Residents warned not to use unlicensed pest control firms

Always rely on licensed operators and check their IDs, urge authorities

Always hire licensed pest control companies and cross-examine their identification before permitting them to fumigate your premises, the Centre of Waste Management (Tadweer) told Gulf News in a statement.

The centre said: “Only workers with adequate skills and appropriate equipment and pesticides are allowed to deal with pest problems.”

Speaking about unlicensed pest control operators in Abu Dhabi, the centre said they haven’t identified any unauthorised pest controllers so far this year.

All the existing pest-control staff, including managers, supervisors and technicians are well-trained professionals, continuously monitored and managed by Tadweer, it said.

There are around 1,616 pest control operators in Abu Dhabi. Residents can find the registered operators on the website

of Tadweer.

In recent times, complaints about illegal and untrained operators have come down in Abu Dhabi and residents appeared satisfied with services offered.

Residents happy

An Abu Dhabi resident, Abu Bakr Mohammad Ansar said: “Municipal authorities have tightened the noose on unlicensed and untrained pest control operators, so now they are doing the job properly. Earlier, there were a number of unlicensed, untrained

operators who used to exploit us of our money and were not doing the job properly,” he said.

“Just a month back, I had pest-control treatment done at my apartment and the guys did the job properly,” said Ansar, an Abu Dhabi resident for 26 years. He paid Dh250 to the pest controller and gets it done twice a year.

The centre said it regularly carries out awareness campaigns across Abu Dhabi to educate the public about the dangers of using unlicensed pest controllers.