The next decade of Pest Control: AI, Bio-Engineering, Chemicals, and Software & Analytics

Research evidence excerpt

The next decade of Pest Control: AI, Bio-Engineering, Chemicals, and Software & Analytics

Will Kirkness +44 20 7676 8355 will.kirkness@bernsteinsg.com 3 July 2026

DETAILS

One appeal of the Rentokil investment case is the lack of risk around AI disintermediation. There is of course continued

development in technology and ways of working. From an internal efficiency perspective we see the most obvious benefits from

AI and automation applying to areas such as route planning, customer service, report drafting and customer analysis. We also

expect it to be able to drive revenues more directly as it is used in lead generation, customer retention predication, predictive

pest outbreaks and remote monitoring and analysis. In addition to AI, we consider developments in remote monitoring and

connected devices, robotics and bioengineering can shape the industry in the future.

MONITORING AND IOT ENABLED DEVICES

The pest control industry continues to evolve from periodic, manual inspection models to continuous, sensor-driven monitoring.

This includes IoT-enabled devices such as smart traps, cameras, infrared sensors, and environmental monitors which can

provide 24/7 real-time data feeds on pest activity. Historically, pest control relied on scheduled inspections and blanket

pesticide use, which were labor-intensive and reactive. Newer systems use connected traps and wireless communication to

automatically register activity, often with cloud-based analytics and mobile dashboards. The shift enables early detection and

predictive intervention, which helps shift service delivery toward proactive prevention rather than reactive eradication. Key

technology developments include:

• Smart traps and connected devices

• Data analytics and predictive monitoring