FEATURE
Warning sign – Kill Line hawk Billy helps deter gulls from nesting on industrial properties.
“ When they nest, their droppings are acidic and corrosive. They also become defensive of their young, which means maintenance work can often be stopped – and if a fledgling chick lands on the floor, the parents will see anybody in that area as a potential threat and will often attack them.”
That, says Sean, leaves businesses in a position where they have protected birds nesting on their roofs, but with very little they can do about it, so they need to deter them. He also feels there needs to be a commitment from the business that it’ s a long-term solution.
He explained:“ Herring gulls work on a four-year breeding cycle – you are trying to put off not just the birds that are there but the birds that are born, so they move to another site.
“ But if they are successful in nesting, birds can return for 20 to 30 years, so populations of gulls can quickly increase dramatically. We’ re often trying to keep a lid on the population growth and then trying to reduce it, so it is a long-term commitment from the owners but with their running costs, it’ s a fraction of their investment.”
Billy usually does four-hour shifts, with land primed for an Amazon Distribution Centre at Preston Farm near Ingleby Barwick and an existing car dealership at Portrack Lane, Stockton, among the sites currently under his preventative gaze.
No job’ s too big or small for a firm that has the experience and expertise needed to get work done to the highest standard,
SeAH Wind is another Kill Line customer – and Sean believes developments at the likes of Teesworks and Wilton would also benefit from Billy’ s presence.
Bird abatement complements the more specialist work Kill Line carries out, including drainage work for rat infestations and honey bee removals from difficult parts of buildings –“ birds and the bees, that’ s my niche,” smiles Dale.
It also reflects Kill Line’ s allencompassing and imaginative approach to pest control, which even sees Sean contribute to a weekly Friday night podcast, Beauties and Beasties.
Found on YouTube, Linked In and Facebook, it attracts thousands of viewers from the industry – many attracted, no doubt, by Sean’ s determination not to pull any punches when getting his pest control points across.
And as part of his mission to keep the industry relevant and up-to-date, Sean has also developed compliance software that does everything from risk assessments through to treatment reports and online portals for customers.
Speaking to Tees Business at Kill Line’ s Kirkleatham Business Park base in Redcar, Sean stressed that all its work is carried out as humanely, ethically and environmentally-friendly as possible.
Which brings us back to Billy, who proves an eye-catching site as he sits calmy outside, waiting for Dale to take him to his next appointment.
Sean said:“ Billy symbolises the thought processes we put into things.
“ We look at the problems businesses within Teesside are going to suffer from and offer solutions that maybe other firms don’ t.
“ Solving problems in a different way is often seen as disruptive – it goes against the norm – but sometimes it has to be done. We don’ t think like other people – we attack everything from a very logical angle.”
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The voice of business in the Tees region | 69