deBugged

As part of the HD (High dependency) team it means that our clients are usually high profile and a pest internally can result in a loss of lots of money to them.

HD have the task of keeping a eye on food processing and/or manufacturers and places where food is stored and sold this includes many food shop chains; individual stores earn the company peanuts but times that by hundreds and sometimes thousands of outlets of the same company then you’re into big bugs (sorry) big bucks (Kerrrrching££££) or should it be (Kerrrching$$$$$). When inspecting these places you find that the same problems may be relevant to not just one particular store but, as I am sure my colleagues will agree, to stores up and down the country.

Simple things such as closing doors may act as a barrier to birds and rodents; but with doors wide open you might as well put a welcome mat and a neon sign saying ‘ENTER HERE’. Once they’re in it, is very difficult to find and control these animals.

Another thing that causes the humble pest controller a problem is the disposal and storage of damaged or out of date food. This material (as you can guess) is a magnet for pests. Numerous places store their waste externally. This causes problems as sometimes their bin facilities are inadequate and so leaking compacters and open skips provide pests with a smorgasbord of food. Let’s face it if you’re a pest what would you eat:

• bait put down by a strange human (Disclaimer: I am not saying all of the technicians are strange, they are human though!) or
• decaying sausages freshly dumped in a large skip near your nest (I know it’s not much of a choice but these pests can’t afford to be choosy).

The problem is that these pests then get a bit braver and look for more food and where do they go? Yes, that’s right – through the neon lit signs situated next to the open doors. This then becomes a vicious circle (and we’re not talking about a roundabout with a chainsaw).

All I can say is that if these places KISSed then it would make my job and my colleagues jobs a lot easier and it would also prevent their companies losing lots of money which makes them and us a little bit happier.

No, not the Disney classic, but the old adage of ‘Nothing lasts forever’ has been played out in many places and many times but readers I can now apply this to myself. No, I’m not leaving (you can dry your tears); the Field Biologist world as we know it is undergoing a radical new change as hinted in the last Blog.

As from Monday 12^th November we ceased to be a FB team and got assimilated into our respective area HD teams. This means that our boss Clive is no longer our boss and now the Service Managers also have the dubious tasks of looking after us.

In a way it is sad as you have built up a camaraderie with your team and it will be sad not meeting to discuss problems which can be resolved by people in the same boat; but as the way business changes we have to adapt and survive some might say not unlike the pests we treat!

There are new challenges ahead not just with trying to fit into my new team but with the new Technical team trying to fit in with the company. Through future Blogs I will still try to talk for the FB and try to be informative, and dare I say it amusing at the same time, as I guide you through the new adventure that is being a Field Biologist within Rentokil!!!

Yesterday I went back to a Bank that has had rat problems recently. Its become quite serious because the problem affects the reception area and even their Heath and Safety people have been involved.

It was a nice thing for the trainee to do though. There were some awkward spaces and the rats were kind of in an air vent thing which was difficult to get to. He is doing OK, he is reading the training material and learning quickly but it’s important to bring common sense into it and put it into practical terms. Technicians eventually take stage 1 BPCA accredited training and HD Technicians take stage 2. To be honest I think this is a bit unfair. It would be better if the stage 2 was optional to everyone. HD Techs look after High Dependency customers.

There have been a lot of visits to get through because we are coming to the end of the quarter and to get best state of service all clients must have had most of their premises done. I plan what I have to do using a PDA and paper copies in case the PDA doesn’t work. There are also client’s reports so there is some paperwork to do. If you keep everything up to date and running it’s a lot easier. There could be a lot of paperwork to do if you didn’t. I think I have about 1700 routines for my patch over the year!

(Read: New Tech on the Block)