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What comes to mind when you think of pest control? The reality is far more complex and challenging than you might imagine.
As we celebrate 100 years of service, we're pulling back the curtain. We asked our global team of technicians to share the real stories behind their work, gathering insights from our experts in the US, Colombia, Ireland, Norway, Kuwait, China and many more. Join us for an inside look at what it truly takes to be a pest control expert on the front lines.
We had to ask our technicians how they would describe their job in one word. If they had to summarise everything they do, every challenge they meet and every solution they provide in just a single word, what would that word be? The responses were as varied as the job itself.
While some words highlighted the nature of the work, with ‘challenging’ and ‘interesting’ appearing frequently, others pointed to the skills required, like ‘innovation’, ‘curiosity’ and being ‘experts’. But perhaps the most telling answers were the simplest, capturing the core purpose — ‘health’ and ‘hygiene’ — and the sheer enjoyment of such a career, with words like ‘fun’ and, from Mayowa Onadipe, simply ‘Netflix’, referring to the drama and variety of the role.
These individual words give us a snapshot of the job but the reality is shaped by a world of challenges that differ dramatically from one continent to the next. So, we asked our technicians to explain the specific creatures and conditions that make their jobs demanding.
Climate and environment are often the most powerful influences. In hot, muggy and tropical places like Florida, our teams are in a constant battle with American roaches and rodents seeking shelter. In Thailand, the challenge is the seasonal variation; as Preetibut Tangwattanasunthorn explains, “Different pests tend to emerge depending on the time of year — especially flying insects, which change a lot from season to season.” This can even lead to unique pest behaviours, such as the "Khatem Abou Sleiman" worm found in parts of the Middle East, which emerges from the mud in huge numbers after a rain shower is followed by just an hour of sun.
This environmental pressure results in each region having its own "most wanted" list of pests. For our teams in Portugal and Dubai, bed bugs are a primary concern. In Norway, the focus is often on ants and wasps, while in Israel, the primary fight is against cockroaches and rats. Sometimes, a region presents a truly distinctive challenge, as Chen Qinqin, a technician in China, explains: "A localised pest issue in our region is centipedes.”
But the challenges aren't always the pests themselves; sometimes they are logistical or even cultural. One of the biggest hurdles in a populated city like Lagos, Nigeria, is the severe traffic, which can make simply reaching a client a difficult task. In other areas, the challenge is regulatory, with limited ministry-approved solutions available. Often, the human element is the most complex factor for example, when tackling wider societal issues with sanitation and waste disposal that allow pest populations to thrive.
This global perspective clearly shows that truly effective pest management requires a holistic understanding of every factor at play, from the local environment to the on-the-ground human realities.
Beyond adapting to regional pests, technicians often face truly unforgettable situations. Let’s delve into some of the most interesting pest control stories around the world, as experienced firsthand by our experts.
Sometimes, a job is memorable simply due to the overwhelming scale of the infestation. Angela Miller recalls an early job dealing with a rodent infestation where there were over 200 rodents. Another expert in China, Chen Qinqin, describes the unforgettable sight of "swarms of dark, fluttering moths" during a space spray treatment for drain flies. These large-scale problems often happen in hidden places, like the severe cockroach infestation a team of colleagues resolved in the narrow, complex spaces of an old wall partition.
Other stories are unforgettable for their moments of drama. Colin Beirne in Ireland recalls treating a huge wasp nest on a tractor, located right beside the steering wheel. Another had to deal with a hornets' nest in a drain at a school and was chased by a couple of hundred angry hornets. Watch the video below to hear the full story from Christopher Reeves.
Perhaps the most intense story comes from Bilal Al.Ayyal in Lebanon who, after a rat jumped on his client, was accidentally locked in a toilet with the cornered, aggressive rodent. With no equipment and a distressed client on the other side of the door, he had to rely purely on his quick thinking and training to resolve the situation single-handedly.
But not all unforgettable moments are about the drama; many are about challenges and satisfying solutions. Several technicians mentioned the experience of performing pest control on a cruise ship, a complex environment with strict safety protocols that not all experts get to handle. Sometimes, the most unforgettable moments are about making a tangible difference in someone's life. Ricardo Félix, a technician in Portugal, recalls a job involving bird control on solar panels where the real issue wasn't just the birds, but that the client, a woman living there, had been unable to sleep from the noise. After the solution was in place, she was so grateful for the return of her peace and quiet that she kept ringing to say thank you. That direct feedback, knowing they’ve genuinely enhanced someone's wellbeing, is one of the most rewarding aspects of our technicians’ jobs.
Finally, some stories stick in mind because they highlight the surprising intelligence and persistence of the pests themselves. Ahmet Şamil Özkan from Turkey explains that the team captured a marten in a warehouse and released it 20–30 kilometres away, only for the same animal to find its way back just one week later. In Ghana, Chris mentions a team tackling a rodent infestation at an animal feed company faced a tricky challenge — the fish and corn in the factory were more attractive to the rodents than any bait they could offer, requiring a completely different strategic approach.
In Portugal, Ricardo Félix explains it was black rats in the food industry that were evading us and our team of technicians needed to come up with a plan B when the rodents refused to eat the bait.
Sometimes, the most effective solutions go beyond the pest itself and involve a strong partnership with our clients. For example, a persistent rodent problem in Ireland was resolved not just with traps, but by a collaborative process where Colin Beirne worked with the site's management to refine staff procedures, creating a long-term solution. Similarly, when a customer had wood beetles in expensive furniture, the solution was a delicate partnership, balancing effective treatment with the need to protect valuable property and maintain complete trust.
And finally, there are the challenges that require real courage. For example, Chen Qinqin recalls the fear of encountering a venomous green bamboo viper. Check out the video below to hear the story.
Bilal Al.Ayyal became a local hero when he single-handedly dealt with a 1.5-metre snake that had appeared in the middle of a project, terrifying residents. It’s in these moments — whether facing a venomous snake, a persistent bird or a mysterious infestation — that the skill and determination of our technicians are truly tested.
Now that we’ve pulled back the curtain, you’ve seen the complex reality at the heart of our 100 years of service. It's a world of constant adaptation — to new climates, unique regional pests and difficult logistical hurdles. The unwavering factor in all of it is the skill of our technicians, who turn these immense challenges into successful solutions for our customers. This is the expertise that has defined our first century and will lead us into the next. Join us in celebrating our 100-year journey here.
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