Blog

Are you cyber-secure?

A few years ago, we were expecting an invoice to be paid and the money never turned up in our account. This was surprising because the payee was reputable and could always be relied upon to pay on time. What…

Are you getting what you pay for?

A few years ago I wrote a blog in which I told the story of how I was driving to a business luncheon with the Sutton United Business Club and I saw a sign offering wasps’ nest removal for £35. At the time I…

Being green: small things make a big difference

Sustainability is a lot more than just a trendy term businesses use to look caring. In my opinion, too many companies make statements about being green but can’t back them up. This ‘greenwashing’ must stop. We…

Your 2022 resolutions for pest control

The dawning of a new year is a time when many of us reflect on what has been and what will be. Resolutions are a great way to focus the mind on what we would like to do better, and that can include pest…

Why being green matters?

With the conclusion of COP26 in Glasgow and the furore surrounding sewage discharge into UK rivers, the environment is certainly making headline news at the moment.  As a company, sustainability and our impact…

Can you afford to fail at preventive pest control?

It has certainly been quite a week. As I was heading home to write this very blog someone crashed their motorbike in front of me. They were thrown across the bonnet of my car, smashing their head into my…

Be bold and succeed in business

Cleankill recently reached a milestone – we took on our 50th employee – something of which I’m really proud.  That’s not the only milestone we’ve reached in the last few months as, in April, our contract…

Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it’s a Cockchafer

May was certainly a strange month. Last year, as we all went into Lockdown 1.0, the weather was glorious and everyone turned to the barbecue. This year the story was very different, with Spring 2021 being one…

Restaurants: Don’t Close Before You Reopen

In recent weeks, we’ve published several articles, blogs and social media posts reminding businesses about the importance of remembering preventive pest control when getting ready to reopen. This week, one…

Never Stop Training

I’m pleased to report we recently retained our Gold Investors in People Award following an exhaustive audit. We were the first English pest control company to receive gold certification, in 2018. It’s…

Surviving as a Rat

“Now, I’m a simple creature. I don’t want much from life, just somewhere safe to sleep, a little bit of warmth and, of course, access to water and food. Even when it comes to food, I’m not that fussy. Whatever…

What do you know about wasps?

We’ve just posted two stories about wasps on our social media sites and what is interesting is that, while one conforms to our stereotypical image of the wasp, the second article completely goes against our…

What 2020 Taught Me

New Year is a good time to reflect on the old and consider the new. Certainly, when I look back on 2020 it is with mixed feelings because it has been impossible to escape (literally) the impact of COVID-19. I…

No Time for Chicken Licken

At the end of September, Bank of England economist Andy Haldane said: “Now is not the time for the economics of Chicken Licken. My concern at present is that good news on the economy is being crowded out by…

Why I like bats

I’ve just renewed Cleankill Pest Control’s Corporate Membership of the Bat Conservation Trust and it got me thinking about our flying, mammalian friends. In recent months, because of COVID-19, bats have…

Wasp problems

I was recently doing some number crunching to see how things had developed during lockdown and I came across an astonishing fact – our business has seen a 23% increase in callouts relating to wasps! Between 1…

Eleven years of pigeon guano

There is an old Yorkshire saying, “where there's muck there's brass!” After the job we have just finished, I can certainly confirm that muck means work…hard work. I’ll pass you over to our sales manager Mike…

“Oh, rats!” – Why are there more callouts for rats during lockdown?

Last week we were approached by ITV’s This Morning to talk about lockdown, rats and mice. This comes off the back of several newspaper articles about increases in rodent problems, which is something about…

Pest control and COVID-19 – a managing director’s story…

Our financial year ended on the 31 January 2020 with over 30% turnover growth over the previous year…profits had also grown accordingly…a company that we had bought in Bristol the previous year was ready to…

Being ready for the end of lockdown

On the 20th April 2020, the British Pest Control Association (BPCA) published the results of a survey which revealed a ‘surge’ in pest activity during the COVID-19 pandemic. The survey revealed 51% of pest…