10 Questions for Meir Feldman

What pests do you deal with most often?

Rats and mice are my bread and butter. Over the years I have seen a dramatic increase in rat activity, very likely we can put this down to less frequent bin collections and excess waste. I tell my clients that these rodents take advantage of easy entry points, so make sure all your brickwork and doors and vents are in good shape. Now we’re coming up on my busiest season — in addition to rats, mice, bedbugs, fleas, and pigeons, which are active throughout the year, pests like wasps, bees, hornets, and ants emerge in the summer. I operate around most of the northeast of England. I have domestic and commercial customers as well as landlords and letting agents, so I see a variety of pests and pest-related issues.

What’s the most common question you get?

People regularly ask me how a frum Yid can do this for a living. Non-Jewish people are simply surprised: “I thought Jews were petrified of wild animals and dogs.” The most interesting question I got was from someone on Erev Rosh Hashanah — he asked if I would pray for people to have pests. I said I would pray for parnassah, and how Hashem chooses to give it to me is up to Him!

How did you get into this field?

I grew up with a large backyard with a pond and all sorts of wildlife, and as a kid I spent a lot of time investigating insects, frogs, fish, and small mammals. My family was also very adventurous. When we went to Switzerland for holidays, we caught lizards, snakes, and other wildlife, and we studied them a bit to learn about them before setting them free. When I started to work, I tried a few jobs — managing a food store, electrician’s training — but I found those unexciting. I realized the Jewish community could do with a heimish pest controller, so I took courses and trained and learned on the job, and then four years ago, I dove right in and started my company. I love it! I never know what I’ll encounter — I can start my day dealing with wasps and find myself being called to rescue a trapped hedgehog — and I’m still learning new wonders every day.

Is there a staff, or it’s just you?

I have a secretary, as it can be difficult to answer the phone whilst wearing a full face mask or crawling in a tight space. I do most jobs on my own, but I will get additional workforce for large jobs, like bird-proofing solar panels or installing netting for bird prevention.