Lee Sallabanks, founder, managing director and technician at Premier Pest Services (Lincs), explains why he views Selontra as a vital pest control solution
Premier Pest Services (Lincs) was established in 2007 by Lee Sallabanks to serve the Lincolnshire area. With over two decades of experience in pest control, including roles at two national pest control companies, Lee has worked with a variety of products and solutions throughout his career.
However, after using Selontra and seeing its effectiveness, palatability, and resistance-breaking properties firsthand, it quickly became an essential part of the company’s pest control strategy. Lee has found Selontra to be a game-changer for his business, making it his go-to bait for many commercial contracts.
Lee’s customers include a variety of agricultural sites, including those audited by various agencies, such as; Red Tractor and SALSA; due to their nature, these locations have consistent rodent activity which requires stringent monitoring and action if necessary.
Alongside this, Lee also provides ongoing pest control services to a range of food manufacturing business, such as those audited by BRC, and other commercial locations like golf courses, holiday accommodation sites and storage facilities. Each of these environments present different complexities and challenges when it comes to continuous rodent monitoring and prevention.
The perfect permanent baiting solution
The locations where Lee deems a site appropriate for permanent baiting Selontra is ideal. Thanks to its ability to be used in permanent baiting situations, Lee uses Selontra to keep rodents under control in areas that have a high likelihood of an infestation.
As the company is based in Lincolnshire, many of Lee’s jobs are in rural areas, and on farms. Not only do these businesses tend to follow the Red Tractor frameworks, but the risk of secondary poisoning to wildlife is much higher than in urban locations.
Lee said: “I use one block of Selontra in stations, in the low-risk areas for ongoing protection and to keep rodent numbers down, But if the area is considered more high risk, I increase this referring to the label when placing the bait, as each site can differ.”
Another benefit for rural baiting is that Selontra does not persist in the environment. This means it significantly reduces the risk of non-target poisoning compared to other rodenticides. When a rodent consumes the bait, the active ingredient, cholecalciferol, causes it to stop feeding and retreat to its burrow to die, rather than remaining out in the open where it could be eaten by barn owls or other predators.
Thanks to Selontra’s fast results, Lee is also spending less money and time on each job. He said: “Although the initial cost per tub of Selontra is more expensive than other products, I use less, than I would with other rodenticides, and because of its speed of control, my visits have reduced for each job.
“This means I have more time to visit existing contracts or take on new clients, resulting in quicker impact for my customers and more financial opportunities for my business”.
Dealing with field mice infestations
Another benefit of Selontra for Lee’s business is the inclusion of field mice on the label – the only professional rodenticide to have this.
“Many of the organisations I provide ongoing pest control for are in arable environments, so field mice can be a significant issue. Being able to use Selontra in these environments has meant I spend less time setting, monitoring and dealing with traps, and more time handling the infestation quickly and directly.”
Before Selontra, the use of rodenticides on field mice, Apodemus Sylvaticus, was restricted, and pest controllers were only able to trap these rodents which can be time-consuming and difficult to achieve control in a high infestation area.
Lee said “The use of traps can be quite arduous, needing to rebait each time and check each one, but Selontra works consistently and you’re able to get multiple feeds off one block. It is even more valuable when it comes to treating mouse issues at food sites as its HACCP suitable, as well as internal and external baiting.
“Thanks to my approach and the use of Selontra, all of my sites remain predominantly pest free all year round – it really is one of a kind and such a valuable product in the toolbox.”