Pest managers from Australia joined European delegates in attending ICUP 2025, held in Lund, Sweden.
Delegates from across the globe gathered at the 11th International Conference on Urban Pests (ICUP) held at AF-Borgen, in Lund, southern Sweden, between June 29 and July 2, 2025. Held every three years, ICUP is known for being a valuable event that allows for the exchange of ideas and networking amongst the leading researchers in the field of urban pest management.
In total, over 220 academics, manufacturers, regulators and service professionals representing all sectors of the urban pest management sector attended the 2025 event. Delegates travelled to Sweden from 31 different counties from as far away as Australia, Brazil, and Japan.
Sustainability and environmental awareness were two key themes throughout the conference.
First to speak was Irene Nilsson, vice president of the Regional Council Scania, who introduced delegates to the concept of smart sustainable cities. She explained how 85% of the population in Sweden lived in cities, leading to the rapid development and implementation of smart and efficient solutions. Together, the public sector and the business community test and scale up these solutions.
Representing the Lund municipality, deputy mayor Stig Svensson explained how Lund has set itself the target of being climate neutral by 2030 and is leading the way in climate-smart buildings. However, despite advances in some areas, the town was suffering from an explosion of rats, and over €100,000 was currently being spent on rodent control measures.
In total, over 50 presentations covered both scientific research and practical advice regarding the management of the full range of urban pests including rodents, bed bugs, mosquitoes and termites, using both chemical and non-chemical means. In addition, breakout workshop sessions gave delegates the opportunity to discuss the presentations and put forward their own ideas.
Dr Bill Robinson, chair of the ICUP executive committee, spoke about the purpose of the conference. “The original concept behind the establishment of the ICUP event was to create an environment where delegates can exchange and share ideas,” he said in his welcome address. “Delegates need to exchange ideas and change what they think. To go away with ideas on what they can do next.”
Scott Lambert, CEO of Termatrac, felt the conference certainly delivered in this respect. “One of the biggest highlights for me was the opportunity to meet so many new people. It was refreshing to connect with others who share the same passion and commitment to our industry,” he said.
“A particularly interesting session was the one on bed bugs. The information presented was eye-opening and gave me some new perspectives on current detection and treatment strategies. Since then, I’ve learned that our Termatrac device can actually be used to detect bed bugs using its thermal imaging camera – something I hadn’t fully appreciated before. In addition to locating bed bugs behind skirting boards, it can also demonstrate the absence of bed bugs in mattresses using the radar function. This adds even more value to its role in our work.”
A vital part of the conference is giving delegates plenty of time for discussion and socialising, plus of course, as one delegate described them, “coffee machine networking breaks”.
Justin Herbert from Pestige Solutions in Sydney enjoyed the event after connecting with new and familiar faces. “I had a great time. I met so many people who were there from all over the world and caught up with two Norwegian friends I met at PestWorld in Hawaii,” he said. “The gala dinner with its country by country ‘sing-off’ ballads was exceptional.
“My standout was the local mayor’s introduction about Lund and the lifestyle of Sweden showing the world how far in front they are with being a carbon neutral country and leading the way creating and using green energy.”
Pest professionals who are interested in reading the papers from the 2025 event can find them on the ICUP database, which is a free-to-use source of urban pest research data.
The next ICUP Conference will be held in 2028. Further details, including the location, to be announced when details are confirmed.
