PestTech Was a Busy Autumn Event for UK Professionals

Published November 18, 2019

Editor’s note: PestTech 2019, the UK pest control industry’s autumn event organized by the National Pest Technicians Association (NPTA) was held Nov. 6, at the Arena MK, Milton Keynes, UK. Only a one-day event, visitor numbers were brisk throughout, the sun shone and everyone was in a positive mood. Frances McKim, editor of Pest magazine, provided PCT with the following report.

This was the second year running that PestTech was held at the Arena MK at Milton Keynes. Centrally located within the UK, with good transport links, a large car park and good facilities, everyone seemed very happy with the venue.

With just 49 booths this exhibition might appear small by PestWorld standards, but it does mean visitors have a good chance of visiting all the booths. And with just over 1,000 visitors, exhibitors were kept busy throughout the day.

Running concurrently to the exhibition was a series of technical seminars. One thing stood out about these was all of the sessions had much more to do with safeguarding wildlife and/or preventing the invasion of pests, than they did about actual treatments and control.

For anyone looking in at the industry from outside, this focus on wildlife and prevention would have been surprising. Sessions on how to ensure pest controllers avoid disturbing bats and non-lethal ways of dealing with feral bees, don’t fit with the public perception of the pest control industry as, essentially, ‘just killers’ and yet, these sessions were extremely well attended.

Within the exhibition all the big international companies had stands, as well as all the UK pest control distributors. Accompanying these were the other UK-based manufacturers of products plus a small number of overseas exhibitors, such as Bell Laboratories, Kness and Woodstream from the U.S. Making their debut appearance was Sewatech from Denmark with their sewer rodent blocker products.

Exhibitions always provide a great opportunity to release new products. New LED-based fly killing machines were much in evidence with models released from PestWest, Pelsis, Bower and 1env Solutions. On the rodenticide front, new Storm Ultra Secure, a 25ppm block, based on flocumafen from BASF attracted much attention.

The busy day was rounded off with the traditional Pest Control News dinner, which this year had a carnival theme.

PestTech certainly seems to have made a hit with the organizers too, as the venue is already booked for Nov. 11, 2020.

Below is a photo gallery from PestTech 2019 (all photos courtesy of Frances McKim).