‘I study them, then strike’: This ex-soldier now wages war on pests
He applied a military strategy to tackle a persistent rodent issue.
Chan Kwang Wei, a 39-year-old ex-soldier, now works as the director of Servcare Services, a pest control company. He began his career in the Singapore Army for 13 years before transitioning into the pest control industry. His father had over 40 years of experience in the field before retiring. Chan's ambition to become a soldier stemmed from his love for adventure, and he found a similar thrill in pest control, where he fights against pests rather than enemies.
In Singapore, vector control workers and technicians must be certified by the National Environment Agency (NEA). Chan underwent a three-month part-time course that included 66 hours of theory and practical lessons on managing pests and their breeding areas. He shadowed experienced technicians to learn various aspects of the job, from basic to complex tasks. The company also employs in-house entomologists who study insects and their behaviors, providing guidance on effective pest control methods.
Chan's first major case involved a subterranean termite issue that stressed a customer. After resolving the issue, he realized the potential of his profession. Most of his jobs are routine, focusing on food and beverage premises to prevent infestations. He identifies potential breeding areas, such as poorly cleared waste and entry points for pests, and advises owners on rectifying these issues.
When dealing with infestations, Chan asks about the frequency and number of pest sightings. If there are more than two cockroaches daily, he considers it a serious situation. He searches for harbourage areas where pests live and breed, treating these areas and their common travel routes. However, insecticides do not penetrate eggs, so follow-ups are necessary to target newly hatched nymphs.
Climate conditions, such as hot and humid weather, can accelerate insect activity and reproduction. Chan recalls a challenging case involving bedbugs in a condominium apartment. The tenant's repeated complaints prompted Chan to set up a motion-sensor camera to understand the rodent behavior. The most perplexing case was a bedbug that deviated from textbook behavior by avoiding the floor and climbing the wall, highlighting the need for innovative solutions in pest control.
Written by urgent.news from Straits Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — it may contain errors, so check the original before relying on it.
