One such company is Rentokil Initial, a publicly listed company in the UK with more than 81 years of pest control experience worldwide. It’s also the biggest urban extermination company in the country, and has been an authorized Sentricon operator since early 2006. According to Constante Hidalgo, country manager of Rentokil Initial Philippines, Inc., the company is equipped to deal with a variety of problems. "Rentokil is the most trusted name in environmental hygiene. Aside from pest elimination, we offer hygiene services in washrooms and offices. We have our own equipment, sanitizers, air fresheners, and deep cleansing agents. We also procure and purchase chemicals from trusted brands like Dow AgroSciences and other multinational companies."
Hidalgo is elated that the company’s termite elimination options have greatly expanded with their new product. "Sentricon is a revolutionary method of controlling termites because it eliminates the colony. Sentricon is very ideal in treating high-rise premises because, based on experience, liquid termiticides have a limitation. Sentricon proves to be very effective because of the above-ground feeding stations. Sometimes termite colonies don’t start from the bottom; some originate in higher floors, in spots like rooftop gardens, foliages, and other places."
Termite problems, he adds, recur because of several reasons: "Re-infestation is always highly possible because there might be more than one colony, or it’s the swarming season, when the alates (gamu-gamo) mate and cold possibly form a queen for a colony, even above ground. Garden soil that is infested can also cause renewed attacks. In principle, when it’s difficult to locate the colony, Sentricon’s above-ground feeding stations are ideal. For example, if you want to introduce termite treatment to functioning hotel, you can’t dismantle it; you can’t totally stop the operation of the establishment, so the baiting system is very useful."
The Alog dealership continues to be a crucial component to Rentokil’s diverse services, according to Hidalgo. "Alog has always been supportive of Rentokil by being a supplier of chemicals and pest control equipment through the years. It’s a very professional distributor-pest control operator relationship. We purchase the Sentricon components from Alog and implement the treatment ourselves, based on their assistance and training. Dow AgroSciences has an active advertising and awareness campaign. They’re trying to reach out to the public, and we get a lot of inquiries."
Hidalgo reiterates the importance of being hands-on with their client’s specific needs and queries. "We do thorough inspections for free. We give clients the appropriate and necessary recommendations to solve their infestation problems. One basic principle of becoming an effective pest control company is, you should be backed up by continuous research and development. The employees should be trained and should posses the knowledge of carrying out the basic pest control methods. Health and safety aspects of doing our business are the primary concern of Rentokil, and that’s what differentiates us from other operators: our health and safety policy."
Geng Ablola, division manager of Rentokil, enthuses that Sentricon has been a welcome and much-anticipated addition to the company’s diverse treatments. "Rentokil is pro-active and has a great after-sales service, for us to maintain our clientele. We anticipate their needs, and are also very particular in environmental health and safety. Everything has to be approved by our research and development department in the UK. Customers are our priority, and our highly trained and professional staff addresses the concerns of our clients right away. We came up with a lot of marketing for Sentricon, which is the market leader for termite control, so we assure clients that they’d get their money’s worth in the long term. So far, Alog & Company, Inc., our distributor, is also pleased with the way we’re handling the product. "