Do I Need Pest Control? - British Pest Control Association

PestAware the pest control blog from BPCA

PestAware is a blog for anyone with public health pest control problems or concerns. PestAware is packed with professional advice from leading experts in the pest control industry and is designed to help you tackle your domestic or commercial pest problems.

Bookmarked News View all news

15 December 2025

Latest news

Featured

Check for signs of uninvited guests ahead of Christmas

Experts at BPCA are urging householders to check for signs of pests around the home while getting ready for Christmas.

Read more View all news Sign up for e-alerts << back 22 February 2018

Do I need pest control?

Pest management | PestAware

Maybe you've spotted a rat in your garden or discovered a wasp nest in your shed. Perhaps you suspect your favourite furniture is infested with biting insects. Might your company stockroom be rife with unwelcome mice?

If so, you need to think about pest control. And here's why:

Public health pests have the potential to:

• contaminate your home or workplace
• spread diseases to yourself and family
• damage your belongings
• ruin stocks of food, property, and reputations

If you followed a fly for a day, you wouldn’t want to eat for a week

Our National Survey 2016 suggests that the public health pests you're most likely to encounter in the UK are:

1. rats (186,192 call-outs a year)
2. mice (80,375 call-outs a year)
3. wasps (77,811 call-outs a year)
4. other insects, including flies (32,570 call-outs a year)
5. ants (16,464)
6. bed bugs (11,829 call-outs a year)
7. cockroaches (5,904 call-outs a year)
8. birds (3,799 call-outs a year)

And this is by no means an exhaustive list. You can find most UK public health pests in our A-Z of Pests.

So if you have a pest problem, it's fair to say you're not alone.

People often feel embarrassed about home or workplace pest issues, but these pests have been plaguing humans since the beginning of time.

With people living closer together, fewer bin collections and many local councils stopping their pest control services, there are good reasons why you might be noticing pests when you never have before.

That doesn't mean you should ignore the problem though.

Why do we control pests?

Contamination and disease

Insects, rodents and birds can easily contaminate food and work surfaces with their excreta, hairs or body parts. These are potential pathogens that spread disease.

Parasites carried by pest species (such as fleas) can also be passed on to humans causing illness and stress - for example, that's how the outbreaks of bubonic plague are still transmitted in Madagascar.

Safeguard your property, business and clients

Rodents can inflict an enormous amount of structural damage. They can cause severe fires by gnawing away the insulation around electrical cables, floods by puncturing pipes and even death by chewing through gas pipes. The insurance sector has estimated that rodent damage to wiring is responsible for 25% of all electrical fires in buildings.

Insect infestations can decimate foodstuffs with whole consignments being rejected and finished goods recalled if insect contamination is present. Insects can block machines and ruin whole batches of animal feed.

Bird droppings can damage buildings and cause slip or trips, leaving property owners open to prosecution. Nests block chimney flues and gutters, as well as attracting other pest species that thrive in bird droppings.

Protect your reputation and stay the right side of the law

To meet your requirements under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, the Food Safety Act 1990 and the Food Hygiene (England) Regulations 2006, you need to protect your business from pests.

Your reputation and business may never recover from a pest infestation as prosecutions and fines regularly cause media attention. The loss of consumer confidence could ultimately force you to close.

The Penalties for failure to comply can be severe

Choosing a pest controller

You might have the image of a Victorian London rat catcher, rifle in hand and grubby from a day's work in the sewers in mind. That's not what modern pest control is.

Believe it or not, the industry has come a long way since then. In fact - we're just like any other professional trade. A professional pest management technician has access to the education, training, products, experience, and know-how to control a pest species. Top of the list is animal welfare, pest controllers only ever control pests where necessary and ensure humane treatment.

Yes - like any trade - there are some cowboys out there, however, you can make sure you're using a trusted pest control company by selecting a BPCA member.

By choosing one of our members you:

• know that you're getting a qualified technician coming out to you
• can be sure that the company have their insurance in place
• know that the company will be working legally and to our strict codes of conduct.

BPCA members can deal with any domestic and commercial pest control work. BPCA helps thousands of individuals and businesses find a trusted pest control contractor every year.

You can find one of our members using our Find a pest controller tool or by calling 01332 294 288.

Source: PestAware

Featured pests View all news

02 January 2024

Latest news

Featured

Professional rodenticide users have two years to prepare for changes

PRESS RELEASE: All user groups of SGARs covered by the UK Rodenticide Stewardship Regime have two years to prepare for a significant change in access to such products.

Read more

06 June 2022

Latest news

Featured

Daera reopen Northern Ireland Wild Bird Licence Consultation

Daera/Northern Ireland Environment Agency is currently considering the wild bird general licences for 2022/2023 and beyond.

Read more

13 June 2019

Latest news

Featured

Defra release three new general licences for bird control

Three new general licences for the killing or taking of wild birds in England will be issued at 00:01 on Friday 14 June, says Defra.

Read more View all news Sign up for e-alerts Bookmarked News View all news

15 December 2025

Latest news

Featured

Check for signs of uninvited guests ahead of Christmas

Experts at BPCA are urging householders to check for signs of pests around the home while getting ready for Christmas.

Read more

25 November 2025

Latest news

Featured

Raccoons remain on watchlist following Cornwall sighting

Experts at national trade body, British Pest Control Association (BPCA) are continuing to keep a watching brief on the expansion of raccoons across Europe after lone raccoon was spotted roaming gardens in Gwennap, Cornwall.

Read more

23 October 2025

Latest news

Featured

Trade bodies join forces ahead of Maintenance Week

National trade bodies British Pest Control Association (BPCA) and Property Care Association (PCA) have joined forces to shine a spotlight on the entry points shared by water and pests as part of Maintenance Week.

Read more View all news Sign up for e-alerts

• About
• Advice
• Find a Pest Controller
• Membership
• Training
• Events
• CPD
• News and Blog
  • Latest
  • Pests
  • Feature
  • Association
  • Sector
  • PPC Magazine
  • PestAware
  • Mailing list
• Jobs

Professional advice from the leading experts in the pest control industry.

Looking for a professional pest controller?

Search our qualified, audited and insured members.

Search now

Pest Advice

BPCA catalogue of the most common public health and nuisance pests

A to Z of Pests

Training Pathway

BPCA Training is designed to suit all learning styles and enable professionals to grow and develop throughout their career

View now

Professional pest management company?

Join the leading trade association for the pest control industry in the UK

Find out more

Write for BPCA

Do you have an idea for an article and would like to contribute?

Get in touch

PestEx 2026 registration is now open!

FREE to attend

The UK’s favourite trade exhibition and conference for pest control returns!

Register for free

Quick links

• Latest news >

• Find a pest controller >

• A-Z of pests >

• Training Pathway >

• Upcoming events >

• Find CPD >

• Jobs board >