Accelerating Damage
Vector-borne infectious diseases, including malaria, dengue virus, Zika virus and Lyme disease, affect nearly half of the world's population, and can create international public health emergencies.
The outbreak of Zika virus, which is spread mainly by mosquitoes, during 2015-16 was widely linked to global warming by the scientific community, following a spell of unusually high temperatures.
With the global temperature expected to increase by around 2°C in the next few decades, Rentokil Steritech expects to see pests migrate to cooler climate environments. This could result in insects becoming a bigger threat to both public health and food production, as they become more resistant to insecticides and experience additional generations.
The coffee berry borer, which is now present in virtually every coffee-growing region in the world including Hawaii, is a key example of this effect in action. It is estimated that the beetle causes $500 million in damages to coffee growers each year.
To combat a new set of challenges from pests, technical leaders at Rentokil Steritech recommend that businesses stay up to speed on invasive species, use products that have a longer residual, and consider increasing their frequency of pest control services.
Judy Black. Vice President of Technical Services, Rentokil Steritech, says:
"Invasive species have always been a problem, but they will likely spread further as the global temperature increases, causing the establishment of new, exotic species with no natural enemies.
"Global warming will have a significant impact on the problems caused by insects especially, as higher temperatures can result in faster population growth, and the quicker breakdown of conventional insecticide through volatilization."
For more information, visit: https://www.rentokil-steritech.com/commercial-pest-control/climate-change/.
About Rentokil Steritech
Long two of the leading pest control companies in the United States, Rentokil and Steritech are now one company, Rentokil Steritech. We represent the North American division of Rentokil Initial plc, one of the largest business services companies in the world that operates in over 60 countries. Our regional pest control brands of Western Exterminator, Presto-X and J.C. Ehrlich, provide commercial and residential services to customers through expertly trained teams of technicians.
The Steritech Group, a high quality provider of pest control services with a national footprint in both Canada and the U.S., was acquired by Rentokil Initial in October 2015.
The expanded organization increases national coverage, provides faster response times, and now offers an even broader range of services. Our approach focuses on a technician/customer partnership to ensure the highest quality pest control service to include a comprehensive pest management solution with pest control, termite and bed bug inspections, vegetation management, bird management solutions and fumigations.
