Defender® Installer of the Month | March | Target Pest Solutions

It’s March and time to introduce our fab Defender® Installer of the Month winners. Huge congratulations to Target Pest Solutions Ltd., which has done a marvellous job of proofing the rooftops and chimneys of Norfolk.

The Target team is made up of David S. manager and a technician, along with David T, who are constantly on the road. They cover all of East Anglia, which is a huge area and largely rural. Keeping them in check is Emma, who works in the accounts department 3 days a week.

Lets take a look at the winning installation by Team Target. The job involved working on a bungalow near Great Yarmouth. The customer was plagued by seagulls last year and was getting attacked every time they stepped out of the house to use their backyard. Seagulls can become very aggressive and protective, and they returned year after year to the same nesting sites, where they had chosen to make a nest around the chimney. This meant the young chicks would adventure down to the flat roof area.

To solve the issue, Team Target worked from the highest point on the roof and worked down. Gulls love to perch on the highest areas to view opportunist feeding areas and spot predators. David and David spiked the chimneys using our Defender® Seagull Spikes and fixed them with Defender® Fixing Silicone Adhesive They finished by installing 3 rows of Defender® Gull Spikes to the ridge of the bungalow, ensuring the returning birds would move on to an easier site.

This install was chosen as it is very relevant to this time of year when seagulls are starting to nest. Prevention is key to keeping gulls away. The capped pots had Defender® Chimney Pot Straps fitted around the circumference and to stop gulls from perching in the middle of these, extra pieces of gull spike were siliconed on top. Then the stack and areas between the pots are spiked, with the pins of the strips overlapping the edges to stop any birds gaining a foothold. Finally, the ridge is spiked to exclude the birds altogether.

So who are Target Pest Solutions Ltd? Target is a family-run pest control company; the owners Daniel and Davina are a husband and wife team David S is their brother-in-law. Daniel and Davina are not active in the day-to-day running of the company, but both are there to give technical advice if needed and are an important part of the company.

Target Pest Solutions are a very close team that can be truly trusted to offer a high standard of service. Both David T and David S are experts in all aspects of pest control, while David S also specialises in honey bee removals and bird work. Target has been doing bird work for around 3 years, each year showing around a 75% growth – well done guys! In fact they have grown so fast that they are looking forward to adding more technicians to the team in the future.

David S decided to help run the family pest control company 8 years ago leaving a produce trading job to help make Target grow. When he started, they had 2 contracts on the books and now have 130, mainly in Norfolk and some parts of Suffolk. Emma joined 5 years ago and is the unsung hero who makes sure the invoicing is done to keep the bills paid and David T joined 4 years ago, enabling Target to cover the growing number of contracts they have today. They are part of a BNI Group, which is a business networking group where they get a high amount of work from as a trusted supplier for everyone in the group.

We always like to ask our winners a few fun questions to end our blog:

Do you have a funny bird or pest control story?

Opening a loft hatch to look at some bait to find out a dead squirrel tail hitting me in the face Ha Ha Ha ( Years ago when you were allowed to use squirrel bait )

What’s the most challenging part of the job?

Getting quotes out quick enough due to us being awesome and having high workload each day

What’s the most rewarding part of the job?

Helping customers and being their saviour in their time of need! Many pest issues leave customers upset and worried, so we always try to keep them calm and reassured before we leave. We arrive in unmarked vans to make sure we are decreet and not adding more worry to the customer as we arrive on site. Being a family-run company we like to keep that personal touch as part of our company ethos.

What made you choose to use Defender® Bird Spikes?

We got samples from a trade show sent to us, and we loved the quality and they work so well! The Defender® silicone is brilliant for all weather and still sticks nicely and strongly.

What’s your favourite Defender® Bird Spike?

Defender® Thistle Gutter Spikes are brilliant and so easy to install.

David said ‘We are proud to win this award, and hopefully we can win it again. We are a competitive team and now need to up the game even more to get this award again! Congratulations to David, David and Emma on winning our March Defender® Installer of the Month, We love seeing their work and wish them every success.

If you have a bird or pest control issue and are based in Norfolk or Suffolk, do get in contact with the Target Pest Solutions Team. They are a friendly bunch and always happy to help!