To all you PEST CONTROLLERS !!!

[Bobba_fett 117]

If you are offering a commercial service - even if it is a 'one off' you should have public liability insurance. Any 'free' insurance offered by organisations will not cover a commercial activity for 'reward'.

 

As for pricing - well, it's well known on this forum that I won't discuss pricing with non-professionals who are just out to take food from the mouths of hard working pros. BUT, I will tell you that £180 is not too much for a mole clearance job. Think about how many visits it will take, and what the true cost of running a business is, and work it out for yourself.

 

Commercial insurance policies are available from various providers including the NFU.

 

You are everything i hate about this pest control forum. A Stuck up snob looking down your nose at people who you think are less informed than yourself or "non-professionals" as you like to call them , really in the grand scale of things he's not going to go out of his way to join some group so he can be coverd for the 5mins it will take to do this job, dispite what you think. Pest control is not a hard job, getting a squirrel out of some old womans loft or setting a few mole traps, try pest controling 60,000 acers of grouse moor, its a lot diffrent from your 9 - 5 (if that) ploding around a field checking mole traps. you need to get over yourself and gett off your high horse. This go for the rest of you lots that jump at the chance to put someone down asking for help.

 

Lol you cannot compare a grouse moor to a pest control business

seen any public health pests on your moor lately??? No i doubt it!

Grouse moor pest control is totally different, been there and done that! Pest control is not a hard job....its a hard job to do properly though Pest control is more than wasps, moles,squirrels,rats and mice as most folk seem to think I have a folder 3 inches thick full of most pests that a pro will have to deal with. there is nothing worse than having to deal with the aftermath of many have ago homeowners. Some folk can deal with it granted but most can't!

 

I agree this mole job would take a minimum effort to deal with and could be done without insurance etc.

 

Water badger...no catch no payment. simple the onus is on you as trapper to catch the moles, it's rare i get to my traps and theres no mole in them....well at least untill they are all caught

 

fair point but i dont think sorting out your own or the person next doors mole problem is "out to take food from the mouths of hard working pros". Thats like saying washing your own car is taking food from the mouth of the guy at the car wash. I think not I didn't mean to have a go at all pest controlers most just this self righteous eejit.

[Matt 160]

 

fair point but i dont think sorting out your own or the person next doors mole problem is "out to take food from the mouths of hard working pros". Thats like saying washing your own car is taking food from the mouth of the guy at the car wash. I think not I didn't mean to have a go at all pest controlers most just this self righteous eejit.

 

Well Bobba, I think it's people like you that are ruining this forum.

 

Lets get this right; this isn't someone doing a favour for a neighbour, he is asking what the 'going rate' is to do a commercial job.

 

I'm protective of my profession. I know that upsets some 'wannabies' but after over twenty years in the game, I'm fed up with people thinking that pest control is just easy money.

 

To survive in this day and age you have to be not only trained, but also qualified. That takes lots of dedication and money, and to have people undercut you, or take the easy jobs from under your nose gets more than a little tiring.

 

I'm not too badly effected by it personally, because I've got a sound business that employs two people - but it hasn't always been like that.

 

I know of plenty of guys (some on here) that are just starting out on their own. They are doing everything properly; getting trained, taking exams, paying for insurance, getting all their paperwork right, etc.

 

Just recently, I've got a new business started up near me. The clown is offering to do three visits for rodents for £30. That's £10 for each visit: now I ask you; how can anyone do a proper job for that kind of money?

 

I've had a gardener locally who has decided that mole catching can't be too difficult. He's charging £10 per mole to clear gardens. Now your average garden job takes three visits (one to set traps, one to check them, and one to make sure the mole is clear and lift the traps). Most gardens are one or two moles at most, so that's £20 for three visits. A month or so ago I had to sort out a job where this gardener had failed miserably.

 

As for your comparisons of a grouse moor, you are way off the mark. There is a big difference between predator control and public health pest control.

 

I'm not sure why you (and a few others) think that pest control is a 9-5 job that is easy. It isn't. Being on call 24/7 and having to schedule routine visits in with call outs and follow up visits often results in long hours being worked, often on weekends and bank holidays.

 

I'll just quote myself from an earlier post to clarify what my opinions are:

 

 

I DO have a problem with people trying to make a quick buck out of a professional service

 

I DO have a problem with people coming on here asking 'how much to catch moles'

 

I DO have a problem with people fecking about with rats in their own home

 

I DO have a problem with untrained, unqualified, uninsured people using toxic baits

 

 

However,

 

I DO NOT have any problem with people killing pests for sport

 

I DO NOT have any problem with people who make and use traps and snares for food

 

I DO NOT have a problem with people who kill rural pests on their permissions

 

I DO NOT have a problem with people who control predators to protect game

 

 

I know that people often don't want to be told that they shouldn't be doing whatever, but I make a living out of pest control, and I've seen many, many people who've tried to do the same and failed.

 

Tonight, we've had two threads on here asking for help to do what is a commercial job of work. I'm sorry if anyone is upset that I won't give all the answers they are asking for, but that's life.

 

If anyone genuinely wants to get into pest control, I'll happily help them (as several members of this forum know). What I won't do, is to give any chancer that pops up here a short cut - especially if by doing so, they are risking their own health and safety, and/or doing something that should be being done by a trained and competent professional.

 

Sorry.

 

You (and others) may not agree with my opinions, but I'm sure there is no need for the personal abuse that gets hurled about on here at every opportunity.

 

Once upon a time, this was the best part of THL. Is anyone surprised that so many good posters have either stopped posting or left?

 

By all means disagree with me, but please do not try and insult me.

[ratattack 111]

I would probably do this job cheaply if i was new to mole trapping, IE: cover the cost of the traps, small garden like this sounds wouldn't need many. Then the traps are paid for, experience is gained that can be used on the next small mole job and everyone is a winner.

[Bobba_fett 117]

 

fair point but i dont think sorting out your own or the person next doors mole problem is "out to take food from the mouths of hard working pros". Thats like saying washing your own car is taking food from the mouth of the guy at the car wash. I think not I didn't mean to have a go at all pest controlers most just this self righteous eejit.

 

Well Bobba, I think it's people like you that are ruining this forum.

 

Lets get this right; this isn't someone doing a favour for a neighbour, he is asking what the 'going rate' is to do a commercial job.

 

I'm protective of my profession. I know that upsets some 'wannabies' but after over twenty years in the game, I'm fed up with people thinking that pest control is just easy money.

 

To survive in this day and age you have to be not only trained, but also qualified. That takes lots of dedication and money, and to have people undercut you, or take the easy jobs from under your nose gets more than a little tiring.

 

I'm not too badly effected by it personally, because I've got a sound business that employs two people - but it hasn't always been like that.

 

I know of plenty of guys (some on here) that are just starting out on their own. They are doing everything properly; getting trained, taking exams, paying for insurance, getting all their paperwork right, etc.

 

Just recently, I've got a new business started up near me. The clown is offering to do three visits for rodents for £30. That's £10 for each visit: now I ask you; how can anyone do a proper job for that kind of money?

 

I've had a gardener locally who has decided that mole catching can't be too difficult. He's charging £10 per mole to clear gardens. Now your average garden job takes three visits (one to set traps, one to check them, and one to make sure the mole is clear and lift the traps). Most gardens are one or two moles at most, so that's £20 for three visits. A month or so ago I had to sort out a job where this gardener had failed miserably.

 

As for your comparisons of a grouse moor, you are way off the mark. There is a big difference between predator control and public health pest control.

 

I'm not sure why you (and a few others) think that pest control is a 9-5 job that is easy. It isn't. Being on call 24/7 and having to schedule routine visits in with call outs and follow up visits often results in long hours being worked, often on weekends and bank holidays.

 

I'll just quote myself from an earlier post to clarify what my opinions are:

 

 

I DO have a problem with people trying to make a quick buck out of a professional service

 

I DO have a problem with people coming on here asking 'how much to catch moles'

 

I DO have a problem with people fecking about with rats in their own home

 

I DO have a problem with untrained, unqualified, uninsured people using toxic baits

 

 

However,

 

I DO NOT have any problem with people killing pests for sport

 

I DO NOT have any problem with people who make and use traps and snares for food

 

I DO NOT have a problem with people who kill rural pests on their permissions

 

I DO NOT have a problem with people who control predators to protect game

 

 

I know that people often don't want to be told that they shouldn't be doing whatever, but I make a living out of pest control, and I've seen many, many people who've tried to do the same and failed.

 

Tonight, we've had two threads on here asking for help to do what is a commercial job of work. I'm sorry if anyone is upset that I won't give all the answers they are asking for, but that's life.

 

If anyone genuinely wants to get into pest control, I'll happily help them (as several members of this forum know). What I won't do, is to give any chancer that pops up here a short cut - especially if by doing so, they are risking their own health and safety, and/or doing something that should be being done by a trained and competent professional.

 

Sorry.

 

You (and others) may not agree with my opinions, but I'm sure there is no need for the personal abuse that gets hurled about on here at every opportunity.

 

Once upon a time, this was the best part of THL. Is anyone surprised that so many good posters have either stopped posting or left?

 

By all means disagree with me, but please do not try and insult me.

+

 

I couldn't really give a toss about your sob story, the fact is i didn't like the way you were treating other members and took a stand. the reason no one post on this part of the forum is because there are people like you shooting them down.

[Matt 160]

I couldn't really give a toss about your sob story, the fact is i didn't like the way you were treating other members and took a stand. the reason no one post on this part of the forum is because there are people like you shooting them down.

 

Sob story????

 

Go back and read what I wrote:

 

I'm not too badly effected by it personally, because I've got a sound business that employs two people - but it hasn't always been like that.

 

It's not me that's effected. It's the good guys who are just starting out (properly).

 

As for my comments stopping others from posting - you are full of shite.

 

Why do you think the likes of Moletrapper, Ditchshitter and many, many more no longer post on here? It's because this place is full of kids, wannabies, chancers and dickheads. You adding to that by posting insults just proves the case.

 

If anyone wants to know how good this section used to be, just go back a fifty pages and look at some of the good stuff that used to be on here.

 

That is my final post on the subject.

[billbroon 9]

Look guys i didnt meant to start argument here. The woman who asked me lives on the estate i work on so she knows me, and knows i do the rabbits on the estate so she asked if i could do here moles and how much it would cost, i said i didnt have traps so she said find out the going rate and a will pay you for it ,so ive invested in some traps to have a go. As for training im in talks with elmwood college near me who do a vermin control course which im going to take. Ive been talking to TWO PROFESIONAL PEST CONTROLLERS who im friends with and get my ferrets from and there taking me out to show me how to set some traps and that. SO, dont get over HEATED thinking im in it for the money this is somthing im INTERESTED in. DONT forget your on a hunting site anyway, most people on here are PEST CONTROLERS in one way or another, PAID or NOT. To be honest im getting more than enough help now so you know where to stick your SMUG COMMENTS!!!

atb Billy....... FUTURE PEST CONTROLER OF THE WORLD

[comanche 3,076]

I think that historically on a proffessional level the supposed "Dark Art of Mole Grinning" has been jealously kept within families who kept their knowledge and trapping grounds very much at heart . Woe betide any pecieved challenger who stepped over the undrawn boundaries or who hoped for a short-cut to Talpidean knowledge.

Now that traditional mole bothering is making a big come-back the old attitudes and quaint ,almost Masonic , secrecy are becoming more apparent as well.

Those who see an internet-connection as the only tool you need when it comes to gathering wisdom may find this attitude frustrating .

 

 

However ,as billbroon has found out there are those willing to help those who help themselves and I wish him luck.

Those who seek a short-cut to The Knowledge will not benefit from the wisdom that grows amongst the rocks of the longer path .

 

Er, Grasshopper

Edited June 10, 2010 by comanche

[Guest bluemink]

I think anyone who wants to know how to trap moles, or any other animals for that matter, should ring up an experienced person and ask if they could show them how its done. That's how I learnt