Humane Pest Control in London

August 05, 2024 / By Bob Williams

Our cherished homes should be a haven, free from the disruptions and disturbances caused by unwelcome pests. However, whilst pest control is a necessary aspect of living in an urban environment, it can be done in a more humane and less toxic way. There are many methods of pest control available, some of which have no impact at all on animal welfare and others that can be highly effective with little impact.

The kinder approach to humane pest control in London is to deter animals from entering your property in the first place and this is possible for many pests, including rodents. You can plant fragrant herbs such as lavender, thyme and eucalyptus around your garden or house to repel mice, rats, squirrels and moles, and you can also use natural pest repellent sprays. The most effective repellents are made from essential oils and you can buy them from specialist garden centres.

In some cases it is necessary to trap and kill unwanted animals but the most important consideration in this case is that any animal caught is killed as quickly and as humanely as possible with minimum suffering. Rats and mice are sentient animals (Defra 2021) meaning that they can experience pain, anxiety and fear so any method of managing them must minimise their welfare impact. It is a criminal offence to fail to check traps and to allow trapped rats and mice to suffer. Glue traps should be used only by professional pest controllers and they must be checked regularly so that animals can be released uninjured. It is also a criminal offence to kill a trapped rodent with a blow to the head. UFAW strongly advises that you only capture and release rodents in suitable outdoor locations.

If you must catch rodents, it is a good idea to use high quality snap traps that will cause an instant and humane death. This is the best option for rats and mice but you should always ensure that any trapped animals are immediately released if they appear healthy, or killed humanely with a concussive blow to the head if they have been caught in a glue trap.

Poisoning rodents can have a markedly inhumane impact on their welfare and releasing poisoned animals into the wild is likely to result in the deaths of other wildlife such as birds, mammals and insects. It is a criminal offence to poison a wild animal and you should only ever poison them with a licenced professional.

It’s worth pointing out that it is a criminal offence to poison domestic pets and you should only ever call in a licensed veterinary surgeon or your local council’s environmental health department to deal with any issues involving pet or domestic pests. A reputable pest control service will be well-trained to the Royal Society for Public Health Level 2 in Pest Management and should follow the Confederation of European Pest Control Associations (CEPA) Code of Conduct. They should be able to provide proof of their qualifications and membership of CEPA, which is an internationally recognised standard for pest control companies.