Installer of the Month February 2026 | Agouti Pest Control

We are so very pleased to celebrate this month’s Defender® Bird Spikes Installer of the Month winners, Gary and Adam Waplington, father and son team, from Agouti Pest Control. Huge congratulations to this London family run company. Their winning project demonstrated careful planning, thorough preparation, and a high standard of installation in a challenging working environment using our Defender® Narrow Stainless Steel bird spike.

Let’s find out more about the install that won Agouti the prize

The brief was to protect as many ledges as possible inside a working fire station. Because of the nature of the site, when fire engines are called out the shutters can remain open long enough for pigeons to enter and start looking for nesting spots. With lots of exposed pipework and structural ledges, there were many potential landing areas.

All ledges and surfaces large enough for pigeons to land on were cleaned using PX Ornikill and then protected with spikes. Defender® Narrow Stainless Steel Spikes The Defender® Narrow Stainless Steel Spikes cover narrow ledges up to 10 cm wide and are perfect for pipes and narrow I beams. This narrow spike has holes designed for fitting cable ties and screws, however in this instance, they were fixed in place using Fixall Crystal for a clean and secure finish. The Agouti team has done an outstanding job protecting the mass of pipe and iron work in this firestation. It’s impossible to stop the birds coming in altogether, but humanely stopping them from landing inside was the goal. Access required a combination of ladders and a scissor lift.

Why did you set up Agouti Pest Control?

After retiring from the Metropolitan Police, Gary did not want to spend retirement sitting around. He enjoys the outdoors and wanted to run his own business that was completely different from my previous career. An interest in wildlife naturally led towards pest control.

His background as a detective has actually been very useful and has helped shape how Agouti approach pest and bird control work. Every job requires new thinking because each one is different. Different structures, different access challenges, and different proofing requirements all need careful planning.

Adam also enjoys being out and about. Pest control brings a new challenge every day getting to meet all sorts of people and help them in their time of need. It is incredible rewarding to look back at a job from the start through to completion. They have been carrying out bird installations since the start of the company.

Who is on the Agouti team?

Gary and Adam carry out the field work, covering London and Essex, with Janice (Wife to Gary, Mum to Adam) keeping an eye on things behind the scenes, especially the coffee bills. We also have an extended team we can call on for larger projects and even did a recent bird job in Poole.

What do you like about bird work?

They have been carrying out bird installations since the start of the company. Bird work always brings new challenges, tests the initiative and sometimes a bit of imagination is needed. It is also great working with access equipment and reaching areas most people never see. It’s always good fun getting up on the cherry pickers!

Other than bird control, what else do you do?

We cover all types of pest control, with rodent and bird work being our main specialisms. We also deal with bed bugs, cockroaches, silverfish, moths, ants, wasps and many more.

What are the most challenging and rewarding parts of the job?

Gary and Adam find it can be challenging telling the public to stop feeding the pigeons,although it does keep bird controllers in work! The rewards are high; customers are often anxious, so completing the work and seeing their relief is very rewarding. Its wonderful to help people feel reassured once their pest problem is resolved. Its also good to take lots of photos, before and after the job has been completed. Great to look back on and realise how much has been achieved.

What made you choose Defender® Bird Spikes?

We’ve always LOVED Defender® Bird Spikes. We’ve always had faith in the product, and its backed by a brilliant team of people! Always an absolute pleasure and nothings ever too much.

What is your favourite Defende® Bird Spike?

That is a tough choice, but recently we have been using the Defender® Narrow stainless steel spikes a lot. They fit perfectly into tight spaces where pigeons often try to settle.

Congratulations again to Gary, Janice and Adam from Agouti Pest Solutions on a well earned Defender® Bird Spikes Installer of the Month award. A great installation and a fantastic result.

If you have a bird control or pest issue in Essex or London area, do contact Adam and Gary. All their contact details for Agouti Pest Control can be found on their website.