If we go back just 6 years, the U.K. pest control industry was worth around £367m and if we look at the U.S, it was worth £7bn as described in this BBC article in 2013!
You can see the emerging importance of pest control here in the U.K. by the fact that growth has been around 5-6 percent over the last 6 years the growth is continuing.
If we take a look across the pond, pest control is a serious business and quite rightly so because the types of pests in the U.S. range from being simply annoying to downright dangerous, so the issue is taken more seriously and that seriousness is coming over here.
4 key reasons for the emerging importance
Let’s take a look at 4 reasons why pest control is being taken more seriously in the U.K.:
- Changing weather patterns
- Increased awareness of health and hygiene
- Increased property development
- Increased resistance to pest control chemicals
And now let’s go deeper into each one:
Changing weather patterns
The U.K. has experienced some wild weather patterns over the last few years, with this hear having the hottest July on record — this is going to increase the reproductive cycles of common pests, which simply means more of them.
This article in Metro talks about the heat and the rise of the bedbug population and of course this is just one example.
Without sending the whole of the U.K. into a blind panic, some scientists are arguing that Britain will see a rise in such diseases as dengue fever and the West Nile virus if these weather patterns continue in the future, as the warm weather will start to attract insects from Africa and Asia.
In any event, it follows the logic that if our weather patterns change to more tropical conditions, then we are likely to see the increase of more tropical creatures.
Increased awareness of health and hygiene
I am sure you can remember the UK chicken scandal as reported by the mainstream media not so long ago and this certainly got the attention of my household as we simply didn’t know whether the chicken we bought that had even the longest sell-by dates would be fit for consumption.
This certainly increased the awareness of food poisoning, but it also increased the awareness of everything to do with hygiene.
All of a sudden my children were looking at everything — flies, ants, spiders, and everything to do with what could potentially harm them or make them sick.
It is amazing how one piece of news can focus the attention.
Add to that the media then adding the false widow spider to the mix and now you can add fear and panic to the list as well.
Increased property development
In simple terms, we are forcing all types of creatures out of their natural habitat and that means they will search for new homes.
Let’s go back across the pod to Texas for a moment and there is a saying when it comes to buying property in the state and it usually occurs when someone set’s their heart on a property and then it falls through:
“There’s a lot of dirt in Texas!”
Compared to the U.K. land is much cheaper in Texas and there’s plenty of it.
So if that dream house falls through it is only going to be a matter of time before a developer simply moves (usually North) and builds another development and of course, you can build yourself.
When I lived in Texas, I heard a horror story relating to coyotes and them coming into urban neighborhoods and attacking children and those attacks are on the increase over there.
Now Britain is a much smaller country, facing a growing population and with it, a potential housing crisis and this will see the increase of pests getting more into our homes.
Putting the three key issues together you can see why pest control is an important issue and an emerging one.
Increased resistance to pest control chemicals
Growing up in the semi-countryside of Hampshire in the South of England, I used to wait for the fruit on our fruit trees to grow in their respective seasons.
I can remember being so disappointed as the amount of fruit seemed to be reduced in each successive season and then — enter “Killaspray.”
My Grandfather bought this product in the 1970s and soon those bugs and other little creatures that dared to infest the cherries, apples, and pears that I had firmly in my sites were nuked out of existence!
But just as the medical profession has a serious problem on its hands with the rise of antibiotic-resistant superbugs, we are and will continue to see the rise in such problems as “super-resistant rodents” for example.
Pest controllers on the rise
As the pest control industry and its issues grow, so will the need for pest controllers to grow with it — this will have the effect of creating job opportunities as well!
As I mentioned earlier, pest control is an important issue in the U.S. and that is because even the most die-hard DIY’ers are leaving the job to the specialists.
When I lived there, I panicked one Saturday morning and I was absolutely convinced that I had seen a brown recluse spider walking across the kitchen straight toward my young daughter and I immediately called Frisco & Colony Pest Control to help me with the issue.
James arrived promptly the same day and put together a nice cocktail for the treatment of my newest friend and any relatives they may have had, plus a whole set of “drinks” for any other creatures that may have been in the house or in the outside vicinity.
At the time I was enjoying my own cocktail that a favorite in Texas — the margarita and along with some nice Tex-Mex tacos!
James did explain to me that there was a good reason why the brown recluse spider is named so and that was because it doesn’t like to venture out into the world, especially in front of people in broad daylight on a Saturday lunchtime, so he doubted that it was.
I am sticking to my story, however!
I truly suggest you fly James over, with his team to treat your own pest control issues as he is a very entertaining guy who followed his Father into the pest control business and has been bug-obsessed ever since.
It may not the most cost-efficient method to get rid of your unwanted guests, but you will certainly be entertained!
I believe we will all start to take pest removal services much more seriously in the U.K. and the best time to start to do it is now — prevention is better than cure in my opinion.
You can also read my article about Preventative Pest Control In The UK for more information.
Stay pest free!
-Neil
