Mole Control: Traps, Pricing & Running a Specialist Pest Supply Business | Andrew McDonald

0:02 Hello and welcome to past Perspectives episode #46 am I live? Yeah, of the microphone is on. Sorry, I'll do that again. I thought the mic was on mute. Hello and welcome to Past Perspectives episode #46 this week we have a returning guest who has made an appearance twice. Well, with this one, Andrew MacDonald from UK Patank supplies this podcast, if you haven't heard before, is we try to aim to be entertaining and educational and to help train people from within the industry with, you know, little bits of knowledge here and there.

0:43 You can get CPDBPD from all your all the main schemes. You can, I'll say it that way. But yes, please log log your points after the show or whenever you catch up with this show. But please drop us a like if you're on Facebook, definitely press that follow button. And if you're on YouTube, press that subscribe button because nobody seems to be pressing it. Need to grow faster. The problem is the algorithm nowadays. If you look, I love you, keep watching it. If you keep watching it, you don't follow it, it will still show you the podcast regardless.

1:22 It looks better if the number keeps going up a little bit more, but I do. I do appreciate everyone's support throughout the year. But this week we have on Andrew MacDonald for UK for tank Supplies. He was also on earlier in the year under his company Highlander Pest Response, wasn't he? Yeah, that's right. Yeah. Under the we're having a chat about pest control and business and stuff. We were. So how are you doing a bit more, bit more smoother on this one? I'm sure last time I think you were on your phone and.

1:52 That, yeah, it was, yeah. It's a bit smoother this time because it does. So how are you doing? Yeah, good yourself. I'm OK chairs. Well, I couldn't believe the the video I put out thinking who's on what I've got. I haven't got the hat on. Now I know what everyone just kept dropping likes and no one said oh, it's Andrew McDonald and nobody but I think people knew they just didn't apply. I thought I failed massively, didn't it? I thought it was being clever. Obviously not, but a lot of people seen that video.

2:25 I did. But but yes, I have. I have you on in mole control form this time and to do with UK for tank supplies. So how did I'm not going to say start because I know you didn't start UK for tank supplies. Do you want to tell the story of how you come to be the owner of UK Patan Supplies? So my close friend, now someone who I met to the pest control industry, Alan Jones went myself and at the time another boy, Andrew, he, the two of us went down and did Alan Jones's mole course, practical mole catching course.

3:03 And we just became very good friends. And he was saying like at the time UK Patan Supplies was a place to buy the traps and whatnot. So that was fine. And then it must have been about a year, year and a half something maybe two years later, like I honestly can't remember, but the chap who had UK baton supplies, another really close friend still he did. He was deciding to sell and the opportunity to come out to buy the company off of him. So myself and my other friend Andrew, the two of us, we bought it together.

3:35 We run it for about a year or so together and then I bought Andrew out and then just continued it myself from there. So we all all still keep in touch and everything. And no, that's good. It's good to hear. So I presume the original owners on an island somewhere With the money you made for me, he's got a big yacht. Yeah, yeah, maybe. Maybe if he's listening, he'll be saying it. He will be listening because he did, because I didn't know, because I messaged him. Thank him for watching last week's podcast.

4:06 Yeah. Yeah. He's like, oh, I'm, I'm looking forward to the podcast at McDonald's UK attacks. And I says I says, hey, yeah. Well, he says, you know, I used to own, own it, don't you? I says, no, I didn't know. That's at all. No, He's called Ronan Pest Control, isn't he? Yeah. That's right. Yeah, Paul, he's a great guy, absolute great guy. He did a lot of the hard work to start with and and getting the company to where it was when we took over. So that's. Yeah, no, it's just good to hear that it's at least it still kept going a.

4:36 100%. So what's did he did he obviously make a lot of the trap that you know you barrel traps, did he did he design them and he set up the process did he do that? We, when we took it over, there was the suppliers that we were using that Paul was using before we took over, continued using some of the same ones and changed some, redesigned one of the tunnel traps around tunnel trap, redesigned that and got it manufactured elsewhere. And just a bit of a better trap in the sense of power and for humane kills and, and just the way it was designed and the quality of it as well.

5:18 So now it's, it's been good. It's, it's, it's a massive learning curve and it's the behind the scenes that people don't see of, you know, stock and space and import, export, all that sort of things. And it, it was a big, big, big learning curve. And it's still a lot learning, to be totally honest. Yeah. I'll be honest, because it's not like you're just buying like, I don't know, say you're buying a load of bait off a distributor and selling it, but you're actually involved in the manufacturing process.

5:49 So that's very different. That is like we, I bet that's very interesting. That is what kind of things are involved in that then? It's just dealing with design and stuff like that as well. Like we don't physically manufacture ourselves. And so we, we've got a team and they, they manufacture the stuff that we put forward. Like we've got some new products coming. They should be here at the start of 2026 around well, February, mid February probably they should be arriving. So there'll be a sort of launch for them, but it's these have been in the pipeline for about nearly two years.

6:25 But when you see the product, you'll sort of think how the heck has that been two years? But it's just everything that goes with it from design, development, moulding and you know, it's, it's a continued tweaking it to make it right and everything. Well, you've had samples, I suppose, and you've been tested it and it's not been right. You've got to tweak it here and there and. Yeah. And that's the thing like we've had samples and the and samples have been sent to certain people in the country who are extremely good mole catchers and of other pests as well.

6:58 Not going to give too much away, but and they've, they've been trying and testing these products for us and coming back just with the feedback of change this, this could do have been changed and so on and so on. And, and yeah, it's good because you're getting a lot of feedback, good and bad. But it's, it's honest feedback. And that's what we need because we need these. We want UK tax players. We do pride ourselves on quality and customer service. So we're not going to try and sell rubbish. So if it's no use, what's the point in US having it as the way we see it?

7:35 So there's no point in having a product that's only going to last 10 days. You know, we we want to sell a product. It's, it's bad from a business point of view that it will last longer than we would like it to for returning. But yeah, it's no, it's good, no. It's good. It's good to hear because it's obviously I mean, if you come up my product and it's crap, you know full well that word in in our industry, the word gets round, doesn't it quickly 100% or because I have you ever had a bad batch of stuffed.

8:11 Traps. No, we have. Where it's gone wrong? Yeah, we have and I'm quite honest about that sort of thing. We just had a batch of batang traps there and there was a lot of bad ones in it. And we, we quality check as much as we possibly can and every traps we try to handle and check and everything. But when you're dealing with 10s of thousands of traps, it's, it's, you know, there's some slip through the cracks. Of course there is. But everyone who got in touch about them, we'd said, send them back, we'll replace them.

8:36 It's no problem. Some sent them back, some didn't, some weren't bothered. They're like, I'm not, I just wanted to let you know, you know, which we appreciate. And it's, it's one of these things that some, we get a box of 100 traps, an order for 100 traps and we send the box. It's not like we've gone through that box and, you know, physically handled and checked every single trap. So no, definitely you, you, you ain't got time for that. Yeah, I think last year there was a box, there was 10 traps in the box that they didn't have the, the, the spear like the, the L pins, you know, the hookah on the top and they didn't have L pins on these traps in the box.

9:15 So I was like, oh, look, sorry, we can send you traps or we can. We obviously we stopped the spear L pins. So we sent that they were L pins. So we sent down the L pens and they just fitted them themselves, obviously free of charge. It's, it's, it's our fault, you know, quite honest about it, but it's, it's providing that service as fast as possible because that 10 traps need to be in the ground for that person to be catching moles to be making money. So you know, they're sent down next day delivery and stuff, so.

9:42 No, I I like the fact because the best way to in business and any product is feedback off people. And if you don't hear the, the bad feedback, you'll never, you'll never improve. You need that constant feedback. You do. 100%. That's how you improve. The only, the only problem you have with that though, what I find is from our point of view is everybody is different. So you basically like our traps are designed that when you get them you can use them straight away. There is tweaks that we do do to them.

10:14 So when you get the traps for example, turn it over, push the triggers down and it just creates a smaller gap between the caps loop and the trigger. So when that mole's caught it's it's given an instant humane kill and you're not catching it further back in the body and causes unnecessary suffering. So small tweaks like that, but somewhat if you jump on like the Facebook pages are filled on like a mole control and mole catch and Facebook page, a really good one to go on to is run by Alan Jones, one of the top mole captures in the country who does the practical mole courses.

10:47 And you know, the tweaks that he'll he'll put videos up and how to do things with traps if there's adjustments and things like that. And you know, you learn a lot like that. I'm. On that one I've got to take a look. I've never seen them videos. I've done, no, they're there somewhere also on our website. We've got videos up on our website of how, how to do videos and how to set them and tweaks to do and stuff like that. And we're, we're trying to constantly add to that. It's just sometimes it gets a wee bit neglected, which is not a good thing, but it's just, you know, it takes time, yeah.

11:23 Yeah, Yeah. No, it does. It's it's it's good. It is because obviously not not many small companies of your sort like small business as a manufacturer, they wouldn't call you a multi million business. No. But a lot of there's a lot of pest control firms that sell them. They are kind of they've got, but you've got less resources and you're able to do a lot more. And it's, I think it's really interesting, the design, the design process. Yeah. I mean, compared to other, compared to other suppliers, I wouldn't class this as a manufacturer.

11:59 We're we're a supplier. But yeah, supplier, yeah, like we are a very small business compared to all the other names like without naming any, but we also supply some of the bigger firms as well, so. Do you? Yeah. Did not know that, Yeah. Yeah. But again, it's great because we get that feedback from them as well with a much bigger client base or different client based as and whatnot. So it's it's quite good. No, that's really good. So, so with with that, do you ever get a lot of feedback when you can't get a certain trapped out to people the next day because obviously you don't work on the site the way the business like seven days a week, do you?

12:49 It's so many days a week, obviously you win. How many? Nine days a week. Oh, you do work. Yeah. No, we do have 7 seven days a week on it. But you are in the, you are in the Highlands, the proper Highlands. It's not like you. I wouldn't imagine you're very local to the to how you get things out basically. No, not at all. So we dispatched the three and it's all on the website. There's no hiding it. It's just people. People don't look, they don't read that, you know, and because they just ordered something and they come back, doesn't go.

13:21 I ordered traps at 9 O clock last night. It's 10 AM the next morning. Why have they not arrived? Well, that's because it's out with hours basically. So, but we, we dispatch our shipments on a Monday or Wednesday and a Friday is what our, our standard shipping is. If for whatever reason something is missed or we have to replace something fast or, you know, occasionally we'll send stuff in between or if like Christmas holidays, you know, things like that, that interrupt that service. But that's what we dispatch is a Monday, a Wednesday and a Friday.

13:58 And it's all, it's all there in black and white, but it's, it's easier for us and it helps keeps costs down for the customers to, to do it, things like that. If we have a collection every day, it costs us more in collection charges. But then we might not come to you. Can I come to you? Yeah, yeah, to get this stuff. For some of the stuff, some of the stuff we have to take to get posted by Royal Mail and we're trying to change that. But again, because it's in the Highlands, it's a total different minefield when it comes to delivery.

14:28 I can send a parcel down on a 24 hour delivery service and generally it'll get down to let's say somewhere at the bottom like Kent or something the next day and it'll get delivered the next day, which is amazing. But when it comes the other way to us, it never happens. It's just it's almost two or three days. So. Oh really? Yeah, it's, it's unbelievable. Like, yeah, but there's more. You got to think there's more shipments heading South than there is heading north, so. I suppose you're right. I mean, I'll be honest, a lot of this obviously in the industry, everyone's used up next day, but also the fact that Amazon down here anyway, everyone's used to it's it's.

15:10 4 hours. Yeah, I bet you they're not next day in Scotland, do they? Yeah, we can't get it. We can't because we do. There is an Amazon distribution centre, not like down central Scotland, but so sometimes we can't get it. I've seen the missus, she's ordered stuff from Amazon and it's here the next morning. And you're like, like, but it's it, yeah, it can't be done. But this is the problem. I'm not Amazon. I'm not trying to be Amazon. You're not competing against them, but. You're a multi somebody on the company.

15:40 It's very different. Yeah. But like our price of our products is as low as we can go and it's to pass on that deals to the to the customer. We yes, we charge for postage. We charge at cost. Well, actually under cost. So we the postage cost as money as a company and the amount of times why do you not do free postage? Well, well, we can do free postage, but the price of your products will go up to incorporate that. So if we have to put say, I don't know, like let's just say a pound for just argument's sake on each product, then when you buy 100 traps, it's going to cost you 100 lbs exactly extra.

16:21 Or would you rather pay £8 for delivery? There you go. You know what I mean? But but it's psychological when you see, I hate paying postage myself, I totally get it. You, you see that on 499 postage, I'm bigger than that. I'm not paying that. And you look for the one with free postage, but it's probably more. A lot of the time it's more expensive or they're dealing with higher quantities so they can reduce the price slightly. Yeah, I know. I totally, I totally get that. Yeah, you are right. Because someone.

16:49 Yeah, because if you were buying a hundred £100 extra or 8 LB. Yeah. So we would rather keep the prices low, charge you for the the cost of the postage or it's slightly under because the postage has gone up that often. Like we, we used to be able to send a parcel for, I think it was like, I can't even remember to be honest now, but it costs us about depending on the size of the parcel and the weight of the parcel, it costs us anything from 25 P. It costs us that we're not recuperating up to £4.75.

17:21 Again, it just depends, you know. So if we've got 100 parcels and they're all costing us £4.75, there's 475 LB that we're losing that isn't covered by postage. But it's just, we've just got our set rate supposed to depending on what's ordered and it's and unfortunately prices of things across the country. You go to Tesco's and go for your shopping a carrier bag. How much of A carrier bag of shopping has risen? Well, I can tell you our our products haven't risen like that. We try and still keep them.

17:53 Yeah, it's very fair. A lot of the pest control products and baits, etcetera have all risen. All of them have nothings. I think your point, but yours ain't rising like a lot of the other stuff's rising. No, it's not and it, it will happen. But until we have to do it, we're holding off rising the prices until we have to do it. It's just with the cost as is becoming higher and higher and higher as we buy products or are we importing products, shipping products, Everything's rising. We haven't put our prices out yet because we're trying not to, but it's, it is going to happen.

18:28 We put our product, we put up the tongs. I think it was last year we put the tongs up. They went up 7 pence per unit, which I mean, if you if you're going to quibble over 7 pence. Please tell me you didn't get any complaints about the 7P. Of course we did. OK. And but that's but like without, I'm quite blunt in this sense. I appreciate every single customer I have, don't get me wrong. But like, don't phone me up and moan about a 7 pence rise. Because if you, if you still can't make that mole trap pay for itself, then you're in the wrong.

18:58 You're in the wrong game. You know this, this is the thing. It's like if you I'm buying, have a little bit of stock, you know, as a, as a pest, I do the job myself as well. That's, that's the other side of it. If I know I've got 25 farms to do and I only have 200 traps, well, why not buy, I'm going to buy an extra 50 traps. Why not just buy an extra 100? If you know you're going to use 50, why not buy 100? And then you've got them there that if somebody, if they get stolen or damaged or you get an extra spare job comes in, you've got the traps to go and do it.

19:35 People don't do it. They just they hang off and hang off and hang off and then they'll phone and be like, oh, I need traps tomorrow. Well, I'm sorry. You'll get them as soon as you can. But you know, it's, it's one of these things that's why I always urge stock up past you can it's and the same as deals like, you know, all the bigger suppliers they do offers and everything like that. We normally do offers as well, but our offers are on during the summertime more so than the winter time. It's higher demand in winter, obviously.

20:07 Of course it is. So we don't. The products that we're trying to keep a track of. It would just be an absolute nightmare because the volume we're going through in the winter time. But stock up in the summer and save money. But the people don't do it. They just, they just buy as and when now. Yeah, no, that's fair. I didn't know people did that. I didn't. We've got quite a few now. Yeah. I haven't got no jobs on, no mould jobs on at the minute. I think based off last year. It was incredible the year we had last year from.

20:40 Olds very very busy year last year for moulds for sure. We were already going. We were. We were rolling in that a while. Ago Have you had frost? Have you had frost yet? Yeah, we've had frost. We're just, they're about. But there's like last year it was like every roadside, it was nearly everywhere they were and I might, I might have worked them all out. I don't think I have, but I think they'll be back. Yeah, no. Do you do you just do domestics or do you do agricultural as well? Domestics mainly.

21:09 We have done some farms, but I'm not really in that game, Andrew. I'm not really. I haven't got a quad bike and all that with all this business and like a rain, you know, before before things like that. So try and keep the domestics. We do tiny little. If it's a farm, it'd be tiny. We did just do a few shout outs and Jason, Jason McPhee, thanks for popping in and mouse practise. Thanks for popping in. And Adam Jones, thanks for popping in. He wants to know how to mould catch. Apparently.

21:51 I would love to be able to catch moles. And also Adam has just came in. Adam, Ed Woods, who you who you met? Was that the first time at Pestech? Yeah, that's the first time I met him, Yeah. Do you like that photo I caught from the stand above? Did you hear? Walking out. Yeah, Did you see that photo? I was like The Three Musketeers. I was walking along. But yeah, I know it's good to finally meet you. It was, at best, tech. No, indeed. Indeed, that was a good turn out as well. It was good. Hello WP from New Mexico.

22:26 Hello. So you that's someone watching on YouTube, Yes now someone would say someone was just start out in mole control not know anything. What would you what would you advise them to do or how to learn or what? What would be your advice? So everyone's going to have their own opinions of it, but me personally, I would suggest someone to jump onto the some of the Facebook pages and ask questions. Read through things that have already been posted before you start asking the same question that's been asked a million times.

23:00 Go and search for it, what you want to know. Do what you can't. Go and do some form of course on it. Like I say, Alan Jones does a phenomenal course and it's a practical course. It's not sitting there writing out paperwork and not learning actually how to do the job. I've seen courses where I'm not going to say who. Does that? No. Courses where you're doing it a bucket of mud. Yeah, it's not. You're not. You're not You're you're going to learn something, don't get me wrong. But with the one Allen does, you're in the field come rain, snow, sleet, sun, it doesn't matter.

23:35 You're in the field doing with his. Current jobs you go to basically. Yeah, so jobs so jobs he's got on or there's there's if he's not got like if he's some of them will be just a farm where he maybe doesn't do the he's not got a job on, but the he'll just take you to that farm that he's he's spoken to the farmer saying and we go into these fields or whatever and you'll learn how to read more runs correctly, where to set traps, how to set traps using towel picks, claws, scissors, tongs, tunnels, whatever you want.

24:08 You'll show you how to do it all pro how and it sounds silly, but if you don't know how to probe properly, you know things like that, I can all help. And because you're in the field doing the doing the job, it's the best way to learn. And he's all, you go in the course and everything and he's always there for backups. So six months down the line, you're really confused. Send him a message, he'll help you. You know, he's one of the nicest guys out there for that. And he's passionate and dedicated about it.

24:37 But yeah, it's it's that's definitely what I would say. Get yourself set up with some traps and speed probe and set off about it that way. But say someone hasn't actually or say they don't do the course first. Would you say if because you don't know what you're doing, would you like say to someone offer it for free just as A to give it a go because it's not like. This. No, I'm. Just. Thinking of somebody who's never done it before, like. Yeah, I know, but the best way to the best way to learn is to make mistakes.

25:10 So if you're putting and and a lot of people will disagree with this, but I I personally do not agree with doing your work for free. So if you. Oh, I don't I just a stupid suggestion. No, it's. Not stupid, it's just there's a lot of people though assume. It's like, sadly there is. People do it for free. Yeah, and people do it. They'll all do the moles on your farm for the shooting permissions and, you know, all this sort of stuff. And then it's like, that's fine. But then when something, you know.

25:39 So just for an example, let's say you do the mole control on a farm for someone because you want the shooting permission or something. And then you decide that you don't want to shoot there or, or he says to the farmer says to you, oh, I've got moles, I've got moles. And you go, Nah. And he says, well, I'm not, I'm not giving you the shooting anymore, you know, and you say, fine, that's fine, whatever. So you leave that place. He's then got to find someone else to come in and do it. Whereas you're so you're, you're letting that farmer down, you know, or that whoever it may be, but it's just I, I just don't, I don't agree with that person.

26:15 And that's just my own opinion, I don't think. No, I didn't. I didn't mean in general. I just spent. This is your first time ever doing it. Practise like if you've got, if, if you've got some interest, you've probably on a, you've probably got some permissions on a farm or something anyway you could practise there and do things like that and. You're no, I fully agree with you. It devalues the the mole catching industry because in general I have been to some farms where I shouldn't have gone and he wanted.

26:42 I'm not into this, but you wanted 5 LB a mole when you only pay only pay when you catch a mole. But that's, that's fine. That £5 a mole, that's fine if you're going to go and catch 700 moles on it. Oh yeah, yeah. But you know, it's, it's one of these things that and it varies the pricing and this is the thing that pops up all the time. How do you price your jobs? How do you? Price I would never ask that you. It depends where you are and what part of the. Country exactly. There's so many variables to it.

27:12 You've got a price for either fits into the market in your area or what you have to make to make a living. You know, it's not a mole caption is it's hard work and yes, it can be lucrative, but it's it's hard on your body as well. Like you look at folks who've been doing it for a long time, ask every one of them, how's your fingers, how's your knees? How's your back? They'll all tell you sore. You know, it's just, it's not, I don't know how else to describe it, to be totally honest, but you need to price what you have to charge.

27:46 It's true. Yeah, charge what you're worth or the value. Charge you worth 100%. But sadly a lot of domestic customers, I've had a couple of them before, think that what you're charging me that but you just put the mould trap in the garden. Feel free to feel free to have a go yourself if you they point me £50 all in no? No, exactly. That's it. And if you're like you say, have a go yourself. I hate it when they have a go themselves because I always have. A lot I've had. Educated moles cost more, is what I say, Because if you've got a mole that's trap shy, good luck.

28:25 Because that was what I went to one job once and I said I turned up there and I said, how long has this been going on? Oh, and a few months says, come on, tell me the real truth. I need to know. Well, about a year. I've been trying to do it myself. But the weird thing I found was he's using them scissors, right? I I said to him, what's the carrots for? He was putting attaching little carrots to them or for the moles. I don't eat carrots. I said literally destroyed his garden. They literally destroyed his garden.

29:03 And I said, oh, Google said Google said that. I said I do. But to be fair, though, I said Google's normally to be fair, if I Googled it now, he would not say they eat carrots. I don't know where you've got that from. But yeah, it's it's interesting the things people say. Just a couple more shout shout outs. This has been really popular. So for having you on me. Good, good. Ian Small welcome. Thank you. Joseph Pitt, thank you. Jacob Bate, thank you. And Alan Jones says my body is broken. OK, there we go.

29:42 I use. I've got a thing, I've got a new. I've got a kneeling pad. I have to get down. I do. But that's the best thing. I keep using it. That's one thing. I will. Oh no, I will. You know, you know me. I've broken my knee twice. But that was not due to mole control. The years ago I used to hate mole control. I I didn't used to my dad used to do it and I didn't really want to do it. And I met a mate called Scott Smile. Nice lad. I think he probably buys a few at some point.

30:13 Oh, you recognise the name, do you? Yes, Potson's company. He was Hereford. He's moved. He's he's moved. He was Hereford mole control, but. Wasn't it mole masters? That's it. And he always said to me, mole control is great. And in the end I said to him, I'm going to try and do mole control. He was the one that got me into it because he kept saying like on on the course, right? We did the RSPH Level 2 award in pest management. He kept correcting, you know, the way they teach you on the course, you don't use this, you don't use gloves.

30:45 You it was like, well, I know it's just you have to say. You have to put down the way they want you to say it, Scott, not the the way she's yes, you know more. She says to him, you know more than I do about mole control. But you have to answer the question the way they want you to. Yeah, of course. But yeah, he's a lovely, lovely bug. But he was. The one that first mentioned your company to me. He said. To me because he said to me once he says I rang up and asked him why he's and perhaps perhaps I said cheap and he said no point being greedy mate, but.

31:19 There isn't. That's what he said. No, there is no point. Like at the end of the day, even if we doubled the price of our traps, right? Yeah. And if you'd still make money using the traps that I don't see the need to do it. You know, like I say, until we have to put the prices up, we'll hold them as long as we can. But then when it gets to the stage and we have to put them up, but so unfortunately, sorry, we have to, you know, but you're still going to make money in your business as a pest controller using the products and that goes for all products.

31:51 Because if that, if you have to then readjust, if you imagine one of the suppliers you're buying lots of let's say rudenticides from let's say rudenticides doubled in price, OK, well you'd have to change your pricing to match that. You're not still going to keep your pricing at the same? Sadly, I'll tell you something now about some pet pest controllers. Some of them don't stand it, don't make money, but you've got to keep raising your prices or going in line to you've got to make, you've got to make money.

32:21 It's business, it's not charity. Of course there. Are a lot of people that think like charities? There are. Yeah, but look at the whole topic round Ficam at the time. I'm going to have to charge four times as much because it's going to, I'm going to get so many callbacks and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. That's fine. But if if you're getting call, like if you were getting more callbacks using a different product, charge more. It's it's that simple. We put the price up. We didn't think we'd get the we put the price up.

32:52 Wait a minute, let's have a think. So it would have been £20 but then there's fat too. But it weren't that much of A rise, but people were still paying it and you just got to make sure you do the job more thoroughly. That's all. Of course, that's all. That's that's all it. Is take an extra 5 minutes on site. Don't just run the air guns blazing and and take the. Time I've used what's it called thermals too. I use a thermal I've got a thermal camera and sometimes I've I've done it where I've literally done it into the wall and stayed on the inside.

33:29 You can't do that. But just I never really moaned about it, but I mean. It's adapting, that's all it is. You got to adapt you with it because obviously with everyone knows you have a type of vicam, you make thousands of pounds out one tub. But you still you still do the same with another type of product. Exactly. I wouldn't say you make. Yeah, you've got to use a little bit more that's. You know, yeah, but I mean the grand scheme of it, it's not hugely amounts more, not if it's done correctly. So.

33:59 It's fine. It is a few more people now. Nick Browning, I met, I'm pretty sure I met you at Pestech. I met him in Asda as well. He said hello. I'm sure that's the same guy. Don't worry, We won't swear. We won't swear.

34:16 Jenny Wilson, thanks for popping in. She does the American podcast with Kandace called Pestogen. It's a really good podcast. I have been on it as well. But but yeah, so with regards, yeah, you are right on pricing. It's that's one thing that's that's hard to tell people. It depends on where you live. It's based on factors. It's like what people are willing to pay. Some people just don't want to pay anything. That's it. And you know what? I get it from my from my side of things with UK battalion suppliers.

34:48 I get customers phoning me and wanting the traps for nothing and that you know, that's like no if if I found you. Want them free? No, no, no, not. Free but like, you know, they want like massive discounts and all this sort of stuff, but. You say if you order we're going to be 2000, you won't be able. To we're well, no, we're I'm the first person to do a deal. That's no problem at all. If you're wanting to order large quantities, we're happy to do a deal. Not a problem at all. But a large quantity isn't for your 50 traps that, that, that's not a large now there's 100 or 200.

35:18 That's not a large quantity because we get orders for that all the time. If you want to order 3 or 400 traps, no problem at all. We'll do you a deal more than happy to accommodate that. But it's the same as when we, we supply some folk abroad as well, in America and Canada as well. And they buy large quantities. So of course they get a better rate. You know it's if it's just the way it works, it's. That's so cool. I'm sorry. That's amazing thinking your product, is it in the grass, in Canada, in a?

35:52 Mall. Yeah, that's cool. I think we've sent to Canada and the US, Poland, France, Czech Republic, South Africa and what else have we sent Holland? You're international company now, yes? We had, we did have an inquiry, we did have an inquiry for someone else. I can't remember what it was, but nothing ever came of that so. You really do ship internationally. That's. Yeah. Not, that's not huge, not huge volumes by any means, but every year, of course, yeah. I think your little company sending stuff around the world that's that's pretty cool.

36:38 Yeah, that is, yeah. Also in Ashley Briggs, thanks for popping in the best quality traps around, he says. Good to hear, glad to enjoy them. Yeah. So, so we've obviously mole control. Is it like is there any big apart from what you mentioned, is there any, is there any tip like you'd recommend on when you actually do mole control rather like for yourself? It's only tips on like like would you say like it's a Pacific trap or just buy various traps and try them? To try everything 100%. Every trap has its place.

37:22 You'll get some people that will argue that well why didn't you use that trap? I only use this trap in this situation or something. So like for example, personally I get it's personal preference there. Every trap there works and every trap has its place. I personally hate scissor traps, but I have scissor traps that I have in my mole box when I'm on a quad. For the time that I think I'm going to use a scissor here, it has a place so. But generally speaking, for speed and time and everything, I use tunnel traps, bottle traps, doofus traps, whatever you want to call them, half bottles.

37:58 We use tunnel traps for most of our staff and we will. I'll tend to use batangs or towel pecks for ones I've had back fills on or something. So then the argument comes about, well why didn't you just use a towel pecks to start with or why didn't And people will say you won't catch 1 if you reset. Of course you will. Of course you will. But try every trap and get experience without every trap. Again. Like I say that course, you learn all the different traps and if you imagine you're you're trapping close to a hedge line and you you dig in there and you've got some roots and stuff.

38:39 So short of for from a time point of view, if you've got all day, fine, but most people don't. So, you know, instead of cutting roots out to fit a barrel trap in, use batang, use batangs. You know, if you're on Stony ground, don't, don't use a towel pecks unless you're going to sit there and pick out every stone and serve it through something and. What's the best for Stony ground then and gravel in it? Walk away. Yeah. Be. Fair. You're not wrong. You're not wrong. I've had warm gravel in it and we did do it, but it was difficult.

39:12 Yeah, I want to know. I want to know this one I'm thinking of about the the wind, wind turbines that he does every year. There's one there. I get sent videos and photos from him every year. I, I've been on that place with him, that farm with him and it is, it's like, it's like trying to set mould traps in a quarry. It's just like, how do you do this, you know? But to me there, that's what I would use a baton because you, you don't have any soil. All you've got is gravel. So you oh, it's pure. Gravel.

39:39 It literally is like shingle. It's horrendous. I don't know if he has a foot where he can put in the comments, but if he does, he'll put it in, I'm sure. But that's what I would use a baton because it's just easier, just a lot easier than that type of soil. And then sandy or ground. You could use a towel picks where your tunnels are bad for collapsing and and your stuff like that. But again, it's personal preference. Like there's another really, really good mole culture that we know. He used to work battle traps for everything.

40:11 And now he's switched, switched to patangs.

40:15 Wayne, Wayne Walton. He's the one who had the DVD. Yeah. He's thousands of moles a year. Barrel traps, barrel traps, barrel traps, barrel traps. And now we use batangs predominantly. Yeah. Oh. OK, that's interesting. That is, yeah, that is because we've we've the batangs. Are these the ones where I'm no expert? Are these the ones you have to put in salt water or something? No, you don't have to do that. You don't, you don't have to do that. So it's just it's it's easier. So if it's having to do with scent or descenting or and all it is is rusting them up so.

40:51 OK. You when they're brand new and shiny and you go to set them, they ping off all the time because they're and it drives you up the wall. It's just honestly, I just want to throw them away through that. But once you've got some rust on them, people will say take some Emery paper or some sandpaper or file and file the inside of the jaws and all that sort of stuff. But the the traps are they're going to rust over time. OK, but if you start taking a file and rubbing the inside of that jaw, you. Break it, won't you?

41:27 No, no, no, it'll be fine and it and it works. It just it roughs it up so you can hold the trigger in them a lot better and they don't hang off as easy. The only thing is surface rust on the trap will sit on that trap and it works its way over a long period of time, works its way into the trap. But when you start filing open that trap, you're taking layers of steel away so that at that spot especially the way rust will eat into it quicker and spread through the trap quicker. So you're not going to get as long a life.

41:58 That's the only reason. By all means, if you're not going to get as long a life, everybody go and file your traps and then buy some more. But there you. Go, but there you go. I'm, I'm trying to tell you how to prolong the life of your trap, which is the wrong thing for me, but it's just fair, you know? No, it's fair. Alan Jones is saying that his phone is broken with all the photos. He knows the one I mean though, yeah. Yeah, well, I just thought I'd ask because obviously I've never, I've never used the tanks.

42:27 Yeah, I've only ever used barrel traps. Yeah. The world of mole control. I'm very new. Yeah, I do like it. It's very satisfying, very satisfying. When I, when I got, oh, last year, I was so excited. I got some double SI was like, yeah, yeah, as always, you've done it before. Yeah, it's always a good feeling getting your double S, yeah. No, it's great that was you used, you used the claws much? I do. I do use them. Not again, I predominantly use barrels and batons and stuff like that, but I do I do use them in the right setting.

43:03 Sometimes I'll open a run up and I'll go just get the feeling and I'll put the other Andrew who start who bought UK baton supplies at the same time. But like when we put it together, he loves he loves the claws, like the Taupek style traps. He loves them and he's really good with them. But it's just a again, it's a personal preference. It's like 1 Joe Joe there that was in the comments. He's he loves batangs, you know, But yeah, do you? Get really cloggy mud where it's really wet. Do do the barrels still work well sometimes or do because I find when some of them I obviously clean them off and I I switched them up, I put clean ones back in.

43:54 I do because it makes no odds. OK. But then Ash, don't know you're more of an expert than me. But I do. I do sort the job. I do. I've never had that one beat me. But as long as you can get that trap set properly, the way it's meant to be set, it'll work, yeah. That's good to hear that is but now, so in general, the the for people that are listening or watching, however they're watching it, the best advice is to go on a go on a course with Alan's and then look at all the videos on all the groups and and learn from that.

44:28 Yeah, be careful. Like YouTube's another good way to learn. But be careful on what you watch on YouTube because there's a lot. There's a lot of shit on there, to be totally honest with you. I seen a stupid video one day, I don't know where he's someone. My mate sent it to me and this guy, I don't know, he whistled. The mole came out and he killed it. I just think no, but it's. I said he got lucky. I said yeah, no, it's. He's probably had it as. Other He made a mole noise and it came out. I'm not having that.

44:58 No way. Well, that's actually illegal to kill. The more that isn't it. No, I don't know. No, I would say you've got to be careful on how you actually did it. You are, but he didn't show you that bit. He. Did, yeah. Yeah, that's one of them. Great. Yes, I suppose it is. Yeah, one of these things, there's a lot of people shoot moles as well. You know, that's the other way of people doing it, but with the shotguns and the mole heaps. But it's not it is effective to an extent, but not, you know, when you're driving around trap and if you see a mole pushing and you carry a gun, you can shoot that right now.

45:33 But it's, I don't, I don't bother because it's. It's things a bit silly that. There's it's just time for like, I don't stand and I don't stand and watch molehills. I'm just too busy to get the next trap on the ground, to get the next trap on the ground and so on. And then because I've got come home to pack orders or something and get orders shipped out. So I've. Never seen it. I've never seen one. Actually, I've never seen it. I haven't. Yeah, let's see. No, the same as the the more traps you've got on the ground and the more you're doing, the more you've got a chance of seeing it.

46:05 Yeah, OK. Is it how often do the moles go through the lines the the the tunnels? Isn't there a? You tell me this is the thing. So again, there's a lot of controversy around this. So some people say every four hours, some pay every six hours, some say every day that you know that there's. But what my argument with it is they'll go around when they when they want to or they have to. They've got a high metabolism, they're constantly busy, you know, so they've got such high metabolisms, they're constantly feeding and stuff like that.

46:37 But no, no one knows. It's all because 50 people have said this, that oh, that must be true. I've. Heard one that said that they go through them every 45 minutes. I think that's a bit, but maybe no one actually. No one actually knows then. Not as far as I'm aware, because there's no how do you study it? You try and take them all into captivity. Half the time it dies. So you can't it's it's so hard to study. So this is what I mean. It's it's one of these things that I think over time and time again of people, it's like they say with, you know, straight runs is usually a male mole and, and females do these wiggly lines.

47:15 When you see all the mole hills and straight line, it's a male, but I've caught females in straight line runs. But it's just again, it's one of these things that probably people have maybe caught more males on straight runs. So now it's a oh, it's a male that does a straight run. You know it's. But The thing is that the, the, a lot of the mould funnels have been there for decades, haven't they? It's a long, long, long, long time, longer than you know. So is you're right, a female, a lot of male or male can go in them because they've always been in there.

47:49 Yeah, some of these, some of these old fence lines out in the hill ground and stuff like that. And you know, there'll be old mole runs under there that spring back, you know, long, long, long, long time. I've had it. Is it back to the Roman times or something? Could be, I'm not too sure on that one. It's something real, a long, long, long time ago. I can't be sure on that, but I know they've been around a long time. Yeah, not as long as insects, so nothing's really good on that. It happened, but but now Nick Browning says I'm 90% mould control, start with D 1st and added the tail packs.

48:27 Look with them for years. As time has passed, I've moved over to I don't know what they are, two Poots. I very rarely use my barrels all right or towel packs these days, but I would never be without them of. Course, but again, it's adapt, it's adaption as well. It's like that's found that's worked. Maybe his capture rate was more improved by using battalions and that's what he's that's why I switched to them. It could be it's easier with the pliers instead of setting tunnel traps. With that, you know there could be a million things.

48:57 You've got to do what works for you. Well, I was learning to do the track, the barrel traps. Oh, I got fed up and fed up in the end. I can do it now, no problem. I'm not. I'm not like a star. Like I watched that beauties and beasties where Alan Jones and Matthew Price, Yeah, they were speed racing and I can't do it that fast. But you know, they were seconds, weren't it? Oh it's unbelievable. The speed Day 2 boys can put a trap on the ground is unbelievable. It's it's on the wheel that it's, but I've seen a video of him on, I think I've seen a video of him on the quad bike and how fast it was.

49:32 It's like before you blink, he's on back on the bike again. Yeah, it's crazy, but it's good though. Obviously that's more profitable way to do it if you could do it at that speed. Yeah, that's what you've got to do though. And you know when you've got large areas to cover the farms, if you've got 30-40, fifty farms or or more a year. But obviously farms can range in size from, you know, 50 acres or or less to to thousands of acres. So it just depends on the size of ground you've got to get round, the faster you got to do it.

50:03 And the weather obviously plays a part in that as well, where if you're, you know, if it's too wet, there's no, and fields are flooded where you're not going to go out trapping, you know, and, or you get snow and really hard frosts and things like that. So it sets you back, and then you've got to get faster and get round things more and. To say you had you had a job, you'd started and you had days and days worth of, of you know, water. Would you not bother going back for a few weeks? Is it worthless?

50:32 No, it depends. If there's a lot of water in the fields, they will move to higher ground than moles. But they will. Moles will run tunnels with water. I had this, I had this last year and I was actually in the tunnel with the mud, with the water in and it, that's the one I got it in. It was a very clay in mud, but I got it in. It was the one with the water in it. I was running water. Yeah, yeah, yeah. As long as they can get their nose up to breathe, they'll run that tunnel, but you know, they'll move up towards the higher ground and stuff.

51:03 It's just withered away from that. But if I'd set a job and then we got downpour rain for a few like 3 days or whatever or two days exactly, I'll set one day, go back the next day and check and pull out everything, reset what I have to go back the third day I'm done in three days I'm out. Or sometimes I'll set one, move on to another one, set the next one the next day as well and then undo 3 days. And then I'll do like a couple of days of pulling out trap. So it just depends where I am. I'll try and tie in as much as I can in that area, but I'll still go back.

51:37 But if it's like if snow comes or something like that, well, I'll just wait till, I'll just wait till the snow goes. Like I'll just leave the trap and wait till the snow goes and deal with the aftermath of backfills or whatever. Because if we get frost, frost. You will, you just can't do it. I mean, there is tips and tricks to do with it. But again, I just personally if we've got mine, like especially up here where we get it, if we've got -3 four, 5 -, 10, whatever, I'm not going more trapping. I'm sorry, I'm not doing it, but it's fine in a garden where you can, you know, put some insulated over that, something insulated over it.

52:14 But you're not going to go out and try and trap 200 traps, 300 traps, 100 traps and a farm and and forget it like so. That's fair. I've got a good question, and I'm not telling you who it's from. First, I want you to guess how many How many white moles have you caught? That will be from Alan Jones. There you go. Yeah, you got it.

52:35 How many have you caught, Alan? Because I think mine's more than you. Oh, really?

52:42 He, he hates it, but he loves it. Secretly he'll tell you, he says, he'll tell you he doesn't. But secretly he loves it. I'll phone him every year and I'll do a video call with him and he'll answer and go, You've got another white one, don't you? And I'll go yes. And he's like I love. How you video call him when you've got the white one. Just when I've got the white ones, yeah. Or or. I'll video call him when I'm stuck and I don't know where to put something or can you read this run for me or something like that.

53:09 And if I'm struggling, then I'll phone him and go what do you think? And he'll go there, there, there, that's. Good. That is, he's calling him a shout, A shovel.

53:23 I don't think I'm trying to see, I don't know, 17 I've had. 7th or you count, you keep, you keep up, you keep a record. We would. Wouldn't you? Yeah. Yeah. I've caught zero. There you go. Yeah, I've, I've got them taxidermied actually. I've got Molly. Yeah. It's like a like a worm really like a glass case and it's, it's got white. It's, it's actually like there's, it's a bit busy, if you know what I mean. There's a lot in it. There's moles, white moles, chocolate moles and black moles all mixed in.

54:00 There's some in a trap and and everything, so I wonder if I've got actually if I've got a photo of it on my phone I put in. You have you've got one by side. You ain't you. Yeah, there's one up there. Yeah. That was 2/6, right? There or a white one or just a just a normal 1. No, it's just a normal one, this one. There you go.

54:24 So you know, when they taxidermy them, whatever they do, they stopped the smell, did they? Yeah, the smell goes. Yeah, they put, they put them in pickle and they cure them and cure the skins and stuff. I'm not clued up in taxidermy and that side of things, to be totally honest, apart from I love taxidermy but, and I wish I had the patience to do it, but I just, I don't. But it's, it's one of these things I love, I love parked taxidermy. It's it's a work of art. Like as, as you can see there, there's two taxidermy things there, but and then there's one beside me here, but it's yeah, have.

55:03 You ever had any moles made into or anything? No, no, just just that. Well, that one there actually that I had just showed you. That was my partner. That was the first mole she ever caught. She was out at a job with me. So we got a taxidermy fire and the the white ones that are in the in the case, I wonder if I've got their foot. Like I said, I'm trying to find a photo of them but. You have to send me a photo on WhatsApp. Yeah, I will do. I've I've never seen, I've never seen. I've never seen you show me a white one before.

55:33 I'm surprised you've not mentioned it, No. No, no wonder it's hard to see but.

55:57 He's just checking his phone, everyone. But thanks for thanks for all the all the people watching. You're one of the most popular on Tuesday. Mate. I don't get this by anything. You, you and Mark Porter, see if you can beat Mark Porter. It'd be hard to beat Mark. That'd be harder. Harder met him briefly at Pestech as well. He was a nice guy, so. He is a nice guy, but I thought he was going to be a lot taller. I'm obviously 63, so you're. Tall right now. Yeah, but I know he's a lovely bloke, but Mark, Mark Porter's podcast for this year on Spotify was the number one.

56:35 Good. That's. Good. He's an interest in interest in man. He's done well though. He has, but I'm sure, I'm sure most podcasts in general, they all do very well. I'm sure it's yours for by the amount of people that are coming to watch it live. It's a big indicator. I appreciate that it's good. It's good for the industry though as well. It helps it grow, you know? Well, yeah, even if someone is thinking about trying adding a little bit more control to their business, there's plenty of getting. The phone, do you know what I mean?

57:04 Like more than happy to have a chat with you and talk through what will maybe suit your best and things like that. We get phone calls about all the time and it's fine. I mean I've seen me for days like some days when we're on the customers are phoning and it's getting a chat with them. How's your mole caps and season going and you know things like that. Next thing you know you're on the phone for 40 minutes, you know, and but it's brilliant. It's brilliant. The amount of people that I think I've mentioned this before within, within our industry, the amount of people that we have spoken to and you know what, what not, we have class as friends now and it's just, it's brilliant.

57:38 No, no, it's it's like we chat. We usually voice note each other now, don't we? I do Adam Edwards, but also do I talk a lot to Sam? Do you know Sam Tricky, Tricky pest control? He's been on the podcast to speak a lot to him care and views as well a load of people. It's good though, isn't it? No, it is. That's it exactly. And The thing is, we, like you say, we send voice notes and stuff like that. I've watched notes because it's just easier. I'm lazy. It's easy, it really is. Easy. I can, I can do it whilst I'm doing something, you know, I can press record and still pack an order whilst I'm speaking and I can't stand it and type whilst I'm doing the same thing or doing a job.

58:18 But I'm driving a lot on the road. We do a lot of mileage obviously. So, yeah, it's, it's good, but it's like I said, speaking to all these people across the country and you're learning things from them and you're finding out that some places are really busy with moral activity at this that time of year where other people are quiet. And, you know, it's just, it's just interesting in general. Absolutely interesting in general. So it. Is so have you got anything you wanted to mention about UK? Oh yeah.

58:49 So yeah. So from the 18th of December to the 18th of January 2026, there we're going to be doing a donation from every order that's placed to all the subscribers will get an e-mail about this tomorrow and it'll be going on socials as well. So every order that's placed in that time will make a charitable donation towards a charity with staff. It's quite regarding mental health issues, which is obviously quite close to a lot of people's hearts and people with firearm certificates and stuff like that as well.

59:22 It's it's hopefully going to help towards things like this. We just unfortunately lost a very good friend to do with it. So we thought the best thing we can do is to try and help and support someone else who may be in that situation and we'll be making this chart above the nation so. It's a good, good thing to do. It's lasting 10 seconds at this. I don't know why, but yeah, No, I just thought I'd mention it because you did mention it on the podcast. You did? Yeah, in the voice note, she did. Yeah, No, I appreciate you.

59:55 Let me say that. Like I say, it's. Mentioned Anything you want? Anything else you want to mention? No, not that I can think of. Not that I can think of, but there's nothing that's. Oh she knew guy getting on with you with your part and passive response. Your new guy. Yeah, no, he's getting there. Yeah, no, he's getting there. Because you took on your first employee, didn't you? Yeah, yeah, first official through the books One, it was a learning curve, right enough. But if you don't do it, you'll never know.

1:00:21 So, but actually, yeah. But it's, it's busy though. So it's it's a good complaint, you know, to have that it's busy and we're continuing to grow. And yeah, we just go from there and see see what comes next. There's a few things in the pipeline. So hopefully, hopefully that hopefully that helps. Yeah, Alan, thank you. Yeah, but that is, it's a good thing to do. That is it's, I've done a few bits for charity over the past year. You know, I did a Minds walk. I did. Yeah, that's right. Raised quite a bit actually.

1:01:00 I was surprised by the community. No, no, that's the thing. It's a close knit community, isn't it? It's it's one of these things. It's close than you think because some of the people that have, you know, not everyone you know. I didn't ask anyone to donate as such, but I was just surprised by some of the people donated in the amount. That's the thing. And, and you know, like The thing is, I'm not, I'm not asking for donations at all. It's just we'll donate from every order that's placed. I'm, I'm not just, if you're going to, if you normally plan on buying stock at the end of January, say, just bring it that little bit forward, you know that a donation can be taken from that order sort of thing.

1:01:38 And it's not like because everybody's situation is different, times are hard. I totally understand it. And that's why I'm saying we're not asking for donations. It's just let everyone know that orders during that time will be something will be taken from it and donated from every order during that period. I think it's nice. I do things like that Nice. You don't. You don't hate companies you don't hate. I've never heard of it. A lot of within our industry then doing so much off your order. Yeah, there's probably, there's probably more of it goes on than maybe the.

1:02:13 I've never noticed it, but maybe it does. You know, maybe I dare say there's, there's one of the companies we use actually for import and export and stuff. They and delivery they, they do a charitable donation every year at Christmas time. Yeah. So for different charities and whatnot, but they're like a big shipping company and stuff, so. That's, that's nice. That is, I'm just going to point some account. You know how you you say Whatnot. Did you know that there's actually an app called Whatnot now?

1:02:44 It's like a live streaming shopping channel thing on your phone called Whatnot. Yeah, it's called Whatnot. It's literally this is called Whatnot. Like people sell, like I know Funko Pops and like you talk and then you beg. You go, go, go, go, go. And people bid. Honestly, it's called Whatnot. It's addictive. Be careful. Can you get? What can you get on there? You can get all sorts, but a lot because obviously I've got kids. We've been buying lots of stuff for Christmas because I think a lot of the people get caught up in there.

1:03:15 I wouldn't win. Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's a bit of more. It's a bit of more. Yeah, yeah. But I just bought. I'll say it because he keeps saying. He keeps saying what not. Can you get more traps on there? No, you could be the first ones. For what? Not shop. No, but you don't have to. Sometimes you put stuff goes for less than it should, but if you were selling high ticket stuff you can start it at a price if you. Like to yeah of. Course obviously don't lose no money. I thought I'd mention it. You just keep saying it what not.

1:03:47 You know, yeah. What not, I know. It's one of these things. It's everyone's got their own. What they have dialect? Don't they? Well, they have, you know, but no, Yeah, thanks for coming on. It's been a good one. I will leave for this the the website link in the description obviously, and I will edit. I will edit it to mention your orders within that time frame. Go to the. I will mention once you've mentioned that in there. Is there anyone else you'd like to see on the show in the future? I think Alan Jones would be a good one to get on, actually.

1:04:20 He's going to hate me for that, but because you could talk about his mole courses and things like that and it's getting to that time of year so you know it would be a good one.

1:04:34 Maybe what's? That Adam Edwards started. What's that? There's no point even trying. There's no point even trying. He would have to be a good one to get on. I'm trying to think of someone, maybe someone, if you could get someone on from like, you know, you'd have like Natural England and stuff. Like we've got, we've got Nature Scott up here. Someone from Nature Scott would be good and revolving around licencing for, you know, for wildlife stuff. So like gulls, deer, all that sort of side of things.

1:05:05 I could try, I'm not saying that'd be successful, or I'll look into it. Yeah, just something, Yeah. Or maybe someone from one of the manifold like the other suppliers like 1 EMB or something or. I probably they have been on the other BS and 80s so they somebody would definitely be up for it or the form they would have been because they've recently been acquired. They have quite a big. Yeah, that's right. That's right. But yeah, Alan Jones is recommending Dolton Pest Control. Yeah, he has said he, I asked him a while back and he said he will come on if I wanted him to come on.

1:05:44 But he's a busy man. He's got loads. He's got quite a few workers now, isn't he? He's doing really well for himself. Absolutely, yeah. Yeah, so he'd probably be. We're busy now. I'm too busy. Well, Alan can't nominate him in the comments, he has to come on and nominate him. Well, yeah, yeah, but but now that is a good shout. Alan, that is. I met him at Pestech too. Look out of him. Yeah, I recognised him a year, the Pestech before, but I was looking at him and was like, I didn't say anything. I was like who the hell was that?

1:06:19 And when I got home I looked him up before. That's that he was on the mole control show. The thought I recognise him. I couldn't. This was when I was, I wasn't on the MPTA board. I was, I was like, you know, when you look at someone like I recognise, I recognise you. But I found out it was not this pest tech of help, but the previous pest tech. I mean the one year before. But that's it though. We, I noticed down when, when we were down at Pestech, obviously we, when I was walking around and there was voices I would hear.

1:06:52 And I'm like, I know that voice, you know, like, and it's probably from a phone call, it's probably a customer and I know that voice. But you can't, it's hard to put a name to them. I, I don't see them obviously. I just hear them on the phone and whatnot. So there's some people obviously that you do recognise them, yeah. You enjoyed it and pastek. No, I didn't. Yeah, I've never been. That was my first one. So it was really good to go down and see it and still forgot. So we're taking a stand next year.

1:07:20 There you go, that's what I was looking for. That's what I'll be there, be there with a stand next year. So it should be good. Just hopefully we don't get stuck on the way home like we did this year. But it was entertaining on the way home. Because are you obviously when you do a stand, are you taking kit to sell as well? Yeah, so I I haven't thought all that much into. No, I don't need to. I think what will probably happen is we'll have a little bit of stuff there and we'll do order forms or something like that.

1:07:49 That's really. A lot, a lot of the suppliers, they don't go there to sell. A lot of them just go there to mingle and show off the products. They do, but that's it. It's like, you know, we were speaking to a few people at different stands and they you know, they were like we used UK actually, because I had auk Batanic supplies hoodie on and they're like, where did you get that? And I was like, oh, it's I am UK Batanic supplies and they're like, no way we use you, you know, and things like that. So it.

1:08:14 Was. Nice. It was nice speaking to a few customers and stuff like that. So we'll do, we'll go with a stand and it's just come and see and you know what I mean, and get a catch up and stuff. And if you want the order stuff, we'll have order forms there and they'll be sent off and they'll be shipped before you leave at the end of the day type thing. But that's what we'll probably do. We'll have the new products there to display and demo and stuff like that. So.

1:08:38 I hope you can be updated with these. New ones you might give me. Sneak peek before you never know. You need to go you need to go and subscribe to on the UK Patanks place Oh. I'm on it, I'm on it. So I got the e-mail about you. You were going down to Pestech. Keep an eye out for the UK. Patanks, so you would so. What I must be on it? You would have got in fact, the day with a stop. I can stop. Did you I'll. Have to check, I can't remember. Because sometimes we do go into junk mail. It's a bit of a pain, but I'm pretty sure.

1:09:06 I'm on it. It's. One of these things we don't I hate getting all these things through from companies. You know, you buy something online once and it's like they. Start sending you. You've got an offer here, You've got an offer. Oh, yeah, yeah, that's it. I'll just put you. I just can just put Alan on the stand actually, and I can just go off and wander. Around and see everything. Yeah, you could do some talking about as more courses on the stand, right?

1:09:41 But no, it's we don't, we don't put out silly emails for nothing. You know, we'd put out update emails, think products back in stock and you know, an e-mail to say that will be like the Christmas period, what our opening times will be. It's things like that. We don't just bombard you with blink and junk mail like so because I hate it. So we wouldn't do that. And like, announcing the link to YouTube for this podcast as well. Wink, wink. I'm joking. I'm joking. Yeah. Send me, send them a link, we'll put it in it.

1:10:10 I'm joking. Send the link and we'll put it in the next one. It's no problem because there's there'll be 1 going out tomorrow to everyone about this, the charity thing and then they'll be and I think on Saturday or Sunday we're going to put another one out a bit. I was kidding, but if you want. To no send me the link, we'll put it in no problem at. All you run the podcast you were yes, no problem at all. That voice. I know that's it. But yeah. So if you need any good mole mole supplies go go to UK for tanks and links in the description.

1:10:40 Uktanksupplies.com and stick your e-mail in on the homepage as a subscriber and you'll get access to offers and news and updates. That's good. Nice. But yeah, thanks for coming on and thanks for the thanks for having me recommendations. So hopefully you get a massive boost in sales after this podcast as ahead and once the podcast goes out, I imagine you would. I don't know. It makes, no, it makes I'm quite humble in that sense of me. I'm not, I'm not one there to be greedy. I'm not. You know, it's I won't sit there and slag other products or companies off.

1:11:15 Everyone does a great job in the industry. It's as simple as that, and we're all there doing our own bit. Exactly. I mean, to be honest, I think you being at a set next year is great because the reason I, I, I obviously got on behalf of the British mole captures, I got them there because I did say on a lot of groups where people say, oh, well, there's nothing there for mole captures. There's nothing there for like, you know, smaller and that was and that now we've got you, they've been up much more.

1:11:50 But it but it's what you make it. Do you know what I mean? It's like the other, the other suppliers there will have more products, maybe not there, but they supply them and what? I've noticed is over the time up and going Pestech is if you make a little competition while you're there, make it unique and you'll get a lot of people try trying, trying out on the competition. Yeah, I've seen that. Like the the Fender Birdsbikes they had they. Had a really annoying because I was trying it I think I can't remember but what what they reckoned it was is the piece of woods because over the day they reckon it was expanding out and it was getting harder to know.

1:12:28 Today I was quite annoyed I took that many. I was really smacking it, but that kept that stand busy all day long from start to finish. That was a great stand. You ought to catch up on too, but how you've fit the light, it's quick. Well, I've noticed a lot of stands. If you can get a nice little competition or something interest, I'm not saying you can, but a lot of the gained interest for these little competitions they do. Give me your address. Too, a lot of them have stands where you put your your business card in, you know, things like, I'm not saying you have to do that.

1:13:00 I'm just, we've got, we've got some ideas. I've taken away some ideas. So not that we're copying. That's one thing we won't do as a company's copy. But no, you won't. We'll have we'll have some ideas. I've just noticed the ones that seem to get more traction is the ones with more ones with a little competition or something different. Is it? No, Definitely, definitely. It's all about the fun and socialising of it. And it is definitely, I mean I, I was here there and everywhere. People say where did you theatre?

1:13:29 I was fitting. I felt really important with that. That walkie-talkie I had come on eventually actually sent my name over to walkie-talkie. I nearly recorded it. Do you say that again? It was good. No, I know. It's like you say, it's a good thing to have a bit of everything up at these trade shows, you know, for because there is people who just do mould control and not other aspects of pest control. So why if there's nothing there for them, they might not want to go. So having this side of things, it's I was.

1:13:59 Trying I got. Obviously I asked them because I'm a member, but but it was because I've seen people moaning on forums that these big events don't cater to people that do mobs. Yeah, and that was the way of trying to cater. For Oh, definitely, definitely. And it's it all helps. Of course it does. Help definitely, but you have understand to be fair. Well, more. Colin tried to get me this year. He tried. I've met. Him for the first time at Pestech. Actually, yeah, that's the first time I've, I've spoken to him for years and just met him this year for the first time and a lovely guy.

1:14:33 He's helped me a lot through my journey in pest, in pest control and a lot to be thankful for for him. And he tried to get me to go with the stand this year, but I was like, not this year, I'll go down on foot and see what it's like. So, but no, I'm glad we went. It was good. Adam's got an idea for you how long to say about That's not fair, because we know who's going to come along, don't we? But we can have some people who are excluded from that. Excluded. Yeah, some people excluded from that because we know who the winner will be.

1:15:02 Don't. We yeah, exactly. We'll have two, yeah. What we'll do is we'll we'll rig a different mould trap that once set for them. You're sweating, it's not working. You must do it behind your back as well. Yeah. Oh, he can't. That's the problem. Yeah, exactly. But if you rig the if you rig the trap, don't threat if you know what's going on there. Can you give me a dotty trap? Yeah, that's it. But. Yeah, no, thanks for coming on. It's been good. So I'll put this out on Spotify and all the platforms after.

1:15:42 So please drop a like people, please follow the page on whatever platform you're on or subscribe. It really helps. And if you can give us a review on Spotify or follow or leave a review on Apple podcast, it all helps to show. And these CPD points, they should probably be 1.15 or one point. It should be Yeah, I'll sort it out. But whatever service you use, you can't have this podcast for basis prompt. If you want code to basis prompt, I'll have to give you an old code because I've got, OK, I've got given 10 points, but you can only register five points a year.

1:16:28 And then for the oldest shows in the in the year, you see. So, but with British press register everybody you can and and the other and there's there's some other ones that do self register. You can literally do all the podcasts just say what you learned and how long it was and you get and you get the points accordingly. You do. But yeah, thanks Alan. He also liked it for the podcast. I've loved it. Thanks for watching. Yeah, thanks everyone for watching. This is the I think live, this is the oh, this is one of the biggest attendances, I think, and activity in the chat as well.

1:17:09 I think for live at the minute you're going, you're levelling off the mark at the minute live you are. But yeah, so so thanks, Thanks, Andrew, and thanks everyone. And there won't be another one for this year. I'm going to do a little pre recorded podcast as well by myself. It won't be long. You're start thanking people and like a Christmasy one, it won't be long. There's no guest and I'll just put that out. It just appear it will. But thanks everyone and see you in 2026. I'm already booked up in any March already.

1:17:48 So thanks everyone and I'll see you in the new year. Yeah, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone when it comes. Stay on for a minute, all right, and thanks everyone.