Porsia Schofield has been promoted as the new General Manager for Killgerm Ireland Today, Killgerm Group announces a new internal appointment for Killgerm Ireland. Porsia Schofield has been promoted as the new General Manager for Killgerm Ireland, effective from 1st July 2024. Porsia has been working within Killgerm Ireland (formerly Spraychem/Sprayclear) for 16 years, and she has been instrumental in supporting our Irish customers on several fronts over those years. Porsia has an intimate knowledge of the current operations in Ireland, and her appointment will bring a new focus and impetus ..read more

Four decades at the forefront of rodent control: BASF’s Sharon Hughes looks back at her impressive career in the industry After over forty years at the forefront of rodent control innovation, BASF’s Sharon Hughes has announced that she will retire from her role this summer. Here, Sharon discusses her impressive career over the years, from her proudest moment to what she’ll miss most about the pest control industry INTERVIEW Tell us a little bit about yourself! Where are you from and how did you get into the industry?I was born and bred in Widnes, which is conventiently where the BASF roden ..read more

BASF survey reveals 87 percent of pest controllers put the profession before their own mental health A survey exploring men’s mental health in the pest control industry has revealed that over 87 percent of pest controllers have felt pressure to prioritise their job and helping customers, over their own wellbeing, resulting in worryingly poor mental health across the sector, BASF has shared. The shocking findings from the leading pest control solutions manufacturer, which have been released ahead of Men’s Mental Health Awareness Week (10 June to 17 June 2024), found that one-third of those su ..read more

Pest control industry expert Alex Wade joins BASF The leading pest control solutions manufacturer, BASF, is set to welcome industry expert Alex Wade as its new Global Technical Marketing Manager for Rodenticides. With over 18 years of experience in the sector, Alex will replace longstanding employee and fellow rodent control specialist, Sharon Hughes, when she retires from the company this summer. Having grown up and worked in the pest control world for many years, Alex brings a wealth of passion, technical knowledge and practical expertise to the role. Alex, who was born in Dubai, gained hi ..read more

HOW WOULD YOU LIKE TO WORK FOR THE NATIONAL PEST TECHNICIAN’S ASSOCIATION? Role: Chief Executive Officer Location: Eastwood, Nottingham, UK (Hybrid Position) Job Overview: The National Pest Technicians Association is seeking an enthusiastic and forward-thinking professional to fill the role of CEO. This hybrid position is an exceptional opportunity for an individual with a strong technical background in pest control, eager to transition into a leadership role. The successful candidate will be at the forefront of the association, working collaboratively with the Office Manager and Technical M ..read more

KEY PRINCIPLES OF THE NEW LICENSING REGIME FOR USE OF GLUE TRAPS IN ENGLAND Licences will only be issued for exceptional circumstances, and where all alternative methods of rodent control are ineffective or impractical. Only professional pest controllers involved in rodent control management will be able to hold a licence for glue trapping. A professional pest controller is someone who provides a pest control service for a public authority or as part of a business. To demonstrate this, applicants will need to: have completed both the following courses and will need to provide evidence of t ..read more

After over forty years at the forefront of rodent control innovation, BASF’s Sharon Hughes has announced that she will retire from her role this summer. Sharon, who has been the Global Technical Marketing Manager at the leading pest control solutions manufacturer for 44 years, will step down from her position at the end of June. During her illustrious career spanning more than four decades, Sharon has been the driving force behind bringing several revolutionary new products to the market, including BASF’s popular Storm® and Neosorexa® ranges, and most notably, the award-winning cholecalcifer ..read more

Pest controllers reminded to check rodenticide labels thoroughly, as the sale of bromadiolone and difenacoum products for ‘open areas’ ends in July. Legal authorisation is being withdrawn for open area and waste dump use for the only two second generation anticoagulant rodenticides (SGARs) currently allowed to be used that way, bromadiolone and difenacoum. This will take effect 4th July this year. The change was instigated voluntarily by the Campaign for Responsible Rodenticide Use UK, with support to make the necessary amendments from UK biocides regulator, the Health and Safety Executive ..read more

Results of new independent trials have shown Advion Cockroach Gel was the fastest way to stop pest activity in domestic homes and food businesses. The practical research in premises infested with German cockroaches compared various commercially available gel formulations - with only Advion proving to stop all pest activity. Reporting the results at PestEx 2024 in London, Syngenta Business Manager, Richard Moseley, said: “This research has confirmed the challenge German cockroach can prove to achieve high levels of control in practical situations. “Palatability of products is clearly crucial ..read more

ITV’s Tonight, Britain’s most popular current affairs programme, has zeroed in on pest control in the UK – and BPCA was on hand to set out the importance of professionalism in the industry. BPCA’s Technical Manager, Natalie Bungay, travelled to Chichester earlier this month, where she took part in a series of interviews with ITV News Reporter Geraint Vincent. Natalie said: “BPCA is the collective voice of pest professionals across the UK, so it’s great that we were asked to take part in the programme and represent the industry. “I was really pleased that the ITV team worked with us to underst ..read more