Defender® Installer of the Month | February | OCS Pest Division

Introducing February’s Defender® Bird Spikes Installer of the Month winners – Carl and Craig Hoult from OCS Pest Division!
A huge congratulations to the brothers for their outstanding installation using Defender® Wide Stainless Steel Bird Spikes. Their work stood out as a textbook-perfect example of how to install our spikes effectively and professionally.

In this Q&A, brothers Carl and Craig Hoult share their journey into pest control, the story behind their award-winning installation, and the challenges and rewards of their work. They also reveal why Defender® Bird Spikes are their go-to choice for bird-proofing solutions. With years of hands-on experience and a shared passion for bird control, the Hoult brothers have tackled some of the most challenging proofing projects. Their commitment to high-quality installations sets them apart in the industry. Read on for expert insights and behind-the-scenes experiences in the world of bird management.

First, let’s take a closer look at the project that earned OCS this prestigious award!

The winning installation took place at a multi-storey car park in Cambridge Science Park, an area that also doubled as a staff smoking area, one that had become a favourite hangout for pigeons, much to the frustration of staff. To make the space usable again, Defender® Wide Stainless Steel Bird Spikes were installed on all potential pigeon perching spots, accessed via mobile towers. The result? A cleaner, safer environment for employees and vehicles.

This expertly executed job was carried out by Craig and Carl Hoult for OCS. This install won as it has been installed exactly as we, the manufacturer, would suggest. Firstly, the areas have been thoroughly cleaned, not only the areas that need to be spiked but also the immediate area where there has been a build-up of guano. Cleaning is an essential part of a bird control job as no debris should be left on the surfaces, this ensures the silicone sticks directly to the surface.

The bird spikes have been positioned towards the front edge of the ledges, with the front pins overhanging slightly so returning birds will not be able to gain a foothold. Defender® Fixing Silicone has been applied along the full length of the spike and can clearly be seen oozing through the silicone locking holes. This creates a strong permanent fix once the silicone cures. All areas where a pigeon might perch have been proofed, leaving no place for a returning bird to sit, keeping the area clean and safe for staff to use. This includes not only the large I-beams and pipework but also the smaller brackets and fixings, a pigeon can sit on an area as small as 5 cm! All Defender® spikes have snappable grooves along the base to enable these smaller areas to be protected with ease.

Craig: This was a joy to finally complete as myself and Carl Hoult had been out numerous times to survey this area, so it was lovely to finally cross this job off.

Carl: This installation was the final part of a large spiking job—several hundred metres using Defender® Wide Stainless Steel Spikes. Just us two carried out the work on behalf of a repeat customer who always comes to us for the bird work, while other members of our team handle routine pest management at the site.

How did you both get started in pest control?

Carl: I have worked in pest control since 2011, I started with Abate Ltd, and my first job was being part of the largest Avi-Shock job carried out in the UK (possibly Europe) then immediately followed by netting jobs, post & wire and spiking before I had even seen my first rat in pest control. I think that's why I love bird management so much. I also spend a lot of my time as a volunteer with the BPCA committees and obviously love being part of the BPCA BirdWise special interest group. I spent over 12 years at Abate as their technical ops manager and managed to drag my brother into the business a few years before Abate was acquired by OCS where we continue to share our love of great service, passion for the pest management and especially our shared love of professional bird management in all its forms.

Craig: I was made redundant back in 2019 after 13 years working from the Lowestoft docklands and found myself completely lost jumping from job to job until my brother Carl Hoult and Jon Blake the owner of Abate pest management approached me with a fantastic offer to have me trained up with the high Abate standards. I spent a year working for Monitor pest control who Jon had recently acquired, working under Paul Rodman and Stewart Howard. After the year of intense pest control, I returned to Abate in Norfolk with invaluable experience and a much better understanding of how to control pest issues on a much larger scale such as treating tower blocks, hospitals, schools etc.

What drew you to specialise in bird proofing, and what do you enjoy most about it?

Carl: Its the best speciality in pest control for me, as many other bird installers will agree; its the niceness of having something to see at the end of a day, it’s not a sporadic bedbug treatment or resolving rats harassing chickens in the garden, with bird installations especially when they are done professionally and correctly can be something to be very proud of and can last for years. I’ve been carrying out bird installations since day one of my pest career, and coincidentally when I dragged Craig into pest control it was assisting me with a huge netting and spiking job for a horse sanctuary, so I think Craig can say the same.

Craig: Yes, bird proofing has always held a special place for us due to the fantastic locations, no 2 jobs are generally the same and on the larger installations it’s a lovely opportunity for the whole bird team to come together and have a good laugh and catch up, as most of us know life on the road as a pest controller can get a little lonely so is always great when we get a chance to assemble the entire team. I consider myself a newbie at the bird proofing world as I’ve only been carrying out proofing jobs the last 4 years under the careful watch of our technical director Carl Hoult and you don’t get much past Carl! In that short amount of time I believe I’ve now worked on most types of bird proofing but as we all know in the bird proofing world you will suddenly get a unbelievably awkward job/area come in that makes you question your competency as a bird proofer, but this is where again, Carls skill set comes into play and with him guiding the bird team. We’ve not encountered a job yet that we can’t resolve between us.

Tell us a bit about OCS and why you enjoy working here

Carl: OCS is a national pest company covering all aspects of pest control from general pest management to more specific high care sites, heat treatments, wildlife management, woodboring treatments etc. They acquired Abate pest management Ltd in 2024, they loved the skillset and passion of the ex-Abate team and what service standards meant to us all, so they have enthusiastically encouraged us to continue at what we do best but now as a bigger pest family. For me personally, my favourite thing about working for OCS is the opportunity to see a wider variety of bird work opportunities and locations and getting to meet the already existing OCS client base that required bird and pest solutions to their issues.

Craig: Jon Blake the owner of Abate pest management was approached by a few facilities companies to sell but OCS seemed to be the only company that shared Abates passion for pest control and high standards that made Abate what it was, so was an easy choice for him.

Do you work as a two-man team, or do you have a wider team?

Carl: Honestly, I only love working with my brother because we both come from separate industries (Diver/Docklands) which both heavily lean into H&S and being highly consciousness of the job at hand and both those qualities I see in everything Craig does with me, and if he does get it wrong I can give him verbal and physically abuse as I am his older brother which I cannot do with other workers, so long as our mum doesn't find out then I'm in trouble! But on a serious note, we are lucky at OCS to have so many passionate installers which I have had the privilege to work with over the years.

Craig: Most of our bird proofing jobs since we have joined the OCS family have been surveyed and carried out by Carl and myself which is never an issue as we both have the same high standards when carrying out bird proofing. OCS has plenty of technicians around the country who do carry out a lot of bird proofing work but as we are still relatively new to the group I’ve not yet had the pleasure of meeting all of them. I enjoy nothing more than working with new techs to see their confidence grow to the point they are happy and confident to take on the larger more complicated installations themselves .

What’s been the biggest challenge in your work?

Carl: Working with Craig!

Craig: Carl and bedbugs! I hate them so much and find myself getting delusory parasitosis and find myself still scratching and seeing things 2 weeks after the job was completed.

And what’s the most rewarding part?

Carl: Winning Installer of the Month naturally, and in second place is designing complicated installations, seeing the whole process through, working with Craig to share the pride we have in seeing our clients really pleased with the completed work, especially when it leads to further work with the same clients.

Craig: Obviously this award winning installer of the month, standing back at the end of a job knowing you and the team have carried out the job to the best of your abilities and nothing is more satisfying than the customers face at the end of a job, them knowing full well they made the right choice coming to us for their bird issues.

Why do you prefer using Defender® Bird Spikes?

Carl: We used a lot of Defender® products when I was back at Abate, loved working with the product range and far more importantly we think you guys are great, brilliant service, family run business who deserve all of the successes that you receive and you keep the humour and fun going in our little pest industry. However, for this particular job we used Defender® Wide steel spikes because they fit nicely into the RSJ sills, the spike density is perfect to meet the needs of the recent heavy ex-pigeon population and using Defender® Fixing Silicone after a good clean down we know those spikes aren't going anywhere!

Craig: We’ve been using and installing Defender® products for years now and have found the quality and longevity of the spikes and plastic used in all products far out lives any other suppliers and with fantastic products like the Defender® Thistle with 240 spikes per metre and the low profile, we’ve found once shown to the customer and compared to other products on the market they basically sell themselves.

If you had to pick, what’s your favourite Defender® Bird Spike?

Carl: I have always liked the Defender® Extreme Gull, coming from Lowestoft I can think of a million and one places where that is needed. However, by far my favourite spike of all time is the Defender® Thistle hands down. I have yet to see any bird get the better of this spike and also it gives me so much joy when I tell technicians to be careful as it's a little sharp and they go out of their way to prove me right, they know who they are!.

Craig: Defender® Thistle bird spikes without a doubt, followed closely by the Defender® Solar Panel Excluders as they are so incredibly easy to install and with the right tools provided by Defender® I’ve always found solar panel proofing jobs peaceful, relaxing and not to taxing.

Dish the dirt, have you got any funny stories to tell us?

Craig: You had best stick with Carls funny story as the few that come to mind may be a little inappropriate.

Carl: A few years ago, I was carrying out an in-depth survey of a very complicated old building on the north Norfolk coast. I was surveying from inside the loft in which there was many sections to this roof space. As I was surveying for woodworm, bird nests/ingress points, rodent activity etc as instructed, I noticed an unlisted loft hatch which was in the perfect place to enter the roof if we were awarded the work. As I lifted the loft hatch, my eyes locked eyes with someone below...it was an elderly lady on the toilet, I had wandered from my client's house into the next building and violated some old lady's privacy. I don't remember if we got the work or not!

Thank you to Carl and Craig for giving us such super answers and for choosing Defender® Bird Spikes. A big congratulations to you both and OCS on winning this highly sought after prize!

If you're seeking a reliable team that consistently delivers high-quality bird control solutions, look no further than OCS Pest Division. For expert pest management across the board, visit their website at OCS Pest Control Services to get in touch.