Celebrating 22 Years in Pest Management — Industry Expert, Educator, and Webinar Pioneer Natalie Bungay
Introduction
We’re thrilled to welcome Natalie Bungay, a trailblazing expert in the pest management industry with over 22 years of experience. Starting her career in 2003 as a technician in London and the South East of England, Natalie has worked across private companies, local authorities, and trade associations. She has tackled everything from rodents to bed bugs and played a major role in shaping the industry’s best practices.
Natalie is not just a practitioner — she’s also an educator, speaker, and a true pioneer. She was the first in the pest industry to conduct a webinar back in 2019 and has become a recognizable face in the media. Today, she returns to the commercial side with the same passion she had on day one. Let’s dive deep into her journey, stories, and insights.
1. Career Journey & Beginnings
Hi Natalie, First and foremost, thank you so much for accepting my interview request — I genuinely appreciate you taking the time. Let’s dive right in! Here’s my first question:
You started in pest control in 2003 — what are your earliest memories from the field?
My first full-time proper job in pest control was 2003 but I actually first experienced pest management when I was 14, so 1996. I was still at school but at weekends, I helped out a friend of the family for a little bit of extra cash to spend, and I always liked to work. The guy was actually a landscaper but on the side he would do a little bit of pest control – one day he said “ we’re off to deal with a mouse infestation at a house down the road”. I was a little confused at what this meant but off I went with him. I remember the customer being really distressed and this is the moment I fell in love with pest management. The fact that we were there, almost as a knight in shining armour, to relieve this person’s distress, was the moment I fell in love with the job. It was a great feeling to be doing a job that was going to relieve someone’s distress and discomfort. That ethos, and my main reasoning for loving this industry, remains.
Were you ever scared or grossed out when you first handled pests like rats or cockroaches?
There have been very few times I can remember being scared of grossed out, in all honesty. The only times I was scared would have been in the summer seasons dealing with wasps in attics. Especially late summer when the nests are of a substantial size. I would always have to take a deep breath before opening the attic hatch, not really knowing where the nest was going to be. The feeling of scanning the attic with my torch just waiting for the beam to land on the nest! And when it did, I always hoped it wasn’t right there in front of my face!
Dead carcasses are always a little gross to deal with, especially when they have been decaying for a little while and the integrity of the body has somewhat become loose and liquified! Urg, the smell is never something we like aye!
What was the turning point in your career that made you realize, “Yes, this is where I belong”?
When I had been doing the job, as a full time technician, for five years, I had an opportunity to relocate to the North of the UK with some friends. I was asking around trying to see if there were any job opportunities and I was speaking to the CEO, at the time, of the British Pest Control Association (BPCA). He offered me a job on the spot, as a field officer doing assessments on BPCA members. I remember thinking wow, this guy seems to have a lot of faith in me, I must be good at what I do and I love the industry. Those two things made me realise, ah, I am not going anywhere and this is where I belong!
You’ve worked in private companies, local authorities, and trade bodies — how were these experiences different?
The differences were not that extreme but on the same score, they were totally different! In the private/commercial world of servicing and maintaining pest management contracts, the pressure to “do as much as you can” was always a factor, “get as many jobs done in a day as you can” was the order of the day. This, in turn, could cause you to not quite spend the time you need to investigate or do the job thoroughly enough. In contrast to this, when I went to the local authority, the opposite was almost true. The commercial pressures were not as prominent and the pest infestations we dealt with were often in the interest of the local community and local government officials and so, we had more time to spend at a job really delving into the root cause of the infestation. It was certainly more quality over quantity and I enjoyed having that freedom. I was managing a team at the time but I still made sure I was out there getting my hands dirty.
The other thing I liked about working for a local authority was the involvement I had with the environmental health officer (EHOs) side of things. We would support the EHOs in food businesses to establish plans of actions to rectify infestations that were contravening the food safety regulations, as well as community wide rat infestation. All of this gave me a great level of knowledge and experience in areas that not everyone gets the chance to experience. Finally, working for the BPCA was absolutely worlds apart from anything! I was no longer a hands-on pest controller. I was in a position, within a perceived authoritative organisation, offering advice and support to pest management business owners! At first, it was quite overwhelming and a lot scarier than chasing after any pest species! I was now responsible for giving advice that helped an already experienced pest professional. I would say that my years with BPCA were the years where I really became an expert; the exposure I got to the world of policies, committees, lobbying and technical decision makers were the experiences that gave me the eventual confidence to move into a technical manager, writing codes of practise and facilitating special interest groups, to mention a few.
🐀 Rats – Questions
What is the most surprising behavior you’ve observed in rats during your career?
This is an interesting one which I will try to explain in as little words as possible! In short, we had an infestation of Rattus norvegicus (brown rat) in a very large factory complex. The rats were split into two colonies, literally, one was located on the south side of the building and the other, the north side. They were not connected and the two colonies exhibited very different behaviours. The south side colony was easy, they fed on the rodenticides we placed and happily visited the traps we placed, control was proving to be pretty easy. However, the north side colony was being somewhat difficult. They were exhibiting substantial behavioural resistance; not interested in eating any form of rodenticide and, the traps, useless, the rats would just not comply! It took some time but eventually, we had an idea; considering the way rats communicate, which includes scenting through their droppings, we decided to experiment. We collected the droppings from the susceptible colony, the ones willing to feed on rodenticides and visit traps. We placed these droppings in areas around the colony that were behaviourally resistant. In latrines of course, to mimic the natural behaviour. These droppings were placed as close as possible to the areas where we were baiting/trapping. What happened was pretty interesting. The resistant colony reacted positively to the presence of these droppings and started feeding on our baits! The “safety” scent, almost, that these droppings were exhibiting, to the rats, was almost like a message to say “hey, don’t worry, this food is safe for you”. Within a couple of months, we had the problem sorted.
What’s the most effective rat control strategy that technicians often overlook?
Most definitely the analysis of the root cause. This still is a problem in the industry where technicians attend a pest infestation call out and just auto pilot into placing traps and pesticide. The effort to first establish why the pests are there, in the first place, is still not a top priority for some pest controllers. The reasoning for this I think is two fold. Firstly, and the most likely reason, refers back to one of my earlier statements in that the commercial world of pest management places a lot of pressure on technicians to get as many jobs done as possible in one day. This can often lead to rushed treatments and very little time spent discovering the root cause.
The other reason, and a more complex one, is the topic of us not paying technicians enough and, the root cause of this is related to pest management businesses not charging enough for the amazing work we do. In the UK, pest management is not a revered career, necessarily, and the public do not feel they should be paying very much for the service. We often get customers saying “well that’s expensive” – when it really isn’t! If we don’t charge what we are worth then we are not going to attract (by way of salary) the types of technicians that want to do the work needed to really impact pest populations. We end up with labourers that have very little passion.
Cockroaches – Questions
Cockroaches are notoriously hard to get rid of — what common mistakes do people make when trying to control them?
When I started in pest management, the most common way to deal with cockroaches was spraying as really, we didn’t have many other options. However, we eventually saw cockroach baiting (Imidacloprid, etc) become available and that changed the game! Cockroach control became easier, safer and much more effective. I still, on occasions, see pest controllers suggesting spray treatments etc and I just don’t feel it’s necessary or, particularly effective, in comparison to the gel bait anyway. Spraying does maybe have a place, with very heavy infestations, maybe but I really feel that even in this situation, spraying just puts a temporary plaster (band aid for US term!) on the issue.
We do get treatment failure reports when gel baits are being used but the biggest reason for this is always human error and application failure i.e. the technician not following the product instructions and under-baiting.
Have you ever had to deal with a serious cockroach infestation in a public setting? How did you manage it?
Absolutely. German cockroaches (Blatella germanica) is one of the most common species here in the UK and my heaviest infestation was in a tower block when working for the local authority. There were 99 flats (apartments) and right at the top of the block, the occupant had disposed of some personal items, taped up in boxes, in the communal bin room. These boxes, upon inspection, were crawling with cockroaches! We investigated the boxes and found the flat number of the owner of said boxes.
It took about 1 week for us to get access as the guy did not want us to come in and inspect…his comment….”these cockroaches have been here for years, you’ll never get rid of them” and a door slamming followed.
Once we got access we could see cockroaches right away, they were absolutely everywhere; in his bed, bath, sink, around the kitchen appliances, all over the kitchen worktops, in the bookcase, and so on. There was not a crack or crevice where there were no cockroaches! I probably spent a lot more time there than I needed to but I was having a wonderful time! It was fascinating to see so many and watch the cockroaches doing their thing! The occupant was a hoarder and sadly, didn’t wash very often because the bathroom was just full of boxes etc.
The treatment was done 100% with gel bait, imidacloprid, and took about 3 months to get substantial control. The problem was, the cockroaches had filtered down into various other flats below the “hub” of the problem. So we had to obviously address those properties too. In total, after 6 months, we finished the job and never had a call back.
Flies – Questions
Flies can be both a nuisance and a health risk — what type of flies pose the biggest threat in urban environments?
House flies (Musca domestica) and lesser house flies (Fannia canicularis) are very common in the UK, especially where residential areas are close to recycling centres, waste sites or farms. We have legislation here that enforces actions to sites where their practices cause the emission of flies into residential areas and so, have to put measures in place to manage their populations. It can be a challenge of course.
As we know, flies, of any species really, can and will land in areas that are unsanitary and then, eventually end up landing on our food prep services and so, that is of concern to health.
How has fly control evolved with technology in the past decade?
The evolution of fly control, for me, has actually been quite slow. We do have problems with chemical resistance in flies and so have to be conscious of the measures we are employing to make sure we do not exacerbate any resistant reactions. Using different chemical active ingredients is important but also, using integrated pest management (IPM) measures will help the overall picture. Electric fly killers (EFK) and other physical capture tools are useful to monitor and sometimes, can be useful for the general management of populations.
Bed Bugs – Questions
Bed bugs often cause panic — what’s the biggest myth about them you wish people would stop believing?
Bed bugs are number one, for me, the worst pest species to deal with but also, for customers to experience, the distress and discomfort they cause is very noticeable. I have done a lot of media and promotional webinars on bed bugs, to help the industry but also, inform the customers of what is true and what is not. The biggest myth, by far, is that bed bugs are microscopic. People tend to get dust mites confused with bed bugs, in that sense. Whenever I speak to the media or customers about bed bugs and their actual appearance/size, they are usually very shocked and disturbed! One other myth, from a customer perspective, is that bed bugs are only usually present in dirty homes and hotels. As we know that is not true, all they want is our blood and so whether you’re sleeping in a hostel or, in a five star hotel, the bed bugs don’t care!
What has been your most challenging or unusual bed bug case?
It was actually a case that I couldn’t resolve (sad face). The main reason was available funds from the customer, rather than anything else but it was so significant it was just something that had to be fire fought.
It was a hostel in central London which had over 1500 tiny rooms for the homeless and drug addicted; funded by the government. When I was called there, I initially inspected 5 or 6 rooms, as a test case, and the bed bugs were indescribably prolific, they were crawling on the back of doors, walls and living in shoes, wardrobes, as well as the bed, of course. There was a guy asleep on the bed (due to drug related consequences) and the bed bugs were visibly in the process of having a nice meal. It really was a sorry state of affairs.
The challenges were of course the level of infestation but also, the residents that were in the rooms; a lot of them just didn’t care enough to allow us to treat the rooms, some exhibited violent tendencies, making it impossible to safely work in their rooms and others, well, they were just always in the room and refused to leave during treatment. With these challenges, the infestation was impossible to eradicate!
Webinar Pioneer – First in the Industry (2019)
In 2019, you became the first in the industry to deliver a webinar — what inspired you to take that leap?
It was actually our training manager that asked me if I would be up for it – it was a concept they wanted to deliver but hadn’t yet identified anyone who would be Silly/confident enough (haha) to go online, in front of 100+ pest controllers and deliver a webinar. It just hadn’t really been done before and the industry can be a judgemental one when it comes to technical ability!
I am not someone who likes to say no, when I see an opportunity, and so I said “sure, why not”. So in answer to the question, my inspiration was driven by my passion and curiosity as to how I would hold up delivering a webinar. Technical knowledge was the easy bit, it was the confidence and fear that took a battering as the days grew close!
What was the topic of your first webinar and who was your target audience?
At the time, we decided that webinars would be open to everyone and anyone that wanted to view it – members of the BPCA, non-members and, even members of the public should they wish. We also decided that we’d record them and then upload to YouTube so that they could be accessed easily – they’re still on there now.
The first webinar was May 2019 (see here to watch my nerves boil haha)
and the rodenticide stewardship was in full swing. I won’t go into too much detail on what this was but in short, the campaign for responsible rodenticide use (CRRU) was given the task of reducing residues of rodenticides in birds of prey (secondary poisoning). As part of this effort, CRRU developed a presentation that could be used to educate the industry on its proper and legal use. This is the presentation we decided to start off with – rather than have the added pressure of writing a presentation ourselves (or me should I say). In hindsight, this was not the best choice! It is very hard to deliver someone else’s presentation as we all have our own styles – a lesson I learnt quickly!
How did you feel going live for the first time — nervous, excited?
Absolutely terrified! I remember the day as if it were yesterday…I was in the BPCA offices, in Derby, UK. We had a start time of 12:30pm and so there I sat, for the whole morning, at a desk, trying to pretend that I was super confident and not really nervous at all…. But I was, I really was. My stomach was in knots. I had no yard stick to measure anything by and no idea how to present, online, whilst also managing the IT side of getting it all working! I went outside, into the car park, quite a few times, to wander around and breath; to try and make the nerves dampen. It worked, for a minute or so!
But I knew there’d be nerves and that I’d have to do my best to focus and to try and pretend that I was speaking to a room of a few people; not a web full to the brim of pest controllers. If I remember correctly, there were nearly 500 people on the webinar and they were from all over the world… We had quite a lot, people joining from India, Africa, Australia and the US. It was quite daunting. Despite all the nerves, once the webinar had finished and I pushed the “end” button, the feeling of elation and success flooded over me. I was so pleased with myself that I had just done what I had done. It wasn’t the technical side that was an achievement, it was the composure and delivery that was the hardest part. I look back on that webinar now and I can see so many faults, stutters and twitchy eyes but, considering it was my first, I was happy with it!
In your view, how have webinars transformed pest control education?
For sure. The access to training and education was historically, always done face-to-face and this posed some challenges for those busy business owners who couldn’t always afford as much “out of action” time to attend whole days worth of training. Now don’t get me wrong, face-to-face is the best form and will always need to be a part of education but, what webinars do is rather than “train” they update, inform and refresh the industries technicians on current affairs, legislation changes, new approaches and so on. Webinars are not “training” events, they are designed to update and refresh. So yes, webinars have transformed the pest control education side of things but more in the “keeping you in the know” side of things.
Media & Public Speaking
You’ve been featured in the media — what was your first appearance like on TV or radio?
Both were nerve wracking really. My first radio stint was on a local station so the pressure wasn’t too high however, what I didn’t know was how much technical detail the interviewer wanted to go into. I was prepping for a few days before the interview, on radio, to make sure I had all the factual information on biology, behaviour, etc. I was nervous about not being able to answer a question! In hindsight, for both radio and television, the level of detail that the presenters want to go into is actually quite basic. They don’t want to talk about the in’s and out’s of a bed bug’s feeding tube and how it penetrates the skin….they just want basic descriptions of what they look like and what the listeners can do to prevent/treat an infestation. That’s it. Now, when I do a radio interview, I’m sometimes doing something else whilst on the line! It’s second nature almost.
TV, well, that’s different. The same applies in terms of technical content that they want but now you have your face on the screen! No more chilling in my pyjamas whilst being interviewed!
Fun one: If you had to dress up as a pest and give a talk, which one would you choose and why? 😄
It has to be a bed bug! Not only does the costume look funny but it is a subject I like talking about the most, be it to pest controllers or to the media. They fascinate me and, also, creep me out!
Technical Expertise & Industry Impact
You’ve helped write codes of practice for the industry — what goes into creating those?
A lot of back and forth! The first stage is identifying what is needed and why. Usually, me or a committee of the board would flag up an area of concern. For example, in 2019 I realised that we were getting lots of complaints, about members, who were writing really poor treatment reports, or not writing them at all. So, I suggested BPCA should develop a code of practice for it. I had already volunteered myself to do it!
The next stage was for me to build the foundation of the code, the building blocks for what topics we needed to cover. Generally, I would structure codes into a few titled areas: Purpose: legislation (to give the code some context); the do’s; and the don’ts They’re still structured like that today and I feel it works well. A code of practice shouldn’t be a long winded 100 page document that confuses the reader. It should be straight to the point, clear and concise. No room for misinterpretation. Unfortunately, a lot of codes of practice, in other areas, are very detailed and it has always proven a factor to confuse the reader and illicit malpractise; because of confusion and information overload.
Once I had done this, I would then hand it to the technical committees of the BPCA to read it over and feedback on amendments, etc. Once approved by the committee, it would be formatted and released. Relatively straight forward; to a degree!
What do you see as the biggest innovation or challenge in pest control today?
The biggest innovation and, in turn, the biggest challenge is the acceptance and utilisation of AI. Our industry is stacked with highly skilled pest controllers who work with their hands and brain. It is not stacked with individuals who want to learn about AI and incorporate it into their business. I think there is a huge opportunity in AI, if we are not scared by it.
If a new technician could learn only three things, what should they be?
1. Never assume you know everything, you never will, always ask questions.
2. Understand customer service and the impact pests have on the person suffering the infestation (we are at the thick end of customer service and empathy is a solid tool for creating great customer retention/referrals)
3. And finally, root cause analysis – I still see pest controllers not addressing the root cause and it frustrates me a lot!
Women in Pest Management
Pest control has traditionally been male-dominated. What challenges and victories have you experienced as a woman in this space?
When I was doing the job as a technician, out and about, day-to-day, the biggest internal challenge that I had was the fact that I didn’t want customers to perceive me as being less capable as a male colleague. And not just in a technical capacity but also in a physical one. Pest control isn’t overly labour intensive but, carrying large ladders, shooting heavy guns, pulling yourself up into an attic spaces is something we (women) did have a disadvantage in, for obvious biology reasons! I could control the technical knowledge aspect, by learning more but I couldn’t control the physical strength side of things. Carrying that three tier ladder was always going to be harder for me. But, I got it done!
Victory wise, on a fun side of things, was definitely an air rifle course I went on when I was 22. I was the only woman, of course, and at the end of the training we had a fun competition on the shooting range. Lets just say I won and I was pleased with myself haha!
Have you ever been underestimated in the field — and how did you handle it?
It was always the customer that underestimated me. Never my colleagues or peers. Customers would regularly say “oh, you’re a woman, that’s a surprise” followed by an eager desire to then follow me around, almost keeping an eye on me. That added quite a bit of pressure but I have always wanted to take a negative and turn it into a positive. And actually, what that did for me was make me study harder, so I could be sure to baffle the customer with my amazing technical knowledge and capabilities, right from the start. They would then usually leave me alone! That extra studying has helped me, for sure.
What message would you give to young women considering a career in pest control?
Firstly, pest control is not the dirty job that people think it is. Yes, of course, there will be an element of working in some undesirable environments but actually, the bulk of the work is about advising, investigating, and resolving infestations that will ultimately, possibly change someone’s life for the better. That’s the best part of the job, solving a pest infestation that has caused a customer extreme anxiety. The ability to make someone’s day, a better day, is priceless.
Second, don’t let being a woman deter you! I found it a benefit. Being “different” is not a bad thing, you just have to be confident with it and smash it!
Fun & Rapid Fire Round 🔥
- The most annoying pest, in your opinion? Mites
- The smartest pest to control? Glis glis (edible dormouse)
- If there was a pest reality show, which pest would win — and why?
I think the feral pigeon (Columbus livia) as they are a little dumb but the audience always feels sorry for a dumb contestant! - Coffee or tea during pest inspections? Coffee
- Is Remy from Ratatouille a pest or a chef? 😄 Haven’t seen it haha
Reflections & What’s Next
Looking back over 22 years, did you ever imagine you’d become one of the industry’s key voices?
Never, ever, ever! When I first started getting some recognition, I had the usual imposter syndrome where I wondered what on earth I was doing there, in the position I was in. Especially when I became the technical manager for BPCA. But in time, I realised that we all have our skills and individual expertise and mine was the ability to engage effectively and deliver information in a way that made people want to listen (sometimes!). So I am comfortable with that now.
What continues to inspire you about pest control?
The problem solving aspect of what we do. Identifying the pest, figuring out the source of the infestation and then figuring out what to do to solve it.
What’s next for you — another webinar, maybe something even bigger?
Well since moving on from the BPCA, I am now a technical director for a commercial franchise organisation (pest control of course) and so, my “next” is learning the business side of everything and then combining both (technical and business) to help the organisation grow. I’ve been here now for 6 months and I am hoping that the next 6 months will ring some fun and interesting challenges, as it has already! I still work with BPCA, I am on the professional standards committee as a volunteer. I have also been doing a little radio still, when the requests come in, so that’s great as it was a part I started to enjoy.
Contact Details
🌐 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/natalie-bungay-606a64250/
📧 Email: natalie.bungay1@gmail.com
I learned a lot from speaking with you. It was a great experience. Thank you so much, and best wishes!
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If you enjoyed this conversation and would like to read more insightful interviews, feel free to explore the following:
- Interview with Yevgen Rozhko – The Precision of Pest Control in Southern Ukraine
- Jan Homola – The Man Behind Online Pest Doctor: His Journey in Pest Control
- Digital Remote Pest Control – A Conversation with Colin Harrison
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