Pest perspectives EP 38 - Pest perspectives EP 38 - CRRU Update 2026 ? What to do to prepare for rodenticide use in 2026?NPTA Pest tech 2025 information! - Pest Perspectives

Not early. Hello and welcome to Best

Perspectives episode 38. This week we're starting early,

which is something new 12 minutes early, but it doesn't

matter because not everyone listens to it live.

This week we have the first ever Best Perspectives guest on

Kieran from Green Rock Pest Control.

How are you doing? I'm good, thank you.

Sean. Yeah.

Keep him busy and out of trouble.

Well, it's been, I'll tell you what I'm saying.

It doesn't feel like long ago since I had you on the podcast,

but it was episode 2, which, yeah, absolutely.

Even though you were the first guest, the episode 1 was me

telling people about it. And it's it's been, it's been go

ever since. It has.

Have you? You've been busy.

Yeah, been very busy, you know, a great insect season, as we all

know. It's all starting to fade off a

little bit. Wasp nests, you know, wasp

started really, really well. Then it got a little bit too

warm, didn't it really. And we, we started to find, you

know, failed nests. But then eventually the colder

weather, well, the wetter weather came in and it all

picked up again. So that was nice.

And are you still doing Wasps at the moment?

That's there, of course, some tomorrow and Thursday.

Yeah, I've done. Things thing is, at this time of

year, you've also got to tell customers that although you can

kill the nest, you can't be responsible for a lot of houses

get queen nest, don't they? And not queen nest, individual

Queens coming in the house on lost spaces looking for warmth

and they're separate for the nest.

So you've got to tell the customer this may happen,

they're not part of the nest. So you've got to set that

expectation, haven't you? Because it does happen.

Yeah, absolutely. Yeah, they're all starting to

clean up now as well. So I I did post up one with a

builder taking down a ceiling and it was amazing and.

How many pounds and monster there or what?

What was it dying or? Oh, no, no, it was full of

Queens. It was absolutely full of

Queens. And yeah, that was a great one

to go to. So lady saw a prone patch in a

larder, thought she had a burst pipe.

And obviously it's, you know, it's the, the sweat and the heat

generated from the nest. And yeah, builder came, knocked

down the plaster board and got swarm.

How many times did it get stung? I think it got stung about 6

times the hasty retreat. Well, yeah, yeah, you would.

But there's a lesson there, isn't there for plumbers and

builders. Just don't presume it's a water

leak this summer. Yeah, absolutely.

Yeah. And expanding foam won't fix it.

It will not fix it. Yeah, because I've done the

TikTok this summer and I'll make one every year.

But don't block the hole this year got about 212,000 views on

it. Half of them told me, yeah, you

can block the how it kills the Wasps.

Half of them said, no, he's right.

I did this and the wasp came through into my house.

I kind of, I, I actually kind of laugh at a lot of them.

I kind of put a like on it because there's no point arguing

back because the more that they get angry or the more they

comment saying he's wrong, oh, here it goes.

It keeps reaching. It does, but.

Yeah, absolutely, absolutely. Yeah.

I've had customers like Adwas in their air bricks.

Oh, we've taped them up, but now they're coming in the living

room. So yeah, it's it's been an

interesting season. Had some strange, strange

looking nests as well, you know, bit contorted.

But no, it's been an all right one.

Haven't had much on Hornets, you know, Vespa crab rows being very

thin on the ground. I've turned a few away and I

haven't done them because, you know, they're doing no harm.

They're up at the top of a big tree.

I'm not going to treat those. The customer might find someone

else to do it, but I'm not going to treat those.

Let them queen up, you know, I like a good Hornet.

General Giants. Yeah, I mean, I've I've top

done, not done many, many probably 3, but most of them

have been down, down low, down their doors and well within that

area. But no, I don't green nest maybe

this year. That's probably it.

Yeah, I think I'm only about 7. I'm only about 7.

But yeah, I, I, I do like it, you know?

I did do one one year and like it's it's near where I am and

Moors to Corts Corbett, Drayton and Cher, the Wass nest this

year and it was great. I said I'll never forget you.

And she goes why? She had a hornet's nest a couple

of years ago and it was in a, you know, dangerous place.

And I've never seen nothing like it.

You know how you normally see like 50 odd Hornets?

Yeah, roughly it's about that. But you know, yeah, hundreds.

I videoed. I videoed the after reaction.

Honestly, I've never seen nothing like it.

There was. It's the biggest hornet's nest

I've ever seen. European hornet's nest,

obviously. Yeah.

But generally we don't get them around, to be fair, it's very

far and few between, you know. But when you tell customers,

though, they're very, they don't attack you and they and they

look all puzzled at you. I says they're more gentle than

the Wasps are. I says there's one customer, but

it went for me. I said OK, well I've got some

questions for you. Did you do the flapping motion?

Yeah, right. I says because that means you're

attack mode. But you all went for me.

I says they will after run. I says you will.

I says they think you want to fight and that's then that's

why. And I says they they don't, they

don't attack you unprovoked. I says unless you've like got

your lawn mower and rolled over their nest and it's a different

matter, but but generally they don't pick a fight.

I don't. No, they're, they're real

general. They're real general really.

They just want to get on with life, don't they?

But, but yeah, but no, it's been, it's been quite a good

season for me all round. We've had, we've actually had

some organisations come down our way down South.

I'm not talking Bristol when when I'm talking down South

because people down South don't class Bristol as, as the South

really. We, we're kind of talking like

Devon and Cornwall, the southwest.

But you know, we, we start off the year the NPTA roadshow of

Buckfast Abbey. That was a cracking, cracking.

Good day, I. Think Jasmine.

I think Jasmine was there since she was.

Indeed. Good evening, Jasmine.

Good evening, Jasmine. Yeah, absolutely.

Yeah, Jasmine was there. Was it good?

It's a good show. Yeah, it's very good actually.

Yeah, Yeah, One of the one of our mutual friends stand up Sam.

That was quite cool. And Marty was asked popped in as

well. Yeah, Marty's popped in.

Yeah, yeah, no good, good times. It was all right.

Actually, it was a good day. I don't think anybody got the

the buck fast wine and got smashed, but we all kind of were

were looking at the Bucky. But I carried on.

But no, it was a very good day. That was really nice that it's

down our way. Also Killjerm they had on the

farm day. Which was nice.

Did you go? Well, I had a customer come back

off of holiday from Turkey weekend and on Sunday they came

in ants all over the kitchen. So they they said to me, can you

come? So Monday morning, get on over

there, treat the ants. And then Wednesday came and had

a phone call and they said, oh, we've all got COVID.

So by Friday I had COVID. Oh, you were right.

Did you actually? I didn't make it.

Did you actually feel well though?

Did you actually feel ill? You did.

I was a bit rough. Well, I was quite rough for

about a week. Oh, fair enough.

So you missed it. So you were I.

Missed it? You were broken, so you were.

Blocked in for it. You're sorry?

So you weren't booked in to go then?

Yeah. I was booked in paid.

I was, I was looking forward to my free cilantro, but yeah, I

couldn't get out of my pit. I was, I was poorly.

So picking COVID, but yeah, but never mind.

Yeah. We've also done Kilchem

breakfast as well. They came down to Exeter.

That was nice. Tim Bloomer talking about Sbis,

how to make money out of SBI. That was quite an interesting

one. But yeah, yeah, traffic was that

bad. I missed the breakfast part, but

hey. You missed the breakfast part.

The best bit? That's part of the meeting, The

breakfast. Meeting there was quite a few of

us actually. He was done with the World Cup

rugby and the and the rugby. Graham was just up the road and

traffic was just horrific. So, but no, that was that was a

good morning meet out with some really cool people and yeah,

done all that SP is so that was nice.

Was there any more talks and did that or I don't know how the the

breakfast meetings work? Is it just one or two talks?

Yeah, Tim, Tim just just talks as a chat and slideshow, talks

about whatever subject he's on about this time.

It was still product insects. So that was quite, quite

interesting. You know what they are, who they

are, how to treat them. Yeah.

No, it was a good a good time. A few more CPD points.

So that was not. CPD.

That was always good. Yeah.

And also what I've been doing doing this year, I'm getting a

designated proofing team put together.

So I'm looking, I've been looking around and I found

myself a really good drainage company specialised in rats and

drains. They local to you or?

Yeah, very local, just up the road about what, 30 minutes

away, which is just up the road. Yeah, Mango, Mango drainage and

plumbing, top blokely. He's X forces really hosting

staff and specialises in rats and drains.

So every time I need him, he's he's there for me.

I'm there for him as well. He he works for some other

pesties as well, other pest controllers in the area.

I've also got a really good me web.

Is it me whip the mobile elevating work platform?

I've got a great guy who does that for us.

So when we're doing roof work. Oh, right, yeah, I know.

Yeah. Then platforms you can get.

Where is it? The platform where you get a man

with it and they drive it for you?

Is it one of them? I'm on, I'm on the ground and we

make sense of going up because I'm not.

Is this to make you you joked about they said that love

heights. Yeah, I I I knew that of a make

way, he said I'm going to make him come on the podcast.

He's sweating. Yeah, that'd be yeah.

Yeah, Paul. Yeah, that's it.

Yeah, Paul the Proofer. That's it.

Paul the Proofer. Paul the Proofer.

Yeah. So I'm, I'm getting some livery

made-up for me track with Paul the Proofer on it.

I'm sure he he might not be watching this, but it's kind of

like my green rock emblem with him on top of the stone with a

gull on his head. So that's pull the proofer.

So yeah, that's going to be quite cool.

Another another really cool thing that I've I've managed to

get into my little cliche, if you like, is Nick and Jet.

Now Nick and Jet are a team. Jet is a Jet is a dog who sniffs

out. Oh very nice, I did did not see

that commenting from Wow yes. Funny the the story goes with

that one is I went to a business networking evening over in the

next village and met this guy called Nick retired policeman.

And it's strange these things and it's like pest control.

Oh, oh, horrible, horrible, but everyone wants my few questions.

So we, we got talking and I said, oh, you know, niche in the

market, bed bugs, sniff dogs. And we kind of carried on and,

and at the piece of drank the wine and did all the rest of it.

Went home Six months later, he's gone away and had his dog

trained. So his dog, his dog Jet,

gorgeous dog, does tobacco vapes and bedbugs.

So the joke I like to make is he also does drugs as well and

that's why he's not coming to my house.

So is that because the dog's ex police force?

No, no, he's, he's trained the dog up from a puppy and.

What what I mean is is why is he training the dog to do rapes and

cigarettes? Oh, like customs?

Customs. So does he do work for customs

then? No, he's, he's self-employed.

Oh, OK, he's. Got he's got the whole bag so he

can do crowds, you know, crowd work and go through schools and

get all the kids with vapes and, you know, bits and pieces and

tobacco. No.

Did he really do that? Did he want to pass schools and

try and sniff out Vape Vape so kids?

Nick. Nick will go with Jet anywhere

in the country. Depends that I think.

Did he actually get people to do that?

Who's got vapes on them? Yeah, welcome to Welcome to

Devon, mate. Wow, did not know that.

I didn't know that was a thing. OK.

Yeah. Something new?

I think you've got to be 18 now. Yeah.

And I think sadly, a lot of these vapes have, I don't know,

some type of chemical THC drug in it, whatever it is, ice or

something, I don't know. So, yeah.

So it's to knock back that. But but yeah, it's great.

Because what I find is I don't know about you with bedbug jobs,

if somebody says to you, I think we've got bedbugs, first of all,

they send you a picture and then you can have a little giggle and

say, no, that's a wood louse. But if they really do think, you

know, that they have a bedbug, they get very stressed very

quickly over it. Now I can go there and I can,

you know, we can monitor it, we can swab it, we can do all that.

But I find people don't believe you that there's nothing there.

Let's just say, you know there's nothing there.

You've swapped everything, you've done everything you can.

And they're like, but what about that corner?

What about that corner? So what I do now is I don't even

bother about that. I just say get Nick, get Jet,

get him in there. People can watch the dog, you

know, Jet, go around the whole house and find nothing and it

just calms people right down a lot more than me going around

doing swabs and tests. Do they have do the the envelope

with loads of skins and bits of rubbish in as well?

Do you do you get that often when people say I've got bed

bugs, no. No.

You've never had, you've never had a case of someone having

delusion or parasitosis. You've never had that before.

No. Not with bed bugs, no.

I no, I have well, if I've, I said to her, you've in the

envelope but there's nothing there.

It's just rubbish off the floor but.

I've had a lady with fleas who's gone.

Yeah, it's usually fleas or it's all over their face.

It's hard when you do it because we're not trained to in how to

deal with it. You just got to be a sensitive.

But you can. Absolutely.

You have it's. I've also had another lady, she

she saw little, little tiny minute bugs everywhere, but

nobody else did. And so bless her.

So what I did because you know, as you know, we're not allowed

to treat because there's nothing there.

So, you know, we need to find something before we can make a

plan to treat. So you know what, what we what I

did then was, was put monitors down and I said to her, right,

what I'll do is I'll be back in three days and if you can make

sure your son or your sister is here and then we can go through

and have a look. And then I can have then I had a

quiet word with this, with the daughter and then she took it on

and and got her mum some help. So yeah, but it's really sad.

It's really, you know, people get so worked up about it.

We did. We did have a call this start of

the week and they were saying got all these bugs and like we

said to send us a photo. And then she kept saying I

bleached the floors an hour and a half later they'll reappear

everywhere or everywhere. And she never sent the photo and

she we never went out. But but yeah, she said I still

suffer mental health and was like, well, just send us a photo

and we'll identify it. But we never, we never got a

photo. We didn't.

We didn't. Yeah.

We say sorry. I said, do you find you get lots

of photos of poo? I said, we sent so many

pictures. Excuse me, what's this poo?

Yeah, it's like, get on. Well, to be fair, we went to a

place today. I didn't, I wasn't in, I wasn't

in the roof space. It was in a in like a hall and

they've got some rooms at the top.

And obviously the lady had put down some sheets and she says

I've got this poo. And I went straight up to it

with my fingers like that in both rooms.

Bats, nothing I can do. So they're like a hall where

they're having a restoration project.

They've got to have a full survey.

He says to me, I thought you were going to say that I just

wanted someone to confirm it. But like, it's one of these

buildings that are like, you know, hundreds of years old and

it's got to have a restoration. So it's going to have to, I said

you have to contact the bat society and everything you will

to they can tell you what you can do and what you can't do.

And that's all it was. But yeah, that's that's do that

with your fingers. That's it comes up wiring your

fingers. That's it.

Because I thought it was, but didn't do anything.

And then the left charged her for the visit and that was it.

Nice. 1. Yeah.

I had, I had one or two weeks ago.

We've got mice up in the roof. We've bought some grain Bay, but

it's not taking it. They're just pooping all around

it. And I'm like, well, OK then.

And she carried on talking about bits and pieces and I'm like,

well, I think you've got bats. Oh no, we can't have bats.

And, you know, straight up into the roof space and like you say,

give it a crumble. And yeah, that's it was.

So you've got to find out if it's all year round roost,

summer roost, winter roost. So what I intend to do then is

go and get me me camera, my infrared camera.

You're a bit different then. Yeah, you're actually, you're

actually part of a bat related society, aren't you?

Yeah, I'm, I'm a, I'm a big part of the, well, not a big part,

but I'm a member of the Devon Back Group.

I. Thought you were.

You're a bit a bit different to me.

You are. Yeah, but you know, I love a bit

of that. Really.

I love a bit of that. And yeah, the beekeepers

association, which is quite cool.

So yeah, it's always nice. But I but I will trust.

Yeah, different bits and pieces, really.

Well, trust as well. Yeah, yeah.

And the Devon Wildlife Trust. Well, Martin's part of the

beekeepers, his local beekeepers group as well.

He is. He used to be on the committee.

He's not anymore, just a normal member now, but he does a lot of

bees bee removal. He goes and picks bees up if

they're on the wall and stuff and removes them for people,

moves them on. Brilliant.

I I'm, you know, APIs Milifera is is the honey bee or the

farmed bee? I found a variety of character

and wasn't quite sure what to do with that one really.

Because what? What are they?

It's a smaller form of honey bee.

These, no, these aren't the African ones we talk about, are

they? No, no, no.

Little cool ones, yeah. APIs Phira Carnica, they're a

smaller one. I had a customer, you know,

they're in the chimney. They they found a beekeeper.

They came down and went, sorry, they're not bees.

Of course I go down there and say, oh, they're, they're bees.

And it's like, no, not, no, no, not the Apris has told us

they're not bees. And yeah.

And trying to get that over, it's like, no, it's a different

species. You know, it's a different form

of of. They're just looking for the

normal honey bear, you say? Yeah, Farmed animals I think

really is another class that but yeah, no, that was cool to come

across a different, different little species of bee, which is

quite nice. So they're still up in the

chimney and hopefully if they survive the winter there, we're

going to get them out. Yeah, because I we get a couple

of calls and I'll pass it to our work to a guy called Elliot.

But I do, I do warn them myself, I'll give you his number, but it

says none of them are doing any of their work now.

They've packed up for the year. But I hear quite often that it's

the people that know they've got bees and they've had them and

they'll wait till the last minute to try and get someone

out. But it doesn't work like that.

No, it's a short season. They stop in about September

time doing them. They do.

Yeah, I'm, I'm around back end of, well, middle to the back end

of August. Yeah.

So I've got a lady. She's very good, very good

beekeeper and blessed. She's called Jan and she's only

in kind of villages over and I'm there talking about any advice I

need. I always, always go to her and

she's like, oh, I must cut down. I've got 66 hives, which is like

a full time job then. So she's got all over the

southwest. She's got her hives and she is

the, the, the bee lady, so, but yeah, she's, she's all right.

So bless her. So anyway, it's been quite, you

know, quite a good, good busy season really.

I'm enjoying a lot of squirrels, squirrels in roofs and soffits

at the moment. I don't know about yourself.

Yeah, getting a few more than normal, but we normally get

mainly rats and mice, but we have got a few more squirrels

because I've bought some Denmark fours in them green boxes I

have. We have bought some of them to

try them as well. There's something different.

We have. I'm a WCS tube man myself.

We've got we've got WC SS as well.

Just wanted to try something else but little bit of a

learning experience to me when set in the fan.

Yeah, yeah. Yeah, I didn't break any

fingers, but yeah. Oh yeah.

Fen 4 I think that's called that because you left with four

fingers. Yeah, yeah.

It's fine though. It was, but yeah.

Have to let us know how you get on.

But Martin says he is a WCS as well.

But but yeah, I they are good. But they, it, they are very

good. But it's just, they are very

expensive too. And they, they are, but they

are. But to be fair, they do the job

so it's worth it. I just wish they were a bit

cheaper. Absolutely.

I don't Yeah the. Import is from America though

WCS. So look, they're not, they're

American company, isn't they? Yeah, you you saw my my faux

pas, didn't you? Where I I bought a a a WCS ish.

Like kind of the company best Traps used to make WCS traps and

then they they departed ways and made their own.

But they're like £39 so I'm not a buying one.

Didn't think about the spring track approval order at the UK

2018 until everybody and including yourself reminded me

no. I was just, I was just asking

because like somebody I, I was asking like because they look

really good and I looked on the list.

I was like oh I better not try and import them.

No, I'm going to, I'm getting in touch with the guys to actually

see if they can, you know, get registered over here.

They might be able to do it, I don't know how it works, no

idea. I haven't got a Scooby-doo.

It might be very expensive and not worth it, and if they do and

they get it registered they might end up the same price as

AWCS trap. They may do, I don't know, but

but but now it's but yeah, you're you're always looking for

something new, aren't you? Or somebody can help you to be

better? At your job?

Yeah, absolutely. Because I know it's good to have

WCS, It is quite an investment when you buy them.

And then sometimes I know people have got 20 or 30 of them

literally over the year over the we've got 4/4 now have we got a

good nature one as well that works or it doesn't?

And I find it work. It doesn't work more than it

does with them. I find that WWCS works the best.

And then I haven't actually put the interaction that one that

name 2 but or we might get more squirrel jobs in.

So we need some more kit. So those are hot.

Yeah, I, I I've kind of given up with my good nature for

squirrels to be. Brilliant.

Do they never work for you? No, they do they occasionally,

occasionally, but it's kind of it's embarrassing when it fails

because, you know, your client will then say, oh, but the

squirrel shoved his head right up there and came back out again

and you're like, OK, you were telling me soon as he touches

the trigger, that's it, he's gone.

And yeah, but WCSI do say to customers when they're visible,

I do say, look, when you, when a squirrel goes in, it will

twitch. You know, the same with a dead

fish out of water. It's it's going to twitch, you

know, but you can guarantee you catch when you get a phone call.

Oh, it's still alive. It's still alive and you and

then so you race off and it's dead as a donor.

Yeah, it's yeah. But I find what a lot of

customers do, if it's in their garden on defence line, they put

a towel over it usually if it's dead, just so no one can see,

you know, or, or they can't see it.

There's a lot, a lot of them I'd only know.

A lot of customers know that's that's how you got to do it.

Don't. I don't think they like seeing

it as such, Yeah. Yeah, oh, I've, I've had, I've

had a customer who wanted me to live capture her rats knowing

full well, knowing full well they're going to the back of my

van and getting dispatched, you know, But that's what she wanted

to do, Mike, to say no, you know, capture them.

And soon she just wanted them alive to leave her property

alive. And.

And that she was really happy. So, you know, yeah.

Then back at the track. That's interesting.

I've never actually done that before.

So I knew you'd do something like that because you're quite,

you used quite a lot of different, different approach.

We all do, but I've never done it.

We're rats as such, not not live capture.

We're with sometimes we've squirrels.

We've had to do it, but I'll be honest, don't like picking that

option to be honest. I don't, no, no.

I That's for squirrels. WCS, it's all over with.

Yeah, you don't have to worry about it then, dear So.

Sometimes, because sometimes, right, you go to the WCS and all

the nuts you've put around it, it's gone.

Well, apart from the nuts. Now don't ask me how.

I think some of them get in the squirrel trap, eat the nuts, but

don't get to the middle part, and then the nuts are still on

the trap, but not all the time because I think some of them

creep in at the front and don't go fully in.

So do you do you bake the treedle or do you bake above the

treedle the trigger? We bake.

We bake the plate, Yeah. Yeah, try baiting above it on

the on the on the plate, then to look up to grab the nut.

Well, OK, I've tried that one. I will.

Which is all right, I always use, OK, I always use a whole

wall nut with a load of smooth pinup butter, give it a good old

squidge on and really stick it on on the in the middle.

And then I use two really small bits on the outside so they

won't fill themselves up. They'll eat that and go, oh,

that was a upper reef. Let's go for the main course.

OK. But yeah, I will.

I will give that a go. I will.

Yeah. Makes sense.

That does if you got to look. Yeah, it just makes sense that

does. Yeah, they just, they just step

over the bar, put a foot down and look up and it's all over.

So but no one. Another thing I love about WCS

track is you can put it anywhere.

You can attach it to a gutter, you can attach it down pipes.

Absolutely brilliant. I always in a roof space, I

always screw them onto a plank of wood that's just just just a

bit wider than the actual rafters.

And then you don't have to screw it down to a rafter.

Then you can just like place them, put a thin little bit of

insulation over the top and there we are, a tunnel.

Peanuts or walnuts. Can't go wrong, can you?

No. You can't.

That's my. Last one, a part of when you

have the bloody squirrels that have been there and somehow

they've missed all your traps, and then you have the customer

tell you that actually there's been no noise for the past two

weeks, but OK, so we had to miss a visit because she asked us not

to come. And then she goes, yeah, not her

night for two weeks. So I said you need to get a bill

to seal the moles up and no more can do then, you know, but.

I, I had, I had a client, oh, what was that last week, 2 weeks

ago. They love squirrels, so that's

fine. They're in the roof space and

they wanted me to come down, find the entry point and block

it off. They were going to go up in the

roof and chase all the squirrels out, which is, which is fun.

Not, not my bag, but there we go.

So I, I, they did, I blocked up the hole and said, if you call

me at 8:00 tonight and there's running around craziness in

your, in your roof space, I will charge you again for coming.

And I think it was 7:45 that they phoned to say, so that went

wrong. So I'm not going to do that

anymore. I'm not going to, I'm just going

to get them trapped and then do the proofing work afterwards.

Definitely. You're definitely right.

There you are. Have you been up to much else?

You you have an announcement. I hear you've done something

within the industry. Recently.

Oh, I know. Yes.

Is that right? Yeah.

Yeah, I am. I'm the Southwest represent

there. I am.

I'm the Southwest representative of the MPTAUK Committee.

Well done, well done. That's a good.

That's a good thing. Yeah, I'm quietly quite stoked

about that, really, to be pretty honest.

So what do you what, what, what do you do in the committee to

help? To help what?

What's your role? What, what, what do you do?

Obviously you represent the Southwest, So what?

What is it trying to do? I'm, I'm here for the southwest,

so all MPTA members in the southwest, if they, they've got

a problem, they've got good ideas, they would then come to

me. I would then take that to the

committee. The same with, you know, we've

got a representation in Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales, kind

of Forest of Dean, Wales and in the Midlands.

And so, you know, we would then take that to the committee, we

would then throw out the ideas, you know, a bit like a think

tank really. Also, if there's stuff going on

with the MPTA, they pass it down to us to have a think about it,

to kind of like analyse it, take it apart, put it back together

again, see what we think and then send it back up to you guys

basically with our thoughts. Yeah, well, so far, I mean,

obviously the the first, first committee meetings have been

happening and at the last board meeting from what I heard of all

the committees and yours Jasmine, we've been in pest

control as well. All the committees are doing

good things so far. All the meetings have gone well

and it's it's always starting new committees.

It's a new thing for the MPTA and because obviously like Hugh

runs the UK won, Jasmine runs the women in pest control one,

you've got to get your own flow on when you can do meetings and

how you are with everyone. So from what I gather it's all

going well. So it's, it's a good, it's a

good thing to get more, more opinions on different points

rather than it just being the balls.

We've got a wide, we've got wider scope now for opinions on

certain matters we have. Yeah, absolutely, absolutely.

It's, it's just good that, you know, everyone has different

ideas. Some of the, we have the same

ideas, different ideas. We can put them all in a pot

and, you know, wheedle them out. I'll start, you know, I'll, I'll

come out with something. I can stand my ground or I can

get shot down. It's, it's up to, you know, it's

like me and you, it's up to you to talk me into going to the

British pest register. You know, it's up to you.

And it's like, oh, I'm basically, we need to go there.

And then if you can, if you can then talk me, talk me round,

then yeah, I, I, I make the leap.

So that's, that's what it's kind of all about, really.

And I like that kind of bit of banter.

It's all right. Yeah, no, it's good.

I mean, I, I didn't know you applied for it.

I was like, you didn't tell me. I was like, you didn't want me.

You didn't want me influencing the inside, did you?

Trying to? And I did want.

The embarrassment of not not getting it and and like, you

know, kind of blabbing out. Oh, oh, oh, oh, and then so.

But no, I am, I'm quietly stoked.

You know, Hugh Radford Topps, thank you very much.

And yeah, I, I give 100% in everything I do.

And yeah, I'm I'm here to give 100% to the MBTA.

That's good to hear that. It's, it's a, it's a nice thing

that we're because we have been asked for a bit like we have

been considering it for quite a bit before it came out during

committees and was we were being asked a lot about by board, new

board members and various different people.

And in the end we decided to, to try it, try it out, see, see

what happens. So it's a new dynamic to the, to

the MPTA, something that's not been as far as I know, it's not

been done before. So it's something new.

It is. There's there's lots of new

things going on, isn't there really control in the industry

at the moment? Definitely is.

And I think the biggest 1 is that the crew requirement?

There we go. That was the crew requirement.

There we go, right? So I've got it on screen.

So the reason I wanted to do this podcast is because the

requirements for next year is changing on how you buy.

We don't decide in the UK. So the reason it's spurred on

because Facebook pest control groups, nearly every week

without failure, somebody will put in the comments or post.

I don't know what to do for next year.

I'm not sure what to do, what I have to join and the

information, not the information is everywhere.

It's in. There's magazines, it's on all

the distributors. Most of the distributors have

been emailing people, telling people if you're part of a trade

body that I've been trying to come home to people literally

there's and there's information on the crew website.

This is actually from the crew website somewhere.

I grabbed it from somewhere like that, but just wanted to go

through it just so people can, it can help people that maybe

don't understand it, even though it is quite simple, but

obviously it's, it's, it's something new.

It's not not been done before. So you wanted to buy bait in

2026. There's two training, there's

two things you have to do. You have to have proof of a

certification to accrue UK approved course within five

years. Now I will preface this, that

option is OK if you're not within a trade body because

trade bodies do dictate you need 20 port well, 20 points and

three of them, three of them have to be your crew points.

So you can do that if if you're not in a trade body or even a

CPD body. So if so, if you're someone

who's not well, basically in a trade body or a CPD body that

you can do the option or you can redo your basic qualifications.

I'm not saying you have to go and spend all the money to redo

your RSPH level 2 awarding pest management, but that's an

option. But the main option that a lot

of people are having to do is is this 1 proof of certification to

accrue UK proof course more than five years old and with a

current membership to accrue UK approved continuous professional

development. So this British pest register

this basis that as as more as well.

So 20 points, so technically 17 with your crew points.

So the campaign for responsible with Entasol use.

Do you want, do you want to, do you want to have any points on

this, Kieran? Yeah, like you say, I think if

if you're not in a, in a CPD scheme or trade body, you know,

start at the top of the tree, it's you are your, you know,

your crew approved qualifications, your RSPH level

2 and above safe use of rodenticide is that within five

years? If it is you've done it, you

don't need to go any further. So you're within the five years,

you can then go to all the, all the manufacturers and whatever

you sign, sign your forms and you can get bait for 2026.

If you are, if you're not in a scheme and you, you are out of

the five years, you can then go on and do your safe use in

rodenticide to become eligible. I think Lantra currently doing

it for around £8090.00 and that will last you for five years.

But like you say, if you are in a in a trade body or in a CBD

scheme, you then have to do the 17 points that you would

normally do and three of the crew chosen modules for a point

each to get the last three to make it your 20.

And that we will have to do every year as it stands.

Yes. And that training doesn't, if

you're in these schemes, that training is not is is free.

So all all the schemes, I mean, if you're in the British Passage

got their own. But also kill germ has got in on

the train on the website. It's all free.

So whichever path you take, all the trainings online and it's

free. So there's free modules to do

And basically it's free. And I presume each year they'll

change it, but I don't know. I'm not in the crew world, so I

don't know how it's going to work next year.

I but every year you have to do free crew points.

Yeah, and at the moment the, the, the free modules are free

to do so they're not going to cost you a penny.

Yeah. And you and like you say, I

found mine through basis basis have a classroom you can, you

can get your 17 points there as well, different bits and pieces.

And and yeah, it's, it's just get you 17 points, do your 33

modules from from crew and we can buy bait next year.

I'm guessing that already done. I'm well, technically I'm done

on both. I'm with Basis and the British

Press Register so I'm done with both, but I'm going to pick one

next year. Yeah, but yeah.

But I'll just ways of people can actually do the CPD and here's a

way I'll just turn this off for a second.

So see, there's Veritas Pest Management crossword book.

If you go on Google and type Veritas Pest Consultancy in and

go in the store, you can get this book for, I'm not a

salesperson, but I think it's good value.

There's 240. Hang on, let's have a look.

I've completed it already. Obviously there's 350 questions

to explore, 24 puzzles, 12 lbs Well, plus delivery.

That's twelve of your. That's twelve of your yearly

points done in that book, that is.

And how difficult do you find it then, Sean?

The the the book is to teach you.

So if you don't know something, there is a QR code to all the

answers. So I, I'm going to admit I

didn't know, but I learned a lot from it because there's a lot

of, I don't, there's a lot of stuff I don't do.

I don't do rabbits, don't do foxes.

I don't do a lot on the regular. But yeah, I said some of that in

the van. We were, we were doing, we were

doing, I was doing the what's, what's that?

Aluminium phosphite I think. Oh yeah.

And I knew nothing. And I was reading these off, you

know, I know these. I did my ticket years ago and he

got nearly all the way, basically got them all right.

I was like, damn, you can't remember.

I've got 2 points. Yeah, I've got, I've got no

interest in doing using that stuff, but it's in there.

It is. But it's a good, it's a good.

There's many. People.

Sorry mate, there's many people in the country you do now.

No, just there's so many rules, you see, it's more than you

know. I think you've got to be like

100 foot away from the house or something like that.

I don't know it. Only takes the wind to change,

doesn't it? You know.

It's it's yeah, but there's plenty of courses.

If you do, if you do, if you're the MPTA, you can now get and

hold on a minute, you can get, where are we?

CPD Kruger Inquisite Health. I'm sure it's 88 course, eight

points. It's eight out of them now,

1235. So if you with base, if you with

the MPTA, we've got a new system called WRM.

So it's a workplace, workplace risk management system and you

get that as a benefit. That's it.

And we've got we've got courses. So there's 10 courses there you

can do in health and safety, asbestos awareness, and a lot of

these courses can be done yearly.

So if you are with the MPTA, if you haven't actually logged into

your your new account, you can get that sorted and you can

literally whip through them. Some of them are 20 minutes,

some are an hour, some are half an hour, but it will get you 10

points. It will if you're with MPTA with

bases. There's a load of free courses

in their classrooms. There is as well, as well as the

crew courses. I think there's some on bed bugs

and stuff like stuff like that. There's them as well.

There's one I've got to check out.

RSPH have now got a hub, haven't they, for pest control or pest

control hub. So I'm sure there's going to be

CBD in there and I'm going to have to check that out over the

next few days. Are you on about the, are you

you not on about the careers hub?

Are you on about the, the pest control hub?

But they've got a pest control hub.

Yeah, I believe so. So it's not the one that's

linked to NPTA, not not the no, no.

No, no, no. They're also public health have

got Patels a a hub I believe which I will check that one out.

You are a member so you could probably do them courses.

I can indeed, yeah, Although I've already got 64 points, so

I'm I'm pretty good. Yeah, you're doing well for

points. I'm not worried about it now.

I've I've done over well over 20 when, when I was at the Kiljian

breakfast. It's like, oh, what's your,

what's your basis number? And I'm like, ah, semi van.

I really can't be bothered to go and get it.

So I won't worry about me, me, me CBD because I've I've really

gone well over me 20. I'm going to bring up something

CBD related as well. That's the best SEC people.

Give me just a second. I will bring it up.

Share screen knowledge trail. Also, for everyone who's watched

this podcast, you can get a ACPD point.

So right here we are. You see that?

Yeah, you can see that, right. So all right, so if you attend

this year's Pestech only with the the British, the basis

prompt and the British Pass Register CPD members, you'll be

able to earn over 50% of your annual CPD points by attending

Pestech Pestech 2025 while gaining valuable insights from

from the industry focused seminars and the interactive

knowledge trail. So just for attending Pestech,

you get 2 Seminars are capped up 4 CPD points in total, so one

per seminar. There's also something called

the Knowledge Trail this year. Key stands across the event, 5

questions at each participating stand.

One point each stand. Subtotal 4, so big total of 10.

This was done in partnership with Basis Prompt and the

British Pest Register to help people get there allocated CPD

for the year. This, I don't think this is

going to be a yearly thing. I'm I'm not sure, but it was

brought about because a lot of people were panicking.

They haven't got the CPD. So I'm sure that's quite a good

benefit to a lot of people being being able to do that at Pestech

if they, if they want to for a basis prompt and British Pest

you can learn and and Hugh's in the room.

Hello, Hugh. Hi, Hugh.

But yeah, they will. But so there's 10 points if you

if you need 10 points and that's it.

You could do them at past tech if you want.

But equally there's kill germ workshops if you've been to any.

If you haven't got your CPD, chase it up equally MPTA on the

road days as well but that should that should help you with

more with more CPD as well. Just got to try and get there,

haven't you? Yeah.

Are you attending as a committee member?

As a committee member, am I attending No No 3 1/2 four hour

drive and. It is a long, it is a long way

for a lot of people. To get to Birmingham, not a

problem. So, so next time if it's like,

oh, let's push it to Birmingham, yeah, not a problem.

I'll be there with bells on. So if you don't know about

Pestech, Pestech is a yearly, it's a Pestech is the go to

gathering for everyone in the pest control industry from

technicians to manufacturers. I'm just reading it off the

site. It's on the 5th of November,

9:00 AM till 4:00 PM it's in. It's at the Marshall Centre

Arena, Milton Keynes. There's plenty to do on the day.

There's we've got 2 seminar rooms, there's two, It used to

be a floor where we used to have air rifle range but we've now

we've we've, we've decided to have two floors with seminars on

instead. There's also a Beauties and

Beasties live show I and engaging showcase of pest, pest

and control methods. We've got over 80 exhibitors.

So that's any anywhere from bait to digital technology to

actually mole trapping. Mole trapping will be there.

The British, the British, British mole catchers register

will be there. I will as well.

So that that's something different, something we're not

happy for a show a little bit more on mole catching because I

feel some people think some people sometimes feel shows are

a little bit of centred around the big the big stuff.

Yes, you've missed the crew update, but you know all about

the crew update. Alex, come on, there you go.

But yeah, you've missed it. But we just kind of hammered

home that it's 17 points and three crew points.

So we just told people different ways of how to get these points.

That's all. Really just wanted to mention

it. But yeah, there's a network,

there's a coffee area this year. So you there's a networking area

as well. But also there's an experience

from Killjerm called In the mix cocktail making experience.

So I will be doing this with my I'll be taking part in this one

because my my wife's in attendance.

So I thought that might be a bit of fun.

There is an escape room as well. 20 minutes, one mystery, 0 room

for error. Your chance to work through the

award-winning magic pest control.

But will your will your team escape Now a lot of these are

available to book on the MPTA websites.

This I don't know about the escape room if it's sold out

yet, but it is free. These kill germ and the event.

I just mentioned the escape room.

So you just book on the website. Also Pest Software is going to

be there with Sean Mooney who's he's pointed out.

So he's there for he he's there in 3 capacities.

Sean's there for the beauties and beasties.

He's there for British Pest Register and he's there for Pest

Software. So he's there in 3 entities.

He is. They will be.

So I will go through to seminars.

I'll show you the seminars. There we go and let's see if

that's loaded. There we go.

Right down there. I'm new to share on the screen.

I am right. There we go.

So just there. Yeah, that's enough though.

We're on the 1st floor at half 9 till 10.

We have Graham Turner and he's talking about pigeons and

transmissible from pests and to humans.

I'm going to butcher this name if I say it and Graham's going

to go oh you said it wrong again.

Sean Graham from the chore. Then I probably said it wrong.

Sorry if I have. Next up we've got 10:15 to

10:45. We've got Anna Mullins from

Veritas, so she's going to talk about mental health in pest

control and how we how can we help.

And next we've got 11 to 1130 Sophie from Pelsis, the shiny

intruder, understanding the silverfish and the world.

Next up, we have Jasmine from Botolec, also Opticatch same

same company. So Rohs restrictions and how how

changes will not compromise to Flycatch.

And at half 12 to one, we've got Mark Golding bats and how to

manage customer expectations. And this is one of the first

talks we've got for crew. There's there's two, there's

two, one in the morning, 1:00 in the afternoon.

Matthew Davis on crew. So he's talking about the 2026

changes and the implications. This is all first floor.

And then we've also got just get further down the screen beauties

in beasties at 2:15 until 2:45. Have a look in the comments.

And then also we have got Lord on on 2nd floor.

We've got Lawrence, the main man.

He's doing his biggest secrets in pest control.

It's a pest tech special. So yeah, that that would be

good. Think it might be similar to the

way he didn't kill germ, but not I'm not sure, but we've probably

got something extra special planned for this one.

And then you also on this floor we've got, but this the, the 2nd

floor is the the morning session of aircrew with Matthew Davis,

2026 changes and their implications.

And at 12:00 we have Richard Faulkner from UNVU Rodents and

rodenticides in the UKI would love to have Rich on the

podcast, but it's not going to happen.

It's not it's maybe one day he may be allowed to.

Red Tractor at 1:00 till 1:30 expectations of a pest

management contractor and at 1:45 to 2:15 Alan Johnson from

Dunham Outdoors wildlife management.

Effective trapping in practise. So yeah, there's a lot more,

there's a lot more talks this year.

There's we've got 2 flaws, there's just one.

So there was talk because because crew the changes, it's

quite important for next year that if you come in the morning,

if you come in the afternoon, there's a talk if you want to,

if you want to go and watch it, there is so, so we made 224 laws

of it. So 5th of November, 3 weeks

time, yes. It's not long to go now.

It's not and if anyone's is one of his like I wanted to mention,

they've got I think this is right that this is one of my if

anyone's watching, that's let's check.

There we go, right. If anyone's watching that is in

the pest control industry and is ex armed forces personnel,

though, who have transitioned into pest control or you're a

young professional under the age of 25 and you're in the pest

control industry, they're doing so it's called real people, real

story. It's a series that you'll get

filmed and an informal interview at Pestech to celebrate the

incredible people in pest control and encourage others to

join the profession. So obviously that's that's at

Pestech on the 5th of November. It's you drop in between 12:00

and 12:00 and 1:30 or pre register by giving Kevin Kevin

Lawrence that e-mail at [email protected].

Your story will be featured on the MPTA website, social media

and up and coming campaigns design that designed that we are

working on to promote the pest control as a career of your

choice. So yeah, anyone that fits the

criteria, ex armed forces or under the age of 25 working in

the pest management industry. If you if you look for it and

you want to be filmed and you're OK with being on social media

and the MPT as website, feel free to to have a go.

It's it's something different. It is.

Yeah. I look forward to seeing what

they do with that one. Yeah.

So I think I've covered it all, to be honest.

And you get free parking for 12 hours, right?

One of us, yeah, it's only for 12 hours.

It's notice on there. You see that?

That's your information. There we go.

And then I've then I've yeah, all, all the information's on

there. It is obviously it's not free.

It is paid for by somebody. But after 12 hours you can get a

reduced believe you can get a reduced rate.

I think all the information's on the website.

But for the 1st 12 hours, your parking's OK, right?

It is download. The Ringo app, yeah, for the

event. Yeah.

But yeah, I just thought I'd mentioned, I've never mentioned

Pestech really much on the show, so I thought I'd give it a bit

of a plug because it did tie into the CPD that people need as

well. So I thought I'd tie that in as

well. But yes it should be good but

it's just unfortunate how Aaron can't make it.

No, no, it should be a few miles to the left.

Yeah, Birmingham is a very good place and accessible to many

more. You you need to keep hinting

that in your committee meetings. I get all.

Time. Don't you worry.

Do you do you Right. Let's take that down.

But yeah, so, yeah, thanks for that conversation, Kieran.

That was good. Hopefully, hopefully it helps

some people out on what to do for crew.

We weren't the most advanced in the world, but I think we

covered it. Yeah.

Also you can do podcasts, I forgot that bit.

So if you want to register podcasts, you can have 6 codes

per year with basis. So if you listen to my if you

listen to the Pest perspectives podcast and you've been

listening all year, tell me which podcast you listen to and

I've got 6 codes to give you. But I can't give you new

podcasts. I've only got what I've been

given. If you're with the British pest

done because I've nearly got all of them in there.

So it literally if you log into pest register and go to log

points, you don't even have to self register.

I've got them all in. So just go down and you'll find

it and just click. You've watched it.

So that will help you build some points up as well.

There we go. I've got it in at the end.

I forgot the I forgot the podcast bits but equally sorry

about equally. You can also register beauties

and beasties podcast on the British pest register as well.

And you can also register beauties and beasties on basis

prompt as well if you have the relevant codes.

You can, but it's only 6 per year so you can't have 6 pest

perspectives and six beauties and beasties.

It's got to be 6 total, so you're going to pick which one

you want to use. You have, you have.

But yeah. So thanks everyone and thanks

Kieran for coming on and doing this with me.

No worries. But yeah.

I'll, I'll, I'll let you get off now because it's nearly all

bedtime. Yeah, absolutely.

Yeah, Early start, early start. We've got a busy day tomorrow so

it's ramble 11 jobs including contracts.

Got to get on there, Get on there.

I got a what was it a 12 room flea job tomorrow.

Very nice. 12-12. The sweat's going to be pouring.

Absolutely, absolutely, definitely.

But yeah, all right then. Anyway, thanks, I'll end the

stream now but thanks everyone. Thank you all.

Yeah, I used to enrolled in end of stream.

I, I, you know Kieran. I'm still there, buddy.

Yeah, yes, yeah, yeah. Sorry about that.

Right. I was supposed to end the

stream. And also Alex has just reminded

me that you can also register podcast in the BPCA registered

under Self Learning. Sorry about that.

I've been forgetting a lot today but well, I've got most of it

covered. Cheers Alex, but thanks

everyone. I will press the end stream and

not exit studio. That's what happened there.

So there we go. Thanks everyone for watching.

Thank you.

Tonight's Episode