Pest control experts warn against climate change

This could lead to a wider spread of diseases and increased crop destruction.

The firm said it expects to see pests migrate to cooler climate environments with the global temperature expected to increase by around 2°C in the next few decades.

This could result in insects becoming a bigger threat to public health and food production, as they become more resistant to insecticides and experience additional generations.

The coffee berry borer, which is present in most coffee-growing region in the world including Hawaii, is a key example. It is estimated the beetle causes $500m in damages to coffee growers each year, according to a 2002 study in the Journal of Insect Science.

To combat a new set of challenges from pests, technical leaders at Rentokil Steritech recommend that businesses stay up to speed on invasive species, use products that have a longer residual and consider increasing their frequency of pest control services.

Judy Black, VP of technical services at Rentokil Steritech, said: ​“Invasive species have always been a problem, but they will likely spread further as the global temperature increases, causing the establishment of new, exotic species with no natural enemies.​

“Global warming will have a significant impact on the problems caused by insects especially, as higher temperatures can result in faster population growth, and the quicker breakdown of conventional insecticide through volatilization.” ​

Meanwhile, Rentokil Initial Malaysia has collaborated with the Ministry of Health Malaysia (MOH) on food safety inspection training.

In 2015, there were 15,346 hospitalisations in the country due to food related illnesses such as food poisoning, typhoid, cholera, dysentery etc.

The training covered pest behaviours, hygiene practices and integrated pest management (IPM) using the ERDM (Exclusion, Restriction, Destruction, Monitoring) methodology.