October 2022

Pest Business of the Year: Beaver Pest Control

National Pest Awards Winners 2022

On 8^th September 2022, around 150 professionals in the pest control industry gathered at Hilton London Bankside for the National Pest Awards. The awards are held each year to recognise best practices and commitment to CPD and training by the UK’s pest controllers. Our award winning team at Beaver Pest Control had an evening to remember winning three of the ten awards up for grabs that evening. Beaver Pest Control was named Pest Business of the Year, Large Company of the Year. James Wood, our technical training manager was also named Pest Controller of the Year.

Pest Business of the Year

South London based, our company; Beaver Pest Control was crowned best of the best winning the coveted Pest Business of the Year. The judges said: “a fantastic business and a deserving winner of the big award”. To be recognised at this level is a wonderful achievement for the company and every one of our staff. They’re dedicated to seeing our company continue to grow and succeed.

When interviewed by Pest Magazine about the award win, Julia Pittman, Sales Director said: “I think the most important thing for me is culture. We’ve got a good culture and our staff are proud of what they do here and the Beaver Pest Control name. They’re very dedicated to what they’re doing.” The company’s vision is to have the happiest staff and happiest customers in the industry. As part of this vision, a great deal of thought is put into how to support staff and maintain a positive culture in the business.

At the last AGM in May, we revealed a number of benefits to help staff through these difficult financial times including 4% pay rises and increased overtime rates. The company invests heavily in training and benefits in order to retain staff. “We rarely lose people from our teams and staff retention is currently 93%,” Julia said.

Large Company of the Year: Beaver Pest Control — Pest Controller of the Year: James Wood

How we are leading the way in pest control?

David Lodge, Director, after being named Large Company of the Year said: “I think it proves what we’ve been doing in the past is right, but there are still things to do. We’ve got to keep improving, but this is a great starting block to actually push to the next level. Winning the award validates all the efforts that we’ve put in over the years.”

As a company our focus is on sustainable, proactive management of pest issues, so a significant amount of the time technicians spend on our customer’s sites, is utilised on inspections, proofing and habitat management. We have moved away from the old-school bait-box checking and implemented integrated pest management. We have a range of services grouped under the IERDC acronym: inspection, exclusion, restriction, destruction and communication.

This is just one of the ways we are pushing the pest control industry forward and leading the way to a sustainable future for our company and the industry as a whole.

Find out more about the Beaver Pest Control journey from two brothers in tooting, London to Pest Business of the Year 2022.

How to get rid of mice? 7 Step Guide

Residential

Having mice in your home can be a very distressing and difficult time for anyone. Mice are known to carry and spread diseases such as Salmonella and Listeria through their urine, droppings and bedding. If you have noticed signs of a mouse infestation, it’s important to act quickly. Mice are prolific breeders and can have up to 12 pups each breeding cycle which can make clearing an infestation tricky. Use our 7-step guide to dealing with house mice to help you regain control of your home and learn how to get rid of house mice. If you’re facing a persistent mouse problem that seems impossible to tackle on your own, it may be time to enlist the help of a professional mouse exterminator.

Our 7 Step Guide: How to get rid of house mice

1. Identify the Source of Your Mouse Problem

Your first step to getting a mouse-free home is to get your Sherlock Holmes hat on try and work out where the mice are getting in from. Mice only need a 5mm gap to gain entry, as a rule of thumb, if you can fit a pencil through the gap, a mouse can get through. It is also important to identify the pest to ensure you are in fact dealing with a house mouse. Use our helpful rodent identification tool to help.

2. Seal holes and entry points

Prevention is better than a cure so even if you don’t have a current mouse infestation, we always recommend homeowners and tenants carry out proofing to prevent entry to mice. Sealing holes with wire wool and quick-setting cement is the most effective form of pest prevention. Proofing is a long-lasting solution for mouse control and can be undertaken at any time. Focus on low-level holes or gaps first as these are the most likely culprits for mouse ingress. If these are all sealed and you still have ongoing mice ingress then consider higher-up vents or gaps.

Mouse mesh and vent covers are well used in pest control and building maintenance, particularly in urban areas like London where pest infestations are common.

Mouse mesh, also known as wire mesh or wire netting, is a finely woven metal screen typically made from materials like stainless steel or aluminium. They are designed to prevent rodents and other pests from entering buildings through small openings such as gaps in walls, vents, or pipes. Mouse mesh is highly effective because it’s durable, resistant to corrosion.

3. Restrict access to harbourage

Mice will build nests near food sources and will mark their territory leaving a strong smell. This means removing nesting materials is important to prevent mice from making themselves comfortable in your home. Clearing overgrowth and piles of wood or debris from your garden and making sure the mice can’t access your bins will help. Ensure your bins have tight-fitting lids and there are no holes in the base.

4. Remove food sources

Mice will eat almost any human food but prefer grain-based products. Mice are reliant on food and, if necessary, can go a month or more without water by extracting water from food sources. Whilst restricting access to food and water may not kill off the mice infestation, your home will be much less inviting for the mice. Mice will eat little and often so sweeping up crumbs from the floor and under cabinets is important.

5. Install door sweeps or bristle strips

If your external doors have a 4mm gap, it would be a good idea to have bristle strips installed to prevent mice from gaining entry through the door.

6. Use traps

If you have mice inside your home, you will need to still use mouse traps or poison to prevent the population from growing and eradicate the infestation. We recommend for amateur use; break back traps.

*Use of over-the-counter poisons is restricted, and we know from ongoing research that mouse populations in London and some other cities are showing resistance to traditional rodenticides making these poisons ineffective. There is also a risk of secondary poisoning of birds and other creatures if used incorrectly.

Break-back mouse traps should be placed near the mice activity (where you have seen the mice or found droppings). Ironically, cheese is not the best bait for most mice. We find mice prefer peanut butter, nutty chocolate, raisins or similar attractive foods.

WARNING: When placing traps be sure to place them out of reach of non-target animals, children and pets.

7. Call the professionals

We always recommend using a professional pest controller to get your problem dealt with quickly, effectively and safely. Our local technicians have vast experience in dealing with mice in homes and can support you in clearing your mouse infestation and will give you advice and recommendations to prevent future mouse ingress. Our technicians have access to commercial-grade rodenticides if necessary which are effective for mouse extermination. They are trained to ensure the baits are placed in a safe way to protect non-target species, children and pets.

020 8355 3443

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