The use of technology in modern pest control
Pest control is often viewed as a rather old fashioned industry, but has been influenced just as much by technological advancement in recent years as any other workplace.
Pest Control Bolton companies will utilise technology in a wide variety of different ways when dealing with rodents, insects, birds and more in homes and businesses across the North-West. Many of these technologies have only been developed or approved over the past few years. If you don’t keep up to date on the very latest innovations in the pest control market, and if you aren’t involved in the industry why would you, you probably won’t have heard of some of the technologies on this list.
The Pest Control industry, despite common belief, has changed remarkably in recent times, with an effort made to become far more humane and regulated in terms of who can provide pest control services and the form that these services will take. From drones used to examine bird infestations on roofs to smart sensors that detect and report on pest activity in real time, all the technologies that are mentioned in this article are incredibly useful to both customers and pest technicians alike.
Pest Control Technologies
Electronic traps
The concept of trapping pests so they can be killed or removed from a property is certainly not a new one. However, the nature of trapping has changed over the years, and one of the most popular type of traps that are now available are electronic traps that alert the user immediately to the presence of a pest once they are triggered. This means that electronic traps can be both humane and lethal, with humane electronic traps trapping the target pest and allowing you to remove it as soon as possible so that it isn’t stuck inside the trap for too long. Bear in mind that certain pest species, such as grey squirrels in the UK, cannot be legally released back into the wild, so only attempt live trapping with advice from a professional.
Electronic traps that work by delivering an instant shock to the pest inside the trap can be bought at many DIY shops and online and can be effective for dealing with pests if only one or two are causing you problems. If there are more than this, however, a professional pest control expert will need to be called in.
Bird deterrents
Birds can cause farmers and domestic homeowners alike a whole host of different problems from spreading diseases to dislodging roof tiles and targeting crops in agricultural settings.
One of the ways in which property owners have dealt with birds in the past is through the installation of deterrents such as scarecrows and models of certain birds of prey that will deter a smaller bird such as a gull, pigeon, or starling from landing and nesting nearby. However, the problem was that over time, these static deterrents would lose their effectiveness as pest birds slowly learned that they were not real and posed no serious threat. Step forward electronic deterrents. These devices, usually battery powered, add an additional layer of realism to bird scaring devices, issuing a recording of a predatory birds call or moving in a more realistic manner.
Thermal imaging
The police have used thermal imaging technology extensively over the years to find intruders and to detect lifeforms during the night or inside buildings. Pest professionals can use infrared camaras and scanners in a similar manner, helping them to spot pest infestations inside of wall cavities, loft spaces, and other difficult to access areas.
Once they have a better understanding of the exact location and extent of the problem that their customer is facing they will be able to create a much more effective strategy for dealing with them.
Drones
Drones are an increasingly important tool in surveying buildings for construction purposes and recently using them to identify pest issues on rooftops and for developing strategies for bird management.
Drones provide a comprehensive picture of exactly what is happening on a roof top or other high up area, without the need for anyone to put themselves in any danger by physically going up onto the roof.
Drones can be fitted with either standard or infrared cameras depending on the nature of the job at hand and many pest control companies now have a member of staff who is a trained drone pilot, or at least someone who they work with closely who can carry out drone surveys on their behalf.
Once a pest prevention plan is in place and the relevant measures have been installed such as bird netting or bird spikes, drones can be used to carry out checks ensuring that they have been effective and that the problem has not returned.