Code of Best Practice for Pesticide Waste condensed and updated

    The BPCA Code of best practice for Pesticide waste has been updated and re-released as a condensed two-page document. The document is now available to all pest management professionals and end-users on the BPCA website. Read i.... More

  • 16 January 2019

    The Spring Traps Approval (Scotland) amendment order 2018

    BPCA can confirm that the Spring Traps Approval (Scotland) Amendment Order 2018 laid before the Scottish Parliament is now in force as of 3 January 2019. In summary, the following spring traps have been removed from the STAO: Fenn Verm.... More

  • 16 January 2019

    Significant developments from rodenticide stewardship in 2018

    The Campaign for Responsible Rodenticide Use (CRRU) UK has released it’s 2018 annual report into the state of the UK rodenticide stewardship regime. The UK rodenticide stewardship regime implemented several commitments in 2018, inc.... More

  • 16 January 2019

    Ficam® D successfully re-approved for future use… but with caveat

    BPCA member company, Bayer has announced that Ficam® D has been reapproved by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). However, the new label will no longer allow for the use of this pesticide outdoors. Bayer states that Ficam® D (.... More

  • 18 December 2018

    PPC93 out now

    View the latest issue The magazine can be read online, downloaded as a PDF or you can join our Affiliate Scheme and request a hard copy.  In this issue Time to say goodbye President foreword for D.... More

  • 18 December 2018

    Changes to monitoring and bait box stickers

    Stick(er) around, this could take a while Some rodenticide labels now refer to a requirement for labelling monitoring and bait stations with specific information. This has come directly from the regulators of these products, and there is not to.... More

  • 06 December 2018

    The case for rat blockers

    Prevention | PPC93 December 2018 Rats love drains. They’re a hidden highway to access property unseen and cause costly damage to property and health concern for the occupants. Daniel Bamford, Director of BPCA member company Me.... More

  • 06 December 2018

    BPCA ‘Why we didn’t treat your bees’ leaflet now available

    Forum in focus | PPC93 December 2018 BPCA’s special interest group, Beewise, has been as busy as a, well, bee! To finish off an action-packed year for the group, a new document has been created that BPCA members can give to clien.... More

  • 03 December 2018

    'Super rat' hotspots surround central data void

    New hotspots of rats that are resistant to anticoagulant rodenticides have been identified by monitoring carried out at The University of Reading.  The study was commissioned by the Campaign for Responsible Rodenticide Use (CRRU) under i.... More

  • 26 November 2018

    VIDEO: Pest management training with the British Pest Control Association

    We take pest control seriously at the British Pest Control Association. If you know a little, you’ll make a little impact. But if you know a lot then, well, your impact is potentially huge. We've put together a video so you can bet.... More

  • 17 October 2018

    VIDEO: Choosing a professional pest controller

    Pest management is more than just picking a pesticide. Too often we see botched amateur pest control that's left someone with a worse infestation than when they started. Watch our video all about why you should be professionally protecte.... More

  • 10 October 2018

    UPDATE: Can you permanent bait with rodenticides?

    There’s been a lot of talk about whether pest controllers can legally permanently bait, and in what situations. There’s a lot of confusing information about how this works in practice, so we’ve put together a recap to h.... More

  • 08 October 2018

    Dare you enter the House of Pests?

    Press release | PestAware The trade body for pest management in the UK has created an online experience where you can step into the shoes of a pest control technician and discover household pests in a virtual home. The new, inter.... More

  • 17 September 2018

    North West Regional Forum talk: Understand our businesses better, says food industry

    Events | Online  The food industry wants pest controllers to get to know their businesses better, according to new research.   70% of respondents would like more time spent educating their teams on potential site risks.... More

  • 13 September 2018

    RRAG publishes updated resistance guidance for the Norway rat

    RRAG's latest paper on Anticoagulant Resistance in the Norway Rat and guidance for the management of resistant rat infestations in the UK has been produced by Alan Buckle (University of Reading), John Charlton (John Charlton Associates), Adri.... More

  • 30 August 2018

    Choosing the right tools for effective bird management

    Technical | PPC92 September 2018 Bird control products are continually evolving. It can be hard to keep up with the latest developments and to understand which products work best in a particular situation. We asked Dan England, Dire.... More

  • 30 August 2018

    Top 5 Avian Pests

    Technical | PPC92 September 2018 With the help of Mark Wenman from Pelsis, we’ve put together our own set of ‘top trumps’ cards with all the vital statistics and fun facts on the most common nuisance birds you&rsqu.... More