Ark are proud holders of the UKAS iso 9001 and iso 14001 accreditations.

What is iso 9001 and iso 14001?

Accreditation by UKAS demonstrates the competence, impartiality and performance capability of these evaluators. In short, UKAS ‘checks the checkers’. UKAS is a non-profit-distributing private company, limited by guarantee. UKAS is independent of Government.

UKAS accreditation provides an assurance of the competence, impartiality and integrity of conformity assessment bodies. UKAS accredited certification, testing, inspection and calibration reduces the need for suppliers to be assessed by each of their customers.

You can learn more on the UKAS website here: https://www.ukas.com

Well, we’ve certainly got mutant rats, but they’re probably not as big as some would like to believe. These are the growing numbers of rats resistant to many of our baits. But do they still pose such a threat now that we can use ‘resistance – busting’ products outside as well as inside buildings? Almost certainly not, so we can cross that one off our lists – for now.

How about the venomous spiders, like the false widow spiders that are now to be found throughout the UK? Well, there’s a clue in the name ‘false’ widow. Yes they can bite, but they are not quite the threat of their cousins, the black widows.

They’ve been in the UK since 1879 and they haven’t killed anyone yet. A few people claim to have received nasty bites, but far more people are badly affected by wasp stings every year. These spiders are perhaps not the danger that some would have us believe.

The ‘Killer Asian Hornets’ have certainly invaded France and caused havoc with bee keepers there, so are almost invariably going to cross the Channel and cause similar problems here. They are believed to have arrived in France in 2003 as hibernating queens, in a shipment of plant pots, so they have the same potential to find their way here.

They are, however, smaller than our native hornet and whilst they can certainly pack a sting, as they tend to nest high up in trees, they probably don’t have quite the same potential for harming humans as our native wasps.

Their biggest threat will be to beekeepers and their hives, which will need to be dealt with.

So what will be the biggest challenge for pest controllers of the future?

Our money is on the humble House Mouse

Already causing major headaches for pest controllers in many parts of the country, there are populations that are resistant to all but the most potent anticoagulants, whilst others are strangely neophobic and avoid going into bait stations and walk around traps.

If glue traps get banned (which is a threat that the Pest Management Alliance is fighting), then gaining control of these ‘super mice’ will become even harder.

Never underestimate these little pests. Use all of the tools you have available, to monitor, track, exclude and control.

We’ve all seen the videos of the incredible swarms of mice in Australia. Could that be the future for us too?

Super Mice the real danger!

Article from NPTA Today’s Technician

http://www.npta.org.uk/

To compliment our pest control and contract cleaning services we also offer a fantastic bulk waste removal service, removing all types of waste and rubbish for housing associations, managing agents, business owners, home owners and anything in between.

Get an instant estimate.

To simplify the process we have developed an online tool to enable you to get an instant quote online, just complete a few simple questions step by step and we will give you an estimate on what it will cost for us to come to your premises and remove your waste.

The estimation tool and more information on our rubbish removal services can be found here.

We are proud to announce that as of today we are officially accredited as a Living Wage employer. The Living Wage commitment will see everyone working here at Ark Pest Control, regardless of whether they are direct employees or third-party contracted staff; receive a minimum hourly wage of £8.75 in the UK or £10.20 in London. Both of these rates are significantly higher than the statutory minimum for over 25s of £7.50 per hour introduced in April 2017.

About the Living Wage Foundation

The Living Wage is an hourly rate set independently and updated annually. The real Living Wage is calculated according to the basic cost of living in the UK. Employers choose to pay this wage on a voluntary basis. The real Living Wage enjoys cross-party support.

The UK Living Wage for outside of London is currently £8.75 per hour. The London Living Wage is currently £10.20 per hour. This figure covers all boroughs in Greater London. These figures are calculated annually by the Resolution Foundation and overseen by the Living Wage Commission, based on the best available evidence on living standards in London and the UK.

The Living Wage Foundation recognises and celebrates the leadership shown by Living Wage employers across the UK. There are currently over 3,600 accredited employers. We are an initiative of Citizens UK. We believe that a hard day’s work deserves a fair day’s pay. We support responsible employers to voluntarily go further than the government minimum and pay the real Living Wage, to all their staff, so they can earn enough to meet the cost of living.

We receive guidance and advice from the Living Wage Advisory Council. The Foundation is supported by our principal partners: Aviva; Burberry; GSK; IKEA; Joseph Rowntree Foundation; KPMG; Linklaters; Nationwide; Nestle; People’s Health Trust; Resolution Foundation; Oxfam; Trust for London; and Queen Mary University of London.

What about the Government’s national living wage?

In July 2015 the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced that the UK Government would introduce a compulsory ‘national living wage’. This new government rate is a new minimum wage rate for staff over 25 years old. It was introduced in April 2016 and the rate is £7.50 per hour as of April 2017. The rate is separate to the Living Wage rate calculated by the Living Wage Foundation. The government rate is based on median earnings while the Living Wage Foundation rate is calculated according to the cost of living.

To find out more about the living wage on their website: www.livingwage.org.uk

Ark’s Danny Tavener has been awarded level 2 RSPH/BPCA in Pest Management, excellent news and a huge congratulations to Danny from all the team at Ark in becoming fully recognised to the industry standard.

What is the RSPH Level 2 Award in Pest Management?

Consisting of three units, this Level 2 qualification is designed to provide an understanding of public health pests and their management. It fulfils the legal requirement relating to the training of pest control technicians as set out in the Control of Pesticides Regulations 1986. Whilst not intended exclusively for people working in pest management, candidates who are, or are intending to be, so employed will be better equipped to carry out their professional duties safely, efficiently and humanely. The syllabus covers the management of rodents, non-rodent mammals, birds and invertebrates, health and safety and accident prevention, legislation and customer care.

You can learn more on the RSPH website here.

A huge congratulations to Keith Geisha who has passed the Royal Society for Public Health Level 2 award in Pest Management this month. Keith who joined the Ark team in October 2014 has worked extremely hard over the years and has now gained the accolade of being fully recognised to the industry standard. Well done Keith!

What is the RSPH Level 2 Award in Pest Management?

Consisting of three units, this Level 2 qualification is designed to provide an understanding of public health pests and their management. It fulfils the legal requirement relating to the training of pest control technicians as set out in the Control of Pesticides Regulations 1986. Whilst not intended exclusively for people working in pest management, candidates who are, or are intending to be, so employed will be better equipped to carry out their professional duties safely, efficiently and humanely. The syllabus covers the management of rodents, non-rodent mammals, birds and invertebrates, health and safety and accident prevention, legislation and customer care.

You can learn more on the RSPH website here.

Ark are pleased to announce they will be working in partnership with Moat Housing Association over the next 3 years. We will be providing our expert pest control and management services to the homes and residents of Moat across the South East. We are very much looking forward to fulfilling our commitment of providing our first class and unrivaled services to them, on what we hope will be a long standing relationship.

About Moat

“Moat is a housing association working across South East England to provide high quality homes and services to around 20,000 customers. For fifty years we have sought to help people in housing need to have somewhere they can call home; somewhere they can be proud of.”

You can read more on Moat here.

Learn more about our pest control services here.

Fantastic News! Tony Green one of our longest serving Technicians has passed the Royal Society for Public Health Level 3 Diploma in Pest Management. He is one of only 4 in the UK to achieve what is considered the “Gold Standard” in pest control.

Tony, who did his qualification through Killgerm said, “I am very. very happy to have done this and feel it’s a feather in my cap. It feels great to be one of only 4 people with this qualification and a spin-off from doing this is that i have learnt so much on the way. This has made me not only a much better informed pest controller but also a much more confident pest controller. Killgerm has been excellent throughout and my mentor has helped me enormously.”

What is the RSPH level 3 diploma?

The level 3 qualification is for pest control technicians who wish to progress within the industry. The Qualification will enable pest controllers to specialies in a particular branch of pest management and will enable successfull candidates to demonstrate their advanced knowledge and expertise of pest control.