Pest Control Expert
Dr Colm Moore is the Technical Manager for Rentokil Pest Control Ireland. Colm has a very broad scientific background and technical expertise covering the fields of botany, biochemistry, chemistry, entomology, microbiology, mycology and zoology. Colm also has hands on experience in carrying out and coordinating pest control research projects in Ireland with great success and is looking forward to solving your pest control problems.
- What is your scientific background?
- What attracted you to work for Rentokil?
- What do you do as part of your job?
- What’s the biggest challenge for you?
- What do you see as the biggest challenge for the pest control industry in the next five years?
- You have a very broad interest in Irish Wildlife. How do you combine that with your job?
- Your Branches undertake many roles including training and quality control. What is the biggest job they face in the coming years?
What is your scientific background?
I graduated from University College Dublin with a 1st class honours degree (BSc (Hons)) in 1995 where I studied both Botany and Zoology in third year and majored in Botany in my final year. I went on to complete my PhD investigating the biology of an indoor timber decay fungus in the EU-funded Woodcare Project. During the course of this research I worked under the auspices of English Heritage and in partnership with groups from the UK, Ireland, Belgium and The Netherlands. The project was investigating an integrated pest management (IPM) approach for the control of Death Watch Beetle; a serious insect pest in Heritage buildings in the UK. Following on from this research, I completed a number of postdoctoral research projects. Working in the Department of Industrial Microbiology UCD, I worked on a food industry-funded project screening for novel extracellular enzymes produced by microorganisms for use in food processing. This work also involved protein isolation, purification and characterising techniques. More recently, I have completed a postdoctoral research project in the Department of Biology NUI Maynooth. Funded by COFORD and working in partnership with Coillte and The Galway Mayo Institute of Technology (GMIT) the project investigated the efficacy of biological control treatments for the large pine weevil, Hylobius abietis, the most serious forest insect pest In Europe.
What attracted you to work for Rentokil?
On seeing the advertisement in the national paper I decided to do my homework on the company and found their approach to pest control refreshing. Coming from an environmental background I was encouraged to see the amount of variety of Rentokil products on offer that were not relying on blanket spraying of pesticides etc. In particular, I was impressed with the Mouse Radar unit which is the most humane mousetrap on the market. Radar, once triggered, uses CO2 gas to kill mice rapidly and without any suffering of the animal and then tells you the trap has been triggered by emitting a series of flashing LED lights.
What do you do as part of your job?
In my role as Technical Manager I am charged with delivering Pest Control Solutions to our customers. In this respect I liaise with clients to help them meet their respective pest control needs in conjunction with their particular governing standards. Additionally, I coordinate, maintain and improve on the high standard of training that Rentokil Pest Control provides to its technical staff. I am also responsible for maintaining our Quality (ISO 9001:2000) as well as our Occupational Health and Safety Management System (OHSAS 18001:1999) accreditation standards.
What’s the biggest challenge for you?
The biggest challenge is developing new techniques and products to replace those no longer available to us due to regulatory restrictions and good environmental practice, while still maintaining control of certain pests.
What do you see as the biggest challenge for the pest control industry in the next five years?
The potential impact that the activities of the pest control industry have on the environment will continue to be one of the major issues we will need to continually address. Techniques, products and training to reduce as far as possible the risk to non-target species, particularly through secondary poisoning, and a greater awareness of the importance of biodiversity will be essential in the future. The greatest challenge will be to introduce these measures in a business environment where customers are asked for, and are increasingly demanding, pest-free conditions on their sites.
You have a very broad interest in Irish Wildlife. How do you combine that with your job?
Knowledge of the biology, habitats, signs of and evidence of animals, whether insects or vertebrates, is essential if we are to understand how they can be controlled. This is also the case if we are to avoid excessively damaging the environment and non-target species by adopting a more integrated pest management approach. In this respect I find it very easy to unite my interest in the environment with the job of managing pests.
Your Branches undertake many roles including training and quality control. What is the biggest job they face in the coming years?
Rentokil Pest Control has introduced several new systems designed to ensure our customers receive the best service possible. Our priority is the spread of good practice through the development of the individual. We are very fortunate to have a wealth of experience among our Technicians, Supervisors, Surveyors, Service Managers and Field Biologists. However, we must harness this resource by allowing and facilitating key individuals to pass on their skills to others to assist in the development of our new staff.