Close Menu
Pest MagazinePest Magazine
  • News
    • National Pest Awards
    • BPCA
    • NPTA
    • Companies
    • Local Authority
    • Natural England
    • HSE
    • People
    • Products
    • Best Practice
    • Brexit
    • COVID-19
  • Species
    • Rodents
    • Insects
    • Birds
    • Mammals
  • Magazines
    • April / May 2026
    • Feb / March 2026
    • Dec 2025 / January 2026
    • Oct / November 2025
    • Aug / Sept 2025
    • Supplement: National Pest Awards 2025
    • June / July 2025
    • April / May 2025
  • Library
    • Inserts
    • Supplements
  • Professional Development
    • BASIS
    • Research
    • Stewardship
    • Training
  • Pest Test
  • Key Supporters
    • Bábolna Bio
    • Bell Laboratories
    • Pelsis
    • Envu
    • Lodi UK
    • PelGar International
    • Russell IPM
    • Syngenta
  • Jobs
    • Post a Job
    • Manage Jobs
X (Twitter) LinkedIn
  • Sign-up for weekly news emails
  • Subscribe to Pest Magazine
  • About Us
    • Technical Advisory Board
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
Pest Test Log-In
Pest MagazinePest Magazine
  • News
    • National Pest Awards
    • BPCA
    • NPTA
    • Companies
    • Local Authority
    • Natural England
    • HSE
    • People
    • Products
    • Best Practice
    • Brexit
    • COVID-19
  • Species
    1. Rodents
    2. Insects
    3. Birds
    4. Mammals
    5. View All

    Mast year warning ahead of likely grey squirrel tree damage impacts

    10 November 2025

    Helping a luxury car showroom eradicate an infestation and steer clear of rodents

    25 March 2024

    Case Study – Freeing a pig farm of a severe rodent infestation in just 10 days

    11 May 2023

    Chinese takeaway issues apology after video of rats and raw chicken emerges

    14 July 2021

    Hidden cockroach infestations could be spreading unnoticed in UK homes and businesses

    29 May 2026

    Keep windows shut this winter to reduce the bed bug risk

    24 December 2025

    Bed bug warning for people using an electric blanket to keep warm

    16 December 2025

    Insecticide resistance: what pest controllers need to know and how to overcome it

    20 October 2025

    UK & Ireland changes to bird licences for 2026

    12 January 2026

    Check your chimney for jackdaws before autumn arrives

    28 August 2025

    Worcester City Council increases budget to control gull numbers by £35,000

    26 October 2022

    BPCA urges householders and businesses to seek professional advice if birds are becoming a problem

    3 May 2022

    Conservation charity warns of need for joined-up approach and a fast-track to effective grey squirrel controls

    30 May 2025

    Squirrel charity welcomes new legislation on use of gene editing

    14 June 2022

    Ferrets to be removed as permitted target species for the DOC 250 spring trap

    13 April 2021

    Charity says planting of 30,000 hectares of trees must be matched by grey squirrel control

    10 February 2021

    Hidden cockroach infestations could be spreading unnoticed in UK homes and businesses

    29 May 2026

    UK & Ireland changes to bird licences for 2026

    12 January 2026

    Keep windows shut this winter to reduce the bed bug risk

    24 December 2025

    Bed bug warning for people using an electric blanket to keep warm

    16 December 2025
  • Magazines
    1. April / May 2026
    2. Feb / March 2026
    3. Dec 2025 / January 2026
    4. Oct / November 2025
    5. Aug / Sept 2025
    6. Supplement: National Pest Awards 2025
    7. June / July 2025
    8. April / May 2025
    Featured

    Pest 104: April / May 2026

    By Simon King7 April 2026
    Recent

    Pest 104: April / May 2026

    7 April 2026

    Pest 103: February / March 2026

    10 February 2026

    Pest 102: December 2025 / January 2026

    1 December 2025
  • Library
    • Inserts
    • Supplements
  • Professional Development
    • BASIS
    • Research
    • Stewardship
    • Training
  • Pest Test
  • Key Supporters
    • Bábolna Bio
    • Bell Laboratories
    • Pelsis
    • Envu
    • Lodi UK
    • PelGar International
    • Russell IPM
    • Syngenta
  • Jobs
    • Post a Job
    • Manage Jobs
Pest MagazinePest Magazine
Rodents

British Consuls abroad do not offer pest control!

Pest WritersBy Pest Writers27 January 2015No Comments1 Min Read
LinkedIn Twitter Facebook Email

In a speech given on 4 April 2012 Foreign Secretary William Hague listed the ‘ludicrous requests’ for consular advice made by British tourists.

Mr Hague was at the launch of a summer crisis centre in London to help British nationals in difficulty abroad, however he urged Britons not to stretch scarce consular resources by making “bizarre demands”.

Amongst the bizarre requests received by local embassies, one tourist in a rental home in Florida rang to ask for pest control help with ants in the property!

Very amusingly, in his speech he went on to list the other outlandish requests made. These included appeals from Britons who could not find their false teeth, whose jam would not set and who want someone to check on their livestock at home, or to book restaurants whilst on holiday.

“This is obvious, you may think, but nonetheless it came as a surprise to the caller in Spain who was having difficulty finding somewhere to have Christmas lunch,” he said.

Hardly a main-line pest control story, the video clip which details other amusing requests can be found off the link if you click here.

It does provide some light amusement to enjoy over the Easter break!

Share. LinkedIn Facebook Twitter Email
Previous ArticleFoxes Live programme gets mixed response
Next Article Russell IPM celebrates again – another Queen’s award
Pest Writers

Read Similar Stories

Mast year warning ahead of likely grey squirrel tree damage impacts

Helping a luxury car showroom eradicate an infestation and steer clear of rodents

Case Study – Freeing a pig farm of a severe rodent infestation in just 10 days

Latest Stories

Farms hold key to break rodenticide resistance spread

3 June 2026

Professional pest management saves UK £1.9bn a year

2 June 2026

NPTA welcomes Periscope CFO as new member benefit partner

1 June 2026
Key Supporters
  • Pelsis
  • Syngenta
  • Russell IPM
  • PelGar International
  • Lodi UK
  • Envu
  • Bell Laboratories
  • Bábolna Bio
© 2026 Lewis Business Media. All Rights Reserved.
Lewis Business Media, Suite A, Arun House, Office Village, River Way, Uckfield, TN22 1SL

Privacy Policy | Cookie Policy | Terms & Conditions

  • National Pest Awards
  • OvertheCounter
  • Pet Business World

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

Pest Magazine
Managing Your Privacy

To provide the best digital experience, we use cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to our use of cookies allows us to process data such as reading behaviour. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.

Functional Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
  • Manage options
  • Manage services
  • Manage {vendor_count} vendors
  • Read more about these purposes
Cookie Preferences
  • {title}
  • {title}
  • {title}