Case Study: Selontra®
A Game-Changer for Efficient and Sustainable Pest Control

Lee Sallabanks, founder, managing director and technician for Premier Pest Services (Lincs) Ltd, explains why he views Selontra® as a vital pest control solution.

“Its fast-acting formula boosts efficiency by reducing site visits and lowering costs, all while minimising environmental impact. Plus, its approval for field mouse control makes it especially beneficial in arable and rural settings”.

Premier Pest Services (Lincs) Ltd was established in 2007 by Lee Sallabanks to serve the Lincolnshire area. With over two decades of experience in pest control, including roles at two national pest control companies, Lee has worked with a variety of products and solutions throughout his career. However, after using Selontra® and seeing its effectiveness, palatability, and resistance-breaking properties firsthand, it quickly became an essential part of the company’s pest control strategy. Lee has found Selontra® to be a game-changer for his business, making it his go-to bait for high-end commercial contracts.

Lee’s customers include a variety of agricultural sites, including those audited by various governance agencies, such as Red Tractor, SALSA, and Crop Assurance locations. Due to their nature, these locations have consistent rodent activity which requires stringent monitoring and action if necessary. Alongside this, Lee also provides ongoing pest control services to a range of food manufacturing business, such as those audited by BRC, and also commercial locations like golf courses, holiday accommodation sites and storage facilities. Each of these environments present different complexities and challenges when it comes to rodent continuous rodent monitoring and prevention.

The perfect permanent baiting solution

The locations where Lee’s clients typically require permanent baiting for ongoing rodent control - and Selontra® is ideal for this purpose. Thanks to its ability to be used in permanent baiting approaches, Lee uses Selontra® to keep rodents under control and to reduce the likelihood of an infestation in these high-risk areas. As the company is based in Lincolnshire, many of Lee’s jobs are in rural areas and on farms. Not only do these businesses tend to follow the strict Red Tractor frameworks, but here, the risk of secondary poisoning to wildlife is higher than in urban locations. Lee said, “I use one block of Selontra® in the low-risk areas for ongoing protection and to keep rodent numbers down, but if the area is considered more high risk, I refer to the label when placing the bait as it can differ per location.”

Another benefit for rural baiting is that Selontra® does not persist in the environment. This means it significantly reduces the risk of non-target poisoning compared to other rodenticides. When a rodent consumes the bait, the active ingredient, cholecalciferol, causes it to stop feeding and retreat to its burrow to die, rather than remaining out in the open where it could be eaten by barn owls or other predators. Thanks to Selontra®’s fast results, Lee is also spending less money and time on each job. He said: “Although the initial cost per tub of Selontra® is more expensive than other brands, I use less product than I would with other rodenticides, and because of its speed of control, my visits have reduced for each job. This means I have more time to visit existing contracts or take on new clients, resulting in quicker impact for my customers and more financial opportunities for the business”.

Dealing with field mice infestations

Another benefit of Selontra® for Lee’s business is the inclusion of field mice on the label – the only professional rodenticide to have this. Many of the organisations he provides ongoing pest control for are in arable environments, so field mice can be a significant issue. Being able to use Selontra® in these environments has meant Lee spends less time setting, monitoring and dealing with traps, and more time handling the infestation quickly and directly. Before Selontra®, the use of rodenticide on field mice, Apodemus Sylvaticus, was restricted, pest controllers were only able to trap these rodents which could be time-consuming for the pest controller and for the speed of control.

Lee said “The use of traps can be quite arduous, needing to rebait each time and check each one, but Selontra® works consistently and you’re able to get multiple feeds off one block. It is even more valuable when it comes to treating mouse issues in grain stores as its HACCP suitable, as well as internal and external baiting. Thanks to my approach and the use of Selontra®, all of my site remain predominantly pest free all year round - it really is one of a kind and such a valuable product.”

With its efficiency, sustainability, and broad application, Selontra® has enhanced both Premier Pest Service’s operations and client satisfaction.

To find out more about Selontra®, or to browse the entire range of pest control products visit the BASF Pest Control Solutions website

About Selontra

• Rodent-free is possible in as few as seven days
• Saves treatment times and improves productivity
• Stops the waste of resources
• Balances performance and environmental impact
• Breaks the cycle of resistance

Selontra® is a revolutionary rodenticide bait, controlling infestations in rural and urban settings in as few as seven days.

Its high performance, non-anticoagulant formulation controls up to 100% of target rodents, including resistant rats and mice, breaking the cycle of resistance.

Selontra®’s active ingredient, cholecalciferol, is neither persistent in the environment nor bio-accumulative. Importantly, it’s four times more palatable than most rodenticides, making it a powerful solution for controlling infestations even when alternative attractive food sources are readily available.

Selontra® is stable and durable enough to withstand both cold climates and extreme heat, whatever the weather.