No Money In Pest Control!

[mole trapper 1,693]

States over weight Muppet in airgun shooter magazine! Not only that, most of us do it as a second job because we can't make enough money at it. Yet throughout his ramblings purports to be a pro pest controller, professional etc, but uses cheap gear because it would not pay for itself if he bought quality kit.

Maybe if he spent less time trying to get glorification from writing article for a magazine and maybe get thirty quid, he would make more money spending time doing what he proclaims to be.

This begs the question, what constitutes a pro pest controller? To my mind it's someone with a minimum qualification of rsph/bpca level2, makes their living solely from pest control and has done for a minimum of 5 years but better still 10+

There is oceans of work and good money there for the taking, this trend of everyone claiming to be a pro pesty, but are really messers without proper qualifications or insurance really make my piss boil.

[smithie 2,443]

if i was to get minimum qualification of rsph/bpca level2 im sure there would be better pest controlers out there with no qualification but a skill and tallent to bring home the corn

 

qualifactions are not everything.. a pro is somebody who gets paid. some pro's will be good and some will be poo

 

just my opinion im not a pesti.

[ChrisJones 7,975]

I've made a pretty decent living in pest control. I won't be buying a Bentley any time soon, but I have a decent paying job that I really love to do.

 

Being qualified is important. So is being experienced. Both come with time.

 

If you wanted to jump in, straight away, getting on with a national company will get you both.

 

This writer, in the airgun mag, that can't make any money in pest control, isn't doing it right. If he's waiting for all the pigeon/rabbit shooting, airgun jobs, he'll not have enough money to keep his lights switched on.

 

If he knows as much about inner city rat and cockroach problems, as he does writing about airguns, he'll never be out of work in pest control.

[d6k 11]

Been pesting for over 5 years now, I do just about hold down another job as well but am going to go full time next year now I have a decent customer base. I know very little about rural pesting, trapping and snaring etc and never get too involved with that side of the job as it just doesn't interest me that much. I do a bit but 90% of my work is public health pest control.

 

Got scores of qualifications so far, doing the level 3 in april and then going to push on to field biologist level. Not because I will make more money but because I enjoy the biology / chemistry side of the job more than the killing.

 

I know guys who are great pesters but don't make a lot of money because they are pest controllers not salesmen. Then there are the guys who don't know one end of rat from another and make a fortune because they are good businessmen.

 

Changes are coming soon and there will be a minimum qualification set, which will help a little but as some of the suppliers are involved its likely to be a very low minimum standard.

 

Pesting is a great job but as with any business it takes a long time to get established. Killing stuff is the easy bit learning how to run a business is what takes time and is the reason that most sole trader pest businesses fail.

[jack68 628]

Been pesting for over 5 years now, I do just about hold down another job as well but am going to go full time next year now I have a decent customer base. I know very little about rural pesting, trapping and snaring etc and never get too involved with that side of the job as it just doesn't interest me that much. I do a bit but 90% of my work is public health pest control.

 

Got scores of qualifications so far, doing the level 3 in april and then going to push on to field biologist level. Not because I will make more money but because I enjoy the biology / chemistry side of the job more than the killing.

 

I know guys who are great pesters but don't make a lot of money because they are pest controllers not salesmen. Then there are the guys who don't know one end of rat from another and make a fortune because they are good businessmen.

 

Changes are coming soon and there will be a minimum qualification set, which will help a little but as some of the suppliers are involved its likely to be a very low minimum standard.

 

Pesting is a great job but as with any business it takes a long time to get established. Killing stuff is the easy bit learning how to run a business is what takes time and is the reason that most sole trader pest businesses fail.

 

 

very well put ,,,atb

[dytkos 17,783]

States over weight Muppet in airgun shooter magazine! Not only that, most of us do it as a second job because we can't make enough money at it. Yet throughout his ramblings purports to be a pro pest controller, professional etc, but uses cheap gear because it would not pay for itself if he bought quality kit.

Maybe if he spent less time trying to get glorification from writing article for a magazine and maybe get thirty quid, he would make more money spending time doing what he proclaims to be.

This begs the question, what constitutes a pro pest controller? To my mind it's someone with a minimum qualification of rsph/bpca level2, makes their living solely from pest control and has done for a minimum of 5 years but better still 10+

There is oceans of work and good money there for the taking, this trend of everyone claiming to be a pro pesty, but are really messers without proper qualifications or insurance really make my piss boil.

You had a bad day today mate

 

Thanks for the job you did today

 

Cheers, D.

[IanB 0]

I cannot stand half the idiots who write in the magazines, 95% of it is utter garbage....Its all about talking shite and advertising crap gear as good gear..

 

I once bought a Harkila Pro Hunter jacket, but after seeing loads of complete clueless knobs in magazines wearing them as the latest hunting burberry I had to get rid..it just makes my skin crawl seeing these bell ends in them... you know the ones if you ever read or see any of the mags..

 

In a certain rifle mag its the same three tools writing about some daft safari they have been on..for free over & over again, drivel..

 

I thought everyone with a mouse trap and tin of fly spray was a pro

[budgie123 163]

So many people see qualification and accreditation to vast numbers of trade bodies as the be all and end all.

 

Give me a person who has an active interest in what he is doing and strives to resolve a problem what ever the task is and you will find a quality pest controller.

I suppose that can be said about any career.

 

 

I see totally unsafe and inappropriate treatments by these companies with all the qualification and accreditation's that in my opinion they are totally meaningless. One company I came across this year has more accreditation's than I have ever seen on there invoices.

The treatment they had done for ants was the worst unsafe and inappropriate use of insecticide that I have seen in 10 years. The information given about ant life cycle was total rubbish.

 

If you raise this issue with the trade bodies they are accredited to the standard response is it is just a rogue technician and we could all find issues with other peoples work if they respond at all.

 

These trade bodies have a vested interest in keeping these companies on board for the annual fee. That's just business.

 

As you say Pesttek things are changing but until there is some total independent evaluation of what people get up to nothing will change.

 

Do you thing the fee you pay annually for your membership of BPCA is good value for money Pesttek.

[Outlaw Pete 2,224]

I thought everyone with a mouse trap and tin of fly spray was a pro

 

 

IanB; I resent the implication of that remark! I'll have you know, sir, I am a consummate Professional!

 

 

[d6k 11]

 

As you say Pesttek things are changing but until there is some total independent evaluation of what people get up to nothing will change.

 

Do you thing the fee you pay annually for your membership of BPCA is good value for money Pesttek.

I think its good value the referrals I get more than pays for the subs, all my paperwork is audited as is my storage etc and the auditor visits one of my contract sites to make sure im doing things by the book. As im a sole trader I can't afford to get things wrong. Much of the bad work that goes on is usualy by lads working for the larger companies. To them its just a job they may have no particular intrest in the work its just a way to pay the bills.

 

All my bits of paper get me onto sites that I wouldn't be able to get on without, and thats where im trying to take my business.

 

The people who don't give a shit who comes to do the job are usually the ones with no money and what is doing as cheap as possible. Thats the work im not really interested in any more, I prefer to cream of the best jobs... the ones that want a propper job doing regardless of cost.

 

10 jobs a day at £30 or one at £300? I'll go for one job at £300 thanks

 

Its hard to turn down work when there isnt much coming in so guys get into the habit of focusing on undercutting the each other. I go the other way and make sure im charging more than the others. Most of the clients I visit have money to burn and have more confidence the work is getting done right if the cost is higher that the other local companies. People with money shop at waitrose even though the foods no better than at tescos they just think its better as it costs more.

 

My bpca membership and pile of paperwork enables me get into these types of places. I can often win a job just by showing a huge pile of certificates to show a know what im doing.

 

I'm not saying that some of the guys with no paperwork don't know what they are doing. It just proves that you have at least made the effort to learn.

 

ALso legislation is changing all the time all pest controllers should keep up to date with whats going on such as the recent changes to rodenticide labels.

 

Atb

 

Dave

Edited October 19, 2013 by d6k

[DIDO.1 22,584]

A pest controller from one of the biggest companies in the North was recently seen by a friend of mine randomly throwing poison blocks into undergrowth at a site they cover....my worry about new legislation is that it wont hurt these big companies plus we are being pushed by the cow boys who dont give a shit about legislation.

 

As time goes on though, as has been said, experience helps you gain those better contracts and once you gain that ability and knowledge then the whole game changes.

[ChrisJones 7,975]

Very little accountability in the industry.

 

You should see how some of the local authorities do their treatments. Stapling bags of rodenticide to trees, handing out brodi blocks, decanting insecticide into pop bottles...

 

Rules are great but if no one is enforcing them...

[Weedy 7]

An interesting thread guys. I past my level 2 around 2yrs ago and was considering working for myself, however an opportunity arose that was at the time and believed to be to good to miss. So took a position as a technician with a medium sized company. Am I so glad I did. The experience has certainly been an eye opener. Some of the things written above my comment are spot on. Sadly there is a lot of poor workmanship out there, and has already been stated driven by cutting prices time and time again. I too after doing what I have had to do believe that doing the job correctly out ways the price, and would rather walk away from a job that doesn't want to pay for it to be done in that manner.

[StephenWalsh 73]

And I have walked away from plenty of jobs where they tried to turn me over on the price. I quoted on a bird proofing job the other week where the (potential) customer wanted to know if the price included cleaning all the moss off her dilapidated roof - errr no! Or the farm who wanted me to get rid of the rats for "freebies" as they didn't want to pay - feck off!

[Mr Muddy 141]

If you charge the price you need to make an honest living and do the job well enough to get a referral or long term client you should be making at least some money.

 

Qualifications can be worthless if your customers have never heard of them (unless you actually need the training).

Too many trade association logos can make companies look like they‘re trying to compensate for something.

Even relying on years of experience could leave someone buggered if they loose sight of current legislation (if anyone’s actually policing it).

 

For my money the mark of a professional tradesman is someone who listens to their customers, thinks a job through properly and doesn’t cut corners just for the sake of a low quote.

 

I’ve even met people who can make a good living by specialising in one small area of pest control, but it looks like being a fat, air gunning, magazine contributor just isn’t one of them

Edited December 17, 2013 by Mr Muddy