Year after year the pest control industry is growing as the demand for our services rises. The reasons for this are varied, but they all point to the same phenomenon; pest populations are expanding, and their numbers are growing exponentially.
In this article, we will have a closer look as to why this is happening, and why having access to a reliable pest service like ours is more important than ever. To speak to one of our operators, get in touch with us today on 0131 322 1291.
Why Are Pest Species Rising?
Populations
Pest species rely on human activity to flourish. Mice and rats need shelter, birds need structures to settle on, and cockroaches need food and scraps to eat. They are intrinsically linked to us; the more we build and produce, the more resources pests have to thrive.
The population of our species has increased by around 5 billion people in about 50-60 years. To accommodate all of these people we need to produce more food and build more properties to house them.
Additionally, a focus on urbanisation in our post-industrial world means that humans are much more concentrated than they used to be. Naturally, pests can make use of this trend, and they have plenty more opportunities to claim some territory and find some food.
Urbanisation and Housing
The rising populations, as mentioned, need somewhere to live. More and more people are moving to towns and cities for work, and this is expected to continue. The UN estimate that around 55% of the world live in urban environments, which is expected to rise by 10% by 2050.
Pest species will come with these new urban residents, and the problems associated with pests will also rise. So long as we keep building homes for people to move into, pests will also have new residences.
The Rise of Offices
As mentioned, the economy of the world is changing. Countries like the United Kingdom are moving away from industry, and instead, we are shifting towards a service-based economy with a large focus on offices rather than factories.
Offices are much more suitable for settling pests for a vast selection of reasons. Firstly, they are warmer, generally calmer, and they are a much better source for sustenance due to the number of people eating throughout the building.
Whether a pest settles in a factory or home can make or break their ability to survive and reproduce, but whether they settle in a home or office is almost entirely irrelevant. In other words, we are continually opening new facilities that they can take advantage of.
Climate Change
The vast majority of animals are affected significantly by the seasons. Humans are one of the very few animals who have reached a stage where the difference between winter and summer barely affects us in terms of our ability to survive.
However, pest species (especially insects) have lifecycles that are very closely linked to the changing seasons. As a result, climate change is making life a lot easier for many insects which rely on warmer seasons.
Last year, wasp populations saw record highs. A large part of this is because their season started so early; rather than waiting until the regular warming in late March or April, they began their breeding season in early February. The more the earth warms up, the easier a time pest species will have.
Additionally, rising temperatures will also make the UK a suitable home for many pest species that could never have survived here before. As one example, termites will likely be able to make a home here so long as temperatures stay in their current path.
Get in Touch
Rising human populations and the new infrastructure that comes with that means that pest problems are only going to get worse from here. However, companies like Edinburgh Pest Control Co. will be ready and waiting to tackle any issues that arise.
Pest control companies throughout the world have a responsibility to monitor the changing pest situations which can fluctuate from month to month, year to year, and decade to decade. It is vital that we all play our part in reporting these issues, a task that the public can help with.
Get in touch with us today if you are facing any form of pest issue, and we will send our talented and responsible technicians to pay you a visit. Call now on 0131 322 1291.
Alternatively, fill in our contact form, and we will be in touch as soon as possible.
