Association

16 January 2018

PPC Live: Meet the speaker - Matthew Davies

Killgerm's Group Head of Technical Department, Matthew, will be leading a seminar at PPC Live called Options for mosquito management in the UK. We catch up with him to see what we should expect.

Dr Matthew Davies

A bit of background on Matthew

I am the Head of Technical Department at Killgerm Chemicals Ltd, the Technical Editor for Pest Control News, Chair of the 9th International Conference on Urban Pests 2017 and hold a PhD from Aston University.

I studied for a Bsc (Hons) in Biology (with a year in industry at the Food and Environment Research Agency), at the University of York.

At Killgerm, I advise on all aspects of public health pest control, particularly entomology and provide pest control training, product testing, insect identification, pest control audits and technical literature.

My PhD research was on the isolation and characterisation of bacteria associated with flying insects in hospitals and I continue to collaborate with Aston University, currently co-supervising a PhD student investigating ‘The acquisition, incubation and transfer of bacteria by household insects and other arthropods.’

Options for mosquito management in the UK

Why mosquitoes?

In terms of mosquitoes, Killgerm contribute to Mosquito Watch, has assisted production of guidance on the management of invasive species of mosquitoes, and run the ‘Killgerm certificate in mosquito management’ training course.

Part of Mosquito Watch’s work (in conjunction with Public Health England and the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health) is to obtain a better understanding of the incidence of nuisance mosquitoes that are biting humans in the UK and make entries into a dedicated database to record the incidences of mosquitoes nationally.

As well as the mosquito species we already have in the UK, the possibility exists for the importation of exotic mosquitoes that could cause a greater biting nuisance and may become involved in the transmission of infectious diseases. These species should be spotted before they take hold and for Mosquito Watch to act as an ‘early warning system’, the efforts of pest controllers, environmental health practitioners and members of the public are required.

What are we going to learn?

I want to impart some simple practical information regarding the options for mosquito control that are available in the UK. Understanding which insecticides are available for their control is going to be very important in coming years.


Professional pest control together. PPC Live is the sister show to PestEx, and is BPCA's exhibition and conference designed for UK pest control technicians, managers and company owners. This event will be held on Wednesday 14 March 2018 at the Three Counties Showground in Malvern, Worcestershire.

Register now

More about this talk

View all PPC Live seminars

Source: Online

Highlights View all news

06 June 2025

Latest news

Results are in: meet your new BPCA Board representatives 2025

Six new Member Directors have been chosen to help lead the Association and represent the interests of BPCA members at the highest level.

Read more

29 May 2025

Latest news

VOTING OPENS in BPCA member elections - 13 candidates stand for SIX places on BPCA Board

Voting has officially opened in the BPCA Member Elections 2025, with 13 nominees standing for SIX open seats on the Executive Board.

Read more

15 May 2025

Latest news

Join the BPCA Executive Board: Put yourself forward now

BPCA is on the lookout for new Executive Board Directors to help shape the future of the Association.

Read more
Latest View all news

06 June 2025

Latest news

Results are in: meet your new BPCA Board representatives 2025

Six new Member Directors have been chosen to help lead the Association and represent the interests of BPCA members at the highest level.

Read more

05 June 2025

Latest news

New flashcards alert! Veritas release new pest ID cards

Press release: Following the success of the insect ID flashcards, Veritas Pest Consultancy have released vertebrate flashcards - with bonus rodent droppings!

Read more

29 May 2025

Latest news

VOTING OPENS in BPCA member elections - 13 candidates stand for SIX places on BPCA Board

Voting has officially opened in the BPCA Member Elections 2025, with 13 nominees standing for SIX open seats on the Executive Board.

Read more