Insights
Notes on risk, prevention and site control.
Technical thinking from Stratton on commercial pest risk, environmental management, audit expectations, evidence, monitoring and the future of site control.
All pieces.
A dated index of current articles.
The Architecture of IntegrityStratton designs pest management as an engineered system for audited sites, built on evidence, corrective action and traceability, not routine visits.
Beyond Attendance: Introducing SEPOS, the Stratton Environmental Professional Operating StandardDiscover SEPOS, Stratton Environmental Management’s professional operating standard for managing pest risk through stronger inspections, evidence-led reporting, trend analysis, corrective-action control and audit-ready documentation.
The Scottish Glue Trap Ban: What Commercial Sites Should Learn Before 1 July 2026On 1 July 2026, Scotland's ban on glue traps comes into force. From that date, it becomes a criminal offence to use, supply, or possess a glue trap. It is also an offence to knowingly cause or permit another person to use or supply one. This measure is part of the Wildlife Management and Muirburn (Scotland) Act 2024. The penalties for violating this law are severe: offenders may face imprisonment of up to five years and substantial fines.
This ban is specific to Scotland. It does not change the law in England or Wales, which have taken different approaches, discussed further below. For any organisation that prioritises compliance, the Scottish glue trap ban should be viewed not just as a technical change but as a clear indication of the future of professional pest management. This future includes greater welfare scrutiny, stronger evidence requirements, better documentation, and a shift away from crude reactive tools toward governed, preventative control.When smart monitoring adds value, and when it adds noiseConnected devices are genuinely useful at the right points and an expensive distraction everywhere else. The difference is the interpretation, not the hardware.
The Reactive Pest Control Model Is Quietly Failing UK Commercial OperatorsMost UK commercial pest control contracts are still structured around something that hasn't materially changed since the 1990s: visit frequency. Quarterly inspections, monthly inspections, fortnightly for high-risk food sites, with call-outs when something turns up. It's clean on paper, easy to procure, and predictable to budget.
It's also the wrong model for the way modern commercial sites actually operate.
Buildings have changed. Supply chains have changed. The regulatory environment has changed beyond recognition, particularly around rodenticide stewardship, wildlife protection, and food sector audit expectations. What hasn't changed, in many organisations, is the assumption that pest control is a maintenance line item rather than a documented environmental risk discipline.
That gap is where the cost lives.Why pest activity is a documentation eventThe capture is the smallest part of what happened. What matters commercially is whether the site can show what was done about it.A note on the regulatory pieces.
Where these articles touch on regulation, they reflect our reading of the position at the time of writing. They are general information, not legal or compliance advice, and the rules change. For your specific obligations, check the current guidance or take professional advice.
Start with a site review.
If a piece raises a question about your own site, a review is the most direct way to answer it. Following the review, Stratton will recommend a suitable route, or advise clearly where the site is not the right fit.