FIVE MINUTES WITH

Five minutes with Gregory Smith

Managing Director of Rentokil Pest Control talks to Charmaine Ng about the types of pests found in Hong Kong

Got a pest problem? There’s no one better to call than Rentokil Pest Control. Initiated in the 1920s in the United Kingdom, the company moved to Hong Kong in 1964 and has provided effective and reliable pest control to both commercial and residential customers ever since.

Now a household name, Rentokil has maintained its competitive advantage by being at the forefront of innovation, developing unique solutions that redefine how pest control is conducted.

We speak with Gregory Smith, Managing Director at Rentokil, who recently transferred to Hong Kong with his family. Having worked in South Africa and New Zealand, moving to Sai Kung was a no-brainer, especially since he has young children who enjoy the outdoors.

“Sai Kung is a great place to live,” says Smith. “But pests are especially challenging in this neighbourhood.” Whilst seasonal 14 | SAI KUNG

variation exists in pest activity, he tells us that this year, there has been an alarming explosion of mosquitos. In Sai Kung, the abundance of vegetation and water support their reproduction and development. “Mosquitoes bring health concerns through their ability to transmit illness and virus.”

To deal with the mozzies, traditional pest control has been heavy-handed with the use of harsh toxic treatments to get rid of pests. Smith disagrees with this approach. “At Rentokil, we fully believe in a holistic method,” he says. “All of our management solutions integrate pest behaviours and understanding to manage the cause of pest prevalence.” This means Rentokil’s experienced professionals make detailed inspections through exclusion, restriction, prevention and monitoring to create a robust management solution.

Although pest removal is Rentokil’s expertise, the company maintains the best cure for a pest problem is prevention. To keep unwanted visitors out of the house, Smith suggests practising common sense with things like food and shelter. “If you can make efforts to reduce attracting pests, eliminate places for them to eat and shelter, this goes a long way to prevent unwanted inhabitants.”

Today, Rentokil’s big focuses are on green solutions, whether that is energy efficiency, nontoxic products or world-leading practices. It recently launched a digital innovation that gives its customers individual and tailored information, data, trends and recommendations through its online portal, available anytime, anywhere and live.

Rentokil has protected properties from pests across Hong Kong for 55 years. You can call for a free quote at 5803 0052 or visit rentokil.com.hk