Rob: Hi Pat, How Are You?
Pat: All Good Thanks Rob, Guess You Will Be Wanting A Coffee ?
Rob : Of course, 2 Sugars Please, What You Been Up To?
Pat: Late Night Last Night, I Was Still Working At 9 O’clock At A Golf Club.
Rob: (Just To Explain To The Reader, Pat Is The Longest Serving Member Of Our Staff At Pestwise, Apart From Me Plus An Old Friend)
Rob: Where Were You ‘Till That Time?
Pat: I Was Called Out To Northants County Golf Club To Deal With A Wasp Nest, It Was In The Ground By The Third Tee And A Few Of The Golfers Had Been Stung, So It Was Pat To The Rescue.
Rob: We’ve Been ‘Looking After” That Particular Golf Club For Over 15 Years Now Mate And You’ve Done An Outstanding Job Of Keeping The Rabbits, Moles And Squirrels At A Managable Population.If You Remember, The Coarse Was Damaged Really Badly By The Rabbits And The Young Trees Were Almost All Destroyed By The Infestation Of Grey Squirrel’s. It Was Costing The Club A Lot Of Money To Keep On Repairing The Damage.
Pat: Yes, We Now Have A Nice Balance Of Wildlife There Now. Deer, Badgers & Foxes Have Been Spotted By The Golf Club Members And They Are Happy To See Them. We Get The Odd Problem With Moles & Rabbits Causing Havoc On The Greens Now And Then But It’s Rare.
Also, The Song Birds Have Made A Comeback Since The Grey Squirrels Have Be Controlled. We Now See Blue Tits, Great Tits, Woodpeckers And A Good Selection From The Finch Family, It Really Is A Beautiful Place To Work And Play Golf, If That’s Your Thing.
Rob: The Problem With Moles. How’s That Going?
Pat: On Going As Always With Moles. Because The Soil Is So Good, Mr Mole Will Always Be Around. We Have Successfully Controlled Them Over The Years But It’s An Ongoing Challenge.
Rob: Why Do You Enjoy Pest Control?
Pat: Most Of All, It’s What I’m Good At And It Gets Me Out And About, Meeting People.Contrary To Popular Belief, Pest Control Isn’t All About Killing Animals. If An Animal Is In The Wrong Place It Is Deemed A Pest.
Take Bees For Example, They Can Be Moved On. We Also Get A Lot Of Calls In The Summer Months From Customers Asking Us What Can We Do About The Bees In Their Garden, Up The Chimney, In Their Garage Or Shed, Or Indeed Their Golf Club?A Lot Of The Time Clients Has Misidentified The Species Of Hornet, Wasp Or Bee. So, We Are Able To “Put ‘Em Right”.If It’s Honey Bees That Are Causing The Problem, We Contact The Lads And Lassies From The Beekeepers Association And Let Them Deal With Rehoming Them.
Some Pests You Just Have To Learn To Live With, Like Mr Badger And Certain Birds, In The Nesting Season, We Also Tend Not To Disturb Foxes If At All Possible.
All Our Golf Club Clients Are Made Up Of Paying Members, Sometimes I Can Feel The Pressure With So Many Eyes On Me While I’m Work, If You Know What I Mean. Everybody Has An Opinion On Animals And The Preservation Of Nature These Days And Some Are Misinformed By So Called Experts Or “Tv Pundits” But I Must Say Everybody That I Come In To Contact With On The Golf Courses We Look After, Are Very Knowledgable And/Or Politely Curious.
Rob: Nice To Chat To You Pat. You Are Doing A Great Job, As Always. Keep Up The Good Work.
Cheers For The Coffee.
Summer is coming – time to breed (copy) (copy)July 3, 2026 - 5:27 PM
AN INTERVIEW WITH RICHARD SWANN- MANAGER OF THE MELTON MOWBRAY BRANCH
ROB: HI RICHIE HOW ARE YOU AND THE FAMILY MATE? BUSY?
RICHIE: YEAH, ALRIGHT MATE, THE WIFES OK AND THE KIDS ARE DOING FINE BUT GROWING UP TO FASY AS FOR WORK GETTING BUSY MATE
ROB: SO, APART FROM YOUR REGULAR SERVICE CONTRACTS, WHAT’S KEEPING SO BUSY?
RICHIE: WELL, SINCE THE WEATHERS WARMED UP, THE WASPS, ANTS, FLEAS, ETC HAVE PUT IN AN APPEARANCE. WE’VE HAD CALLS FROM PEOPLE WHO HAVE WASP NESTS IN THEIR ATTICS AND FOLKS WHO’S BBQ EVENING HAS BEEN SPOILT BY WASPS AND ANTS.
THE WORST CALL WE HAD WAS FROM AN OLDER LADY WHO HAD A WASP NEST IN HER GARAGE, IT WAS SO ACTIVE SHE COULDN’T GET IN TO HER CAR, SO PESTWISE TO THE RESCUE, AGAIN.
ROB: IS IT A PARTICULARLY BAD YEAR FOR WASPS AND BEES?
RICHIE: NOT REALLY. SOME YEARS THEY START EARLY, SAY JUNE/JULY AND GO RIGHT THROUGH TO OCTOBER. WE’VE EVEN TREATED WASP NESTS IN DECEMBER BUT USUALLY IT’S A SUMMER THING. I’VE NOTICED THAT THE EUROPEAN WASPS AND ASIAN HORNETS HAVE BEEN MORE PROLIFIC IN THE PAST COUPLE OF YEARS THOUGH AND MAKE SURE WE REPORT THEM TO THE RELEVANT PEOPLE
TO BE HONEST, IT’S JUST A CASE OF GETTING TO CUSTOMERS AS QUICK AS POSSIBLE AND SORTING THEIR PROBLEM OUT STRAIGHT AWAY, SOME PEOPLE HAVE A WASP NEST EVERY YEAR, THEY’RE JUST UNLUCKY I GUESS.
ROB: WHAT’S YOUR PLANS FOR THE FUTURE OF THE MELTON MOWBRAY OFFICE MATE?
HOW DO YOU PLAN TO HELP GROW THE BUSINESS?
RICHIE: WELL, WE HAVE A GOOD NAME IN BOTH THE NORTHAMPTONSHIRE & LEICESTERSHIRE AREA.PLUS AROUND HERE IN MELTON MOWBRAY, OAKHAM AND THE SURROUNDING VILLAGES WE ALSO GET A LOT OF REPEAT CUSTOMERS.
ON TOP OF THE “ONE OFF” CALL OUTS, WE OFFER A RODENT MONITORING PROGRAM FOR COMMERCIAL BUSINESSES & INDUSTRIAL PREMISES, STABLES, LARGE COUNTRY HOUSES AND THE LIKE, SO, TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION, I’D LIKE TO GET MORE CONTRACT WORK.
I’M NOT SURE HOW MANY PEOPLE REALISE HOW COST EFFECTIVE OUR RODENT MONITORING SERVICE IS.
OUR REGULAR RODENT MONITORING VISITS ENSURES THAT THE RATS AND MICE DON’T GET TO LARGE UNMANAGEABLE PROPORTIONS AND IT WORKS OUT A LOT CHEAPER THAN HAVING TO CALL OUT A PEST CONTROL COMPANY TO DEAL WITH AN INFESTATION.
ROB: KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK MATE, I’LL LET YOU GET BACK TO IT.
WHAT’S YOU’RE NEXT JOB TODAY?
RICHIE: BOTH ME AND CARL, MY RIGHTHAND MAN PLUS A VALUABLE MEMBER OF PESTWISE, ARE INSTALLING AT A NEW CUSTOMER PREMISES BAIT STATIONS AND INSECT MONITORS. THEN I NEED TO SET ABOUT DELIVERING ALL THE RELEVANT DOCUMENTS OUR CLIENT REQUIRES FOR HEALTH & SAFETY REASONS, INCLUDING RISK AND COSHH ASSESSMENTS, ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT, INSURANCE AND TRADE ASSOCIATION CERTIFICATES, DATA SHEETS AND THE LIKE.
SO THAT WILL KEEP US BUSY FOR THE MORNING THEN I GUESS WE WILL STOP FOR A COFFEE !!
IT’S BEEN GOOD TO SEE YOU ROB. ONCE I GET DONE TODAY I SHOULD BE ABLE TO ENJOY A FAMILY BBQ NOW THE GOOD WEATHER HAS ARRIVED – WASP FREE OF COURSE.
ROBS NOTES:
RICHARD HAS DONE A FANTASTIC JOB OF SETTING UP PESTWISE PEST CONTROL IN AND AROUND MELTON MOWBRAY AREA WITH THE INVALUABLE HELP OF CARL, THEY LOOK AFTER MANY SMALL & MEDIUM SIZE BUSINESS PREMISES AND HAVE ACQUIRED QUITE A FEW OF LARGER SITES OVER THE PAST TWELVE MONTHS. ALSO WE HAVE FEW CROSSOVER JOBS FOR A FEW COMPANIES THAT HAVE BUSINESSES IN BOTH COUNTIES
TOGETHER THEY ARE A BRILLIANT TEAM AND HAVE ESTABLISHED PESTWISE AS A RELIABLE AND COST EFFECTIVE SOLUTION TO SOLVING PEST PROBLEMS IN AROUND THE MELTON MOWBRAY/OAKHAM AREA. VERY WELL DONE LADS.
HAVE A COFFEE ON ME
Interview With: Pat Munns: A Technician Based At The Northamptonshire Office.
Rob: Hi Pat, How Are You?
Pat: All Good Thanks Rob, Guess You Will Be Wanting A Coffee ?
Rob : Of course, 2 Sugars Please, What You Been Up To?
Pat: Late Night Last Night, I Was Still Working At 9 O’clock At A Golf Club.
Rob: (Just To Explain To The Reader, Pat Is The Longest Serving Member Of Our Staff At Pestwise, Apart From Me Plus An Old Friend)
Rob: Where Were You ‘Till That Time?
Pat: I Was Called Out To Northants County Golf Club To Deal With A Wasp Nest, It Was In The Ground By The Third Tee And A Few Of The Golfers Had Been Stung, So It Was Pat To The Rescue.
Rob: We’ve Been ‘Looking After” That Particular Golf Club For Over 15 Years Now Mate And You’ve Done An Outstanding Job Of Keeping The Rabbits, Moles And Squirrels At A Managable Population.If You Remember, The Coarse Was Damaged Really Badly By The Rabbits And The Young Trees Were Almost All Destroyed By The Infestation Of Grey Squirrel’s. It Was Costing The Club A Lot Of Money To Keep On Repairing The Damage.
Pat: Yes, We Now Have A Nice Balance Of Wildlife There Now. Deer, Badgers & Foxes Have Been Spotted By The Golf Club Members And They Are Happy To See Them. We Get The Odd Problem With Moles & Rabbits Causing Havoc On The Greens Now And Then But It’s Rare.
Also, The Song Birds Have Made A Comeback Since The Grey Squirrels Have Be Controlled. We Now See Blue Tits, Great Tits, Woodpeckers And A Good Selection From The Finch Family, It Really Is A Beautiful Place To Work And Play Golf, If That’s Your Thing.
Rob: The Problem With Moles. How’s That Going?
Pat: On Going As Always With Moles. Because The Soil Is So Good, Mr Mole Will Always Be Around. We Have Successfully Controlled Them Over The Years But It’s An Ongoing Challenge.
Rob: Why Do You Enjoy Pest Control?
Pat: Most Of All, It’s What I’m Good At And It Gets Me Out And About, Meeting People.Contrary To Popular Belief, Pest Control Isn’t All About Killing Animals. If An Animal Is In The Wrong Place It Is Deemed A Pest.
Take Bees For Example, They Can Be Moved On. We Also Get A Lot Of Calls In The Summer Months From Customers Asking Us What Can We Do About The Bees In Their Garden, Up The Chimney, In Their Garage Or Shed, Or Indeed Their Golf Club?A Lot Of The Time Clients Has Misidentified The Species Of Hornet, Wasp Or Bee. So, We Are Able To “Put ‘Em Right”.If It’s Honey Bees That Are Causing The Problem, We Contact The Lads And Lassies From The Beekeepers Association And Let Them Deal With Rehoming Them.
Some Pests You Just Have To Learn To Live With, Like Mr Badger And Certain Birds, In The Nesting Season, We Also Tend Not To Disturb Foxes If At All Possible.
All Our Golf Club Clients Are Made Up Of Paying Members, Sometimes I Can Feel The Pressure With So Many Eyes On Me While I’m Work, If You Know What I Mean. Everybody Has An Opinion On Animals And The Preservation Of Nature These Days And Some Are Misinformed By So Called Experts Or “Tv Pundits” But I Must Say Everybody That I Come In To Contact With On The Golf Courses We Look After, Are Very Knowledgable And/Or Politely Curious.
Rob: Nice To Chat To You Pat. You Are Doing A Great Job, As Always. Keep Up The Good Work.
Cheers For The Coffee.
ACCREDITATIONS & CPD – WHY DO WE HAVE THEM & WHY DO WE NEED THEM?
Are you qualified to do your job? I mean really qualified.
Either by exam passes, training, regularly attending courses or just good old-fashioned experience and common-sense.
Read more
WHAT SHOULD WE EXPECT THIS SPRING & SUMMER?
Let’s hope so. But don’t be too disappointed if our quiet and happy times are interrupted by some Flies, Wasps, Bees, Ants, Etc.
Read more
Mice or Rats in the Sheds
Every year without fail, as the weather changes for the worse, the office phones ring with customer who have discovered Mouse or Rat droppings or damage in their garden sheds or garages.
Read more
Do not forget the little guys
Spring is soon upon us, lets not forget the little guys… those smaller pests which may seem harmless a first but can cause havoc in your family home.
Read more
It Will Soon Be Summer
We can all enjoy the promise of a warm summer. I get the feeling that we will be spending as much time as possible outside over the next few months. The gardens will be looking great and the BBQs will be on. However, one of Britain’s most feared and potentially aggressive pests, will be on the prowl – ‘THE WASP’.
Read more
Clearing Up After Pigeons – Case Study
Lee Branson of LB Contracts and the site manager of Woodley’s Yard in Higham Ferrers, Northants, called our offices to enquire about our Clearing Up After Pigeon Activity service. He had been recommended by a longstanding client of ours who had been very happy with our range of services over the years.
Lee had quite rightly recognised that, conditions inside the building, were unstable and dangerous for his maintenance crew to operate in a safe environment, so we arranged to meet with Lee on site and carry out a survey of the premises, completely free of charge, with a view to quoting him to solve his problem.
Read more
We Use Discreet Vehicles
We all have nosey neighbours on our street and we would all rather they didn’t find out that we may have a rodent issue or an insect infestation our property.
A lot of company’s plaster their services all over their vehicles in the hope of a neighbour or passer by sees it and calls them. Read more
Expansion Across Northampton
When we initially started trading, the immediate proximity of Rushden, Wellingborough and the surrounding villages was our projected catchment area. Read more