Wade Environmental

🐀In this months edition of our Head of Technical operations .fitzgibbons delves into rodent baiting strategies 🐀

For some this will be a good refresher going back to basics.
Others this will be an insight into the new innovative techniques we are seeing in the industry.

Take a read online at www.pestmagazine.co.uk
& Let us know what you think 👇

Whilst you’re there, take a read of part one in last months edition where kicked off the discussion with automation in mice! 🐁

Isn't it time we all talked a little more about PICNICs?

And no, before you scroll on by I dont mean breaking open the wicker basket and enjoying a good pork pie in the park.

What I mean is the situation we all face and yet often dont like to admit, is the fact that often times when something goes wrong with one of our pest management treatments, the issue we face isn't always down to product choice.

PICNIC is a cheeky little acronym which stands for many variations of the same expression, "Problem in controller, not in component".

How often do we see people assume that because two products look the same, or have similar branding, that they are direct replacements to one another?

Pulse baiting, Speed baiting, Saturation baiting? When's the best time to use these? Whats the best products to use? Where is going to be the most effective placement?

Keen to know more? Keep an eye open in the next issue and look out for Ellen Fitzgibbons piece in part 2 of a 4 part series on practical rodent control.

Want to read part 1?

Jump to page 22 of the last issue or google "are mice automatons", and have a little read!

Look how quick these little guys grow 🐀✨

At Wade Environmental, customer satisfaction and prolonged education is at the forefront of our minds 🧠
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It means a lot to us to hear such nice things back from clients 🙏

🪰June is just around the corner, marking the peak of housefly season. But how can you distinguish between different species of flies?

🪰One way to identify them is by closely examining their wings. Houseflies have only one pair of wings used for flying; the second pair is reduced to small structures called halteres, which aid in balance during flight.

🪰Other ways to identify flies include observing their body size and shape, eye color and placement, and the patterns on their bodies. Behavioral characteristics, such as flight patterns and feeding habits, can also provide clues.

🪰What characteristics do you find most insightful?

WORLD BEE DAY: MAY 20th 🐝
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They are the architects of our ecosystem, serving as pollinators for a vast array of plants, including many crops that humans rely on for food.

WE can all do more to help sustain our bee population.
Take a read below 🐝

Colonies will still be small but main ant season is just round the corner 🐜

You may have already noticed an increase in activity in to last weeks warm weather ☀️

🇬🇧But did you know that there are over 50 species in the UK alone?
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Have you got a species you don’t recognise?
Or do you need help with the best way to deal with infestations?
Or simply want to learn more..
🌱Wade environmental are here for all your needs, drop us a DM or enquire through our website and we are always happy to advise 🔗

I am very lucky to have access to some excellent pieces of kit, including some exceptional microscopes and digital lenses.

So for a little fun for the end of the week, what sample did we get sent this week?

Its little, only a fraction over 1mm. (And Ill give you a clue, its not a maggot)

Answers in the comments!

Im looking to update the testimonials on my webpage, those on my following who have worked with WE, would you be prepared to drop a testimonial below, or alternatively to [email protected]

WE Weekly Wisdom 🌱: How SGARs Work - Part 2
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Last week we spoke about enzyme inhibition - the underlying driving force for SGARs.

Vitamin K is vital for essential clotting factors in animals. SGARs inhibit the activity of the VKOR enzyme preventing Vitamin K epoxide from being converted back into its active form.
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👉 swipe through the slides above to see the process broken

WE Weekly Wisdom 🌱: How SGARs Work - Part 1
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This week delve into enzyme inhibition - the driving force for SGARs.

Enzyme inhibition is a biological process that involves the prevention of enzyme activity due to the presence of specific molecules known as inhibitors.

There are three types of inhibition: competitive, non-competitive and uncompetitive; there are stark differences between all three.
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🧐 Quiz time: This week's posts provide you with an insight into all three, but do you know what SGARs are classed as?
🗣️Answer: Coming in next week's edition of WE Weekly Wisdom!

Please welcome to our new head of technical operations - Ellen Fitzgibbons 🐀👩‍🔬

As Head of Technical Operations, Ellen hopes she can foster client collaboration, provide a leadership role and carry forward the vision and values that define our company.

Best wishes to Ellen in her new role 🌱✨

We have some exciting tests lined up and want to be able to undertake the testing on both lab stock and field caught insects.

Can you help us and make yourself a little extra money at the same time? (That answer is yes)

We need field samples of LIVE insects, specifically Fleas (or animal bedding with flea larva on), Meal and Warehouse moths (or bags of contaminated feed with larva in), Oriental Cockroaches and Pharoah's Ants (specifically the queens).

Think you can assist? Drop us a line, and get sending for a little extra cash!

(Additionally if you ever come across any insect you think might interest us, give WE a call and let us know what you've found, might be worth a pretty penny or two!)

A reintroduction to WE 👋

🐀We are more than just pest managers; we’re about cultivating a mindset of stewardship and sustainability. We aim to be the drivers of change.
🔬With decades of experience combined throughout the team, we can support you in any capacity. Whether it’s consulting, training, all the way to product development and field trials.

But why?
🌱Our ethos is grounded in compassion and innovation; we truly believe a small change can go a long way.
🪴But more than that, our motivation stems from a genuine care for you, the industry, and our environment. That’s why we’re committed to not just managing pests, but to fostering sustainable practices that promote harmony between humans and our wildlife.

WE are here for YOU 🌻🐀

Need help keeping your socials in check?
Struggling to find the time to put out consistent content onto social media or your website?

With a range of subscription packages starting from as little as £30 a month, WE are here to help support your business.

Drop an email to [email protected]

Defra announces key principles and dates for glue board licensing in England.

So what does this mean? It means that although the use of Glue Traps in England is still an appropriate and legal tool for professionals, their application comes with some caveats which need to be understood. The need to apply for, understand and abide by the terms of a license as well as showing a minimum level of competency in conjunction with being able to provide a reference are all stipulations of their use.

We understand that for some the use of Glue Traps is an integral part of the IPM toolkit, and so to help reduce the barriers to use, Wade Environmentaland IPM Central are here to help.

Don't let an ever changing and evolving landscape stand in the way of your Business, let Wade Environmental help support.

I recently wrote an article for Pest Magazine on the subject of hashtag . I believe that as an industry we chronically undervalue our services because we are afraid to undertake the time honored skill of negotiation.
Everyone is looking for the best deal, whether it is on your broadband, your company equipment or simply your monthly food shop.

But there is more to getting a 'good deal' than simply getting a 'low price'.

For example, if I were to ask you to buy a replacement laptop for the office, you wouldn't necessarily go and buy the cheapest one on the market. You would be concerned it wouldn't be able to deliver what you needed it to do. Conversely you wouldn't buy the most expensive laptop because its more than you need and can afford.

So what do you base you actually base decision on (its not exclusively cost is it)? Well you base it on the benefits that laptop offers you and you weigh the benefits over the costs.

Why therefore should the value of your pest management contract be any different? Read the article below to start your journey into becoming an expert negotiator.

WE&IPMC are running two courses at the end of April designed to give new starters everything they need to start their career in Pest Management.

These courses are also an excellent refresher opportunity for those who have these quals just to ensure they are up to date with their knowledge and CPD.

These two classroom based courses will be held in Andover on the 23rd and 24th of April and places on these courses are always popular, so get your deposits in today and pay the remainder the week of the course.

Courses start at £100 per person with an exam fee for those wanting to sit the Safe Use of Rodenticides.

Drop an email to [email protected] today for details.

For those who follow the Beauties and Beasties Podcast we have some big news, get your questions in here now!

Anyone dealing with Pharaohs ants at the moment?

Willing to pay for some queens and colonies (alive) if you're able to retrieve them to help boost the lab cultures coming up to testing season!

Had a lovely visit from Natalie Bungay from the British Pest Control Association (BPCA) yesterday.

She was visiting so we could discuss strategy and guidance around behavioural resistance. As well as some field testing to determine what behavioural resistance looks like in practical terms we discussed advice we can give pest managers to combat this unique form of resistance.

But we couldn't let her go without introducing her to some of the VIPs down the labs, so here is Natalie with one of our more fun projects, a young orchid manits!

Who said having to work in an insect lab couldn't be fun?!!

Now for Part 3 of our observation of the moulting process.

One of the best things about having an in house insect rearing facility for being able to undertake insecticide studies and having a team who is passionate and engaged, is being able to observe the animals you keep and care for under a lens that is often missed out in the field.

These larger species of cockroach are not one we use for our studies, but they are one we use for training and education.

And so after watching and capturing this cockroach moulting last week the team then decided to see if they could capture the latter half of the moulting process. Although this is decidedly less spectacular than watching an insect wriggle free from its exoskeleton and 'magically' becoming larger, the process of hardening their exoskeleton is no less an exciting and miraculous feat displayed by all insects, pest and non-pest alike.

But having observant and engaged teams looking after these insects and undertaking the studies involving them, means that we are able to include insights into these animals that sometimes is missed in larger, less well observed studies.

Comment below, and full marks to my fellow entomologists out there who can give the best layman's explanation of what it is we are seeing happening below!

Looking for some more assistance again, those of you who have been in the industry (or running your business) for less than 5 years and those of you who have been in the game longer than 5 years to continue helping me write the now pretty successful column in the PEST mag.

Chuck your names below and your emails, or drop me a DM.

I have one to do for this week, so you could see your name in the mags before you know it!!

Want a free coffee?

Print out this voucher and come find me at the British Pest Control Association event and redeem it for a nice hot mug of get up and go juice.

First five people on each day to find me INSIDE the venue (no mugging me on the tube or in the lobby!) will get themselves a coffee and a crisp *High-Five*.

An award of one cookie (probably chocolate chip) will also be given to the most inventive greeting (that doesn't get one or the both of us locked up).

If you don't find me in time for the free coffee come find me anyways, you never know, I might be feeling generous.

For those who may have missed it last week, the CRRU have announced who their next Chairperson will be.
On the 1st the CRRU put out the following email to their mailing lists,

Nigel Cheeseright returns to CRRU as chairman.

"The Campaign for Responsible Rodenticide Use UK’s new chairperson is Nigel Cheeseright. Following a two-month handover from Dr Alan Buckle, who is retiring after two decades in the role, he begins a three-year term on 1 May.
From 2010 to 2021 with Rentokil Initial as head of technical services then director of product development, Mr Cheeseright was also the
company’s representative as a CRRU director. In addition to “exemplary leadership and personal qualities”, the CRRU selection panel’s decision was based on “nearly four decades of operational and general management success in technical contexts.”
Balancing the pest control imperatives of public health protection, fire prevention and building damage minimisation on the one hand, and shielding non-target wildlife from rodenticide exposure on the other, demands high priority and continuity of leadership, according to Nigel Cheeseright.
“CRRU’s successes to date, of which there have been many during Alan Buckle’s watch, are built on the combined efforts of our many and diverse stakeholders,” he says. “Foremost among these, of course, are the working members of our three industry sectors: professional pest control, gamekeeping and farming.”"

For more information head to the ThinkWildlife.org webpage.

What are your thoughts??

Time for a bit of a controversial and divisive subject.

"Are the tools we use for pest management to blame for residues found in wildlife? Or is it the way in which we use them?"

The Wade Environmental team has started a year long project to look at something that we have long considered a blind spot in our knowledge.

How long does it take a rat to decompose past the point of being 'attractive' to scavengers, and how long does it take scavengers to find carrion.

This question came from a series of observations I had last year whilst trying to get footage of scavengers by using wildlife cameras. During the winter months the lure items I left out for the scavengers remained largely 'intact', with the lack of insects and the cold temperature reducing the decomposition. Whilst in the summer the carcass often was reduced to bones in a matter of days.

This got me to thinking, are we looking at a seasonally induced bias for rodenticide risk?

This year I was also fortunate to hire my first member of staff who coincidentally has a background in forensic science, and so I thought of no better time (or person) to pick up this project and take it forwards.

We are only one month into the project and already the results are pretty shocking.

The premise of the test is as such. We have isolated 3 locations on a rural farm, Location 1 is on the grassy verge surrounding woodland, Location 2 is placed immediately on top of the concrete hard standing which surrounds one of the central agricultural buildings, and Location 3 is situation inside a stand of tree within woodland.

Each location has two rat carcasses placed there each month;

Carcass 1 is placed into a mesh cage. This will allow insects and the elements to affect the body and for it to decompose naturally. The decomp factor therefore is a metric derived of its physical state * its infiltration from invertebrate decomposers, a factor greater than 5 on this scale is deemed too far decomposed to remain attractive.

Carcass 2 is placed directly onto the floor with a motion camera observing the approach of scavengers. The metric captured here is to determine the speed at which rodents are located and consumed in each of these location.

The ratio therefore between the speed of consumption vs the time taken to become decomposed beyond the point of salvage should give a risk ratio that we believe will alter based on three factors:

1. Time of year

2. Proximity to human structures (scavenger accessibility)

3. Natural biome (invertebrate abundance)

So far, the two remote locations have shown a ratio of 10:1 and 17:1, meaning that carcasses in those areas could have been consumed 10 or 17 times within the time it took them to decompose fully. The carcass around the building, although remaining fresher for longer was not located or consumed by scavengers within this window.

We will keep you updated on this project throughout the year, and look forward to hearing your thoughts on the results!

So, I am going to stick my head on the block here with a broad and sweeping, (and a little scathing) judgement of our industry.

There is nothing wrong with smart technology, but EVERYTHING wrong with how it is sold to us, and as a result of that how we then sell it to our clients.

There, let the rocks fly and the shouting commence... But before you set afoot your plans to jump me in the carpark at the next trade show, just hear me out.

We (the industry) are often mislead by the notion that bigger is better. That having something that has all the bells and whistles is the best position to be in, and that smart technology needs to be one step removed from being 'SkyNet' for it to have any real impact on your pest management program.

And what happens then? You fork out a colossal sum of money for a system that can do everything short of cook you breakfast only to use a fraction on it resulting in a cost to you and your client that is difficult (if not in some instances impossible) to justify for the returns it provides you.
The converse of this is equally true, you hedge your bets and go for the cheapest option available, only here you do NEED something that can detect a squirrel breaking wind 40 paces away to an accuracy of distance measured no greater than a gnats g***d, but all you have is a device little more complicated than a toaster with a digital clock in the side of it. What happens then? You've wasted money, become disillusioned and your client is upset because the system (still expensive) doesn't do what they needed and you thought.

What if.... just what if... manufacturers used a coding system which described the goals and deliverables of this smart technology openly? The fear is, I assume that by admitting your kit is the low tech end of an emerging technology boom you'll seem inferior.

I do not believe this to be the case, I have and always will advocate for there being the right tool, for the right job at the right time. A low tech and low cost solution is sometimes precisely what is needed, and some times you need to be able to measure every metric and present that information to data hungry companies, reaping the rewards and prestige that goes with it.

But hold about Alex, its all well and good saying this, but who's going to sit there and try and write this?!

Well, ladies, gentlemen, and rodents of all ages... hold on to your proverbials and have a look at my latest article in PEST mag below, or find it online on their website and tell me what you think.

https://indd.adobe.com/view/9f7760f6-3df6-4754-bbec-dbae23432586

An Important update from the UK CAMPAIGN FOR RESPONSIBLE RODENTICIDE USE.

"Changes for farmers, gamekeepers and pest control businesses in new rodenticide stewardship report"

Find the full update on my website linked below, but for those just wanting the cliff notes.

*A first time an explanation specific to rodent pest control of what constitutes a ‘building’. "A permanent enclosed structure with foundations, constructed from wood, brick, concrete or metal that provides protection from the elements and minimises access by non-target species that might otherwise consume rodenticide baits placed inside. Temporary or easily moved structures are not generally considered to be buildings."

*From 4 July specifically, none of the five second generation anticoagulant rodenticides (SGARs) are allowed to be bought for use in open areas or waste dumps.

*In response to the report, the HSE-led Government Oversight Group (GOG), confirms that UK Rodenticide Stewardship, still under review by the GOG, is considered by government to be ‘fit for purpose’.

*From January 2026, all buyers and users of professional rodenticide products must hold an approved training certificate and, if this is more than five years old, membership of a stewardship-specific Continuing Professional Development (CPD) scheme.

*Point-of-sale audits of 661 premises found 1% failures, 17% qualified passes with only minor corrections, and 83% outright passes.

Changes for farmers, gamekeepers and pest control businesses in new rodenticide stewardship report - Wade Environmental In readiness for all anticoagulant rodenticide purchases being restricted July onwards to their use inside and around buildings only, the latest UK Rodenticide Stewardship annual report includes for the first time an explanation specific to rodent pest control of what constitutes a ‘building’. S...

Training has never been more important. So going forward into 2024 make sure you and your teams have all the skills, knowledge and support you need to add maximum value and confidence to your service.

As well as the Safe Use of Rodenticides, and Safe Use of Biocides courses IPM Central is running one of its 5-4-3 courses, combining the flexibility of online learning with the support and reassurance of face to face learning.

The course takes place over 5 weeks, with 4 online seminars to help guide you through your self learning, finishing with a three day intensive workshop program.

Sign up by dropping me a DM here!

Workshop runs the 3,4,5 of March and the online seminars a month before that.

Already lvl 2 Award qualified but want to upskill? IPM CENTRAL will be running a bolt on the two days after the Award to allow people to upgrade to their Certificate.

Meet your trainers here
Oliver Madge
Alex Wade