About
International Pest Control (IPC) has been established for over 60 years, it is the only publication in the world dealing with all aspects of pest eradication and prevention — for public health, animal welfare, food storage, crop protection, forestry and wood preservation.
The publication employs a wide-ranging definition of the term `pest’, taking in plants and fungal agents as well as members of the animal kingdom which cause disease, depredation or economic loss. And because pests recognise no national boundaries, control is increasingly approached on an international basis — a situation which is reflected in both the title and content of the publication.
The science of pest control is currently embarking upon a period of change. Economic and environmental factors have combined to shift emphasis away from merely researching and conventionally applying new chemical pesticides, towards more efficient methods of applying existing compounds, the development of alternative techniques like biological control and, increasingly, the combination of all available methods into effective integrated pest management programmes.
International Pest Control publishes research and review papers from all over the world, documenting and drawing together the advantages and disadvantages of a wide variety of novel and established techniques with respect to different needs and ambient conditions. It provides authoritative reviews of pest control developments worldwide, with news, articles, reviews, features and comments.  Readers are informed of trends in new techniques, new chemicals, new products, and new methods of applying existing remedies – these are the practical tools of the pest control industry the world over.
And finally, as the field of international pest control is far too diverse to be covered fully in one journal, we include a comprehensive book review section featuring the contributions of a corps of reviewers who are specialists in their respective fields.
International Pest Control is published every second month. To subscribe, click the link “Subscriptions” .
Meet the Editor
Chris’s academic life began studying Applied Biology at Salford University, chosen because it was one of only two Biology courses in the country that included periods working in industry (the other was at Bath which was much too close to home in the West Country). Placements included a time with ICI Plant Protection at Jealott’s Hill (now Syngenta) working on primary screen and field trials of a new acaricide in the UK and Spain, as well as work testing a new pesticide application method (which would reappear two years later). This was followed up by a period at CIBA-Geigy’s field trials centre at Whittlesford near Cambridge assisting with field trials around the UK (the site became part of Novartis and is now closed).
With his interest in pest control kindled the next step was an MSc in Applied Entomology at Imperial College, Silwood Park field station. Following on from the MSc Chris was lucky enough to be offered the chance to study for a PhD funded from both ICI Plant Protection, Micron Sprayers and SERC looking at the impact of a novel electrostatic spraying system known as the “Electrodyn” on beneficial non-target organisms. Much of the research used facilities at Jealott’s Hill as well as those at IPARC, Silwood Park. The work was carried out under the supervision of Prof Graham Matthews. Chris was then lured away from research to join a new magazine “Crops” being started by the owners of “Farmers Weekly” – the Reed Elsevier group. After rising to Deputy Editor and winning awards for his writing Chris was asked to assist with the roll out of desktop publishing across the business group having been very active in its early introduction on Crops magazine.
From Elsevier Chris moved on to the environmental consultancy Aspinwall which involved a move from London to Shrewsbury and in 2001, when Aspinwall was acquired by venture capitalists, Chris left with a colleague to setup a sustainable transport consultancy focussed on measuring and reducing the greenhouse gas (GHG) and toxic emissions of transport. While a long way from pesticide application the scientific rigour needed to accurately determine emissions has proved a great value in this venture and Chris now lectures on the subject as well as running a well-regarded training course for other GHG and energy professionals. The chance to edit International Pest Control was a chance to return to his roots, connect again with Prof. Matthews and draw together many of the skills collected during his career as well as expose the gaps in his knowledge to the wider world.
Get in touch
Do you have ideas and or photos that you’d like to see in International Pest Control magazine?
Do you want to write an article for IPC?
Drop Chris an email at:Â editor@international-pest-control.com