Australian Rural & Regional News asked a further question about AI of Andrew Stone, Managing Director from Rentokil Initial, answered below.
Rentokil Initial, Media Release
With the official declaration of an El Niño and positive Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) and expected prolonged drier and hotter weather in coming months, now is the time to proactively prepare for an expected influx in insect pest numbers. While no one is certain how this extreme weather event will impact insect behaviour due to their unpredictable and adaptive nature, there are some reliable assumptions that can be made based on previous experience and anecdotal evidence.
Andrew Stone, Managing Director from Rentokil Initial and an expert on pest behaviour says: “Warmer weather kick-starts a natural build-up of insect numbers in the environment as they exit the diapause stage (mini hibernation), so our data shows a current increase in cockroaches, ants, spiders and flying insects like mosquitoes and house flies that are vectors and carry diseases and pathogens. While this is not uncharacteristic at this time of year, we anticipate El Niño will exacerbate normal pest activity. To what extent and in which locations remains unknown.
“We can confidently assume areas in northern Australia which are already hot and humid are unlikely to experience too many changes, while NSW, Victoria and even South Australia may see increased insect activity because of atypical and prolonged heat creating the ideal breeding conditions for some insects. Furthermore, we are likely to see an increase in transient insect movement as they seek cooler shelter and to escape the extreme heat around fire zones. This may present as insect swarms in unexpected urban environments – where native or pest insects have undergone mass breeding in ideal conditions to reach plague proportions. These swarms usually drop-off as quickly as they come and often involve protected native species so there is little opportunity for treatment. In these instances, the best approach is to stay indoors or away from swarm locations until it passes.If the problem persists over a few days then contact a Pest Control Company for advice”.
“At Rentokil Initial we use the latest technology and invest in innovative approaches including AI and machine learning, to monitor trends and understand the impact of changing environments and pest behaviours so we can continue to evolve our response to pest control to safeguard the home environment and mitigate financial risk and business interruption to Australian businesses. We are watching closely to ascertain El Niño’s real impact on pest behaviour”.
Australian Rural & Regional News: How is Rentokil using AI to deal with pests?
Andrew Stone, Rentokil Initial MD: “Pests are a problem most Aussies don’t want to tolerate. Our recent research revealed nearly four in five people are worried about finding pests in their food or at their workplace, more than half would never return to a café or restaurant after spotting a creepy crawly and nearly a third of Aussies say they would immediately leave the building after spotting a pest.
“Pests are not only a source of unease, they can also cause huge health and safety concerns and carry infectious diseases.”Pests are not only a source of unease, they can also cause huge health and safety concerns and carry infectious diseases.
“Just as AI and automation technology has become a part of everything we do, whether at work or at home, it is now transforming our approach to pest management.
“When it comes to best practice in pest management, the ability to understand pest behaviour and predict when intervention is needed is paramount. Taking the right actions to prevent an infestation will always be cheaper, more effective and more sustainable than simply treating a problem.
“At Rentokil we’ve also focused on prevention and worked with our customers to control pests before any damage is done and we continually invest in innovative approaches that are shaping the future of pest control in Australia.
“Our connected solution, PestConnect, collates and analyses emerging trends through millions of data points crunched by machine learning algorithms, identifying patterns and correlations that human observation alone might miss, which enables us to map and predict pest activity more effectively and then control pest activity sustainably.
“PestConnect mitigates the risk of infestation by implementing an extensive infrastructure of digital devices, offering 24/7 monitoring, which can be remotely accessed. Pest sightings can then be managed quickly and efficiently.
“Leveraging the power of machine learning in conjunction with a network of connected devices has shifted the needle in pest control, improving the efficiency of technicians by using AI to analyse images and issuing alerts only when needed.
“Real time monitoring also allows us to know exactly which pest is causing problems, so that we can target that particular species. Not only is this more effective, but it’s also better for the environment as it allows us to reduce the use of toxic solutions.
“No-one wants unwanted guests in their home or workplace, but by using AI and machine learning to identify their behavioural trends, we can deliver more effective solutions to get rid of them.”
