Welcome
 
Welcome to the Australian Environmental Pest Managers Association February 2017 edition.  Please read for more details below or visit our website for online version
President's Report

Well, the industry is deep into our season and from all reports, it has been extremely busy throughout the country.  The media attention that pests have received this year is very encouraging, putting a spotlight on the crucial role we play in keeping homes and businesses healthy and structurally sound.  Looking to the future, I see more media/public awareness and busier seasons for all.

At the AEPMA National Office, this time of year generally revolves around housekeeping, membership renewals, planning for the months ahead and speaking to lots of members of the public about pest control.  Planning has been a major focus for Stephen and his team with a lot of tasks set to be delivered this year such as the Codes of Practice for Termite Management, Termite Management During New Construction and Training in Pest Management.  In addition to this, work will commence on creating a Code of Practice for Rodent Management, as well as some exciting new training/qualification courses related to high compliance commercial pest control servicing.

Late last year, the national board had a Strategic/Business Planning Day which was very fruitful.  The day set the focus and agenda that the National Office and Board will take for the next few years.  The finishing touches are being put to the plan and it will be posted on the website and attached to an upcoming newsletter.

AEPMA members will have recently received their membership renewal notices.  I encourage you all to take this time to renew your membership with AEPMA.  If you are not yet a member, now is the ideal time to consider joining to make the most of the membership year.  Simply visit the AEPMA website and “Join Now”.

As always, I look forward to reporting our progress in the next issue on all things happening at AEPMA.

Until next time, I wish you all the best and trust all is going well within your business.

Vasili Tsoutouras
AEPMA President 

Expressions of Interest - Rodent Code of Practice  
 
AEPMA is planning to develop a Code of Practice for rodent control in Australia. Following the release of the European Code, AEPMA is seeking to go on the front foot and develop its own code in this area.

Thank you to those who have responded so far.  We have received a lot of interest from Associates and are now looking for responses from Pest Managers.

Pest Management companies and/or individuals who may have an interest in this area are invited to respond to us by 7th March so that the Working Group can be confirmed.

Participants of working codes of practice should note that these are primarily conducted via video conference and those wishing to participate should have a superior technical knowledge of the subject area (Rodent Control).

Please respond to the AEPMA National Office (info@aepma.com.au )

Stratton Finance joins AEPMA as new Associate Member

AEPMA is pleased to announce Stratton Finance has joined as a new Associate member.

Who is stratton?

We've been around a while. Since 1998 in fact. Today, stratton has a national network with offices in most capital cities, and is one of the largest asset finance brokers in Australia. 

In 2014, stratton joined The Carsales Network  — Australia's number one automotive classifieds business.  stratton now offers a complete range of finance solutions for cars, boats, equipment and property, as well as insurance broking and a range of other services.

We're big enough to access great deals.  We’re small enough to take the time to give you great service.  We work to understand your needs before comparing finance options from a panel of lenders to find a package that suits you. 

Click here to read full article

BASF launches two new fast acting and highly palatable rodenticides

•    New Selontra® controls populations up to three times faster than conventional anticoagulant rodenticides
•    Selontra’s unique mode of action lowers the risk of secondary poisoning and feed contamination 
•    High potency anticoagulant Storm® is now also available in soft bait formulation  

BASF has received registration for its Selontra® Soft Bait Rodenticide, a new, highly effective, nonanticoagulant bait based on a naturally occurring active ingredient that helps to achieve complete control of rodent infestations three times faster than conventional anticoagulant rodenticides. It is suitable to use within and around animal houses and along perimeter fence lines.  

Selontra is a new state-of-the-art formulation with unique benefits, including the potential for shorter baiting regimes, high palatability and lower risk of non-target secondary poisoning. Its naturally occurring active ingredient and unique mode of action mean the development of resistance in rodents is considered highly unlikely, with no cases of resistance reported globally to date. 

Click here to read the full article

Rapid Solutions Conference 2017

Rapid Solutions would like to invite you to attend its conference at Royal Pines Resort, Gold Coast on Friday 11th and Saturday 12th August 2017.

Brush up your knowledge in the educational sessions, meet with the key manufacturers and suppliers in the exhibition hall and enjoy yourself at the social events.  The 2017 conference will be bigger and better than ever and with excellent facilities.  Royal Pines specialises in hosting large-scale events of this kind.

You can register to attend by visiting www.rapidsolutions.com.au/conference from 1 March.

The conference is open to all and will be the pest control event of the year.

We look forward to sharing more exciting details with you very shortly.

Why are ants so successful at creating callbacks for Pesties?

Baiting for ants can be very much like fishing. Sometimes the ants attack with vengeance and keep attacking. Other times, no matter how you wiggle the line or change its depth and location, nothing strikes. Like a patient fisher, a pestie baiting for ants has to have patience re-assessing after each failure and try new approaches to achieve success.  

According to a recent survey, ants continue to cause large numbers of callbacks, with 39 percent of Pest Management Professionals (PMPs) having a five percent or higher callback rate.  Here are some possible scenarios as to why your ant control wasn’t working, along with tips to beef up your ant baiting skills.

Click here to read full article. 

Update on PMITAG NSW Activities in 2016

The Urban Pest Management Industry Training Group NSW  (PMITAG NSW) is a group of  people with an interest in improving the education and training of Pest Managers. It was established by NSW Government Property Services ITAB in the early 1990s to advise on Pest Management Training Packages and promote traineeships. Following the restructuring of NSW ITABs in 2011, it became a Board Committee of AEPMA. Currently it has 16 members (5 pest managers, 4 from TAFE/OTEN, 4 from private training companies and one each from AEPMA H.O., UNSW, and SafeWork NSW) and a Circulation List  of 31 people. It meets quarterly and Current Office Bearers are Chair: Ray Vidler, Deputy Chair: Keith Farrow, Secretary: Chris Orton.

In 2016, some matters under discussion by PMITAG NSW were:
•    Correspondence and circulated items.  All incoming and outgoing items are reported and discussed at each meeting. In 2016 there were 31 incoming and 50 outgoing items reported.
•    A Continuous Improvement Register of matters for possible amendment or inclusion in the Training Package is maintained and regularly discussed by the committee.  Recent focus has been on the possible establishment of a Certificate IV Technical. It is felt that this could provide a training pathway for individuals who want to further develop their skills and it could help to address the waning number of pest management trainers.
•    Reports from other Training Bodies connected with pest management are regularly received and discussed. Recently Andrew Bryson (NSW Construction and Select Property ITAB) attended meetings to promote the new NSW ‘Smart and Skilled’ program and to discuss possible ways of increasing funding of traineeships in pest management.

Click here to read the full article

Highlights from the SA Branch Lawn Bowls event

The SA Branch Lawn Bowls event took place last week.

The evening was very casual, relaxed and was a good opportunity to meet others who work in the industry.  Jim and Bob from Garrards kindly showed everyone how the game is played -  a little more practice on my behalf required, I think!   Between Garrards and Southern Suburbs Pest Control, we won the game for the A Grade Opposition.

We would like to thank everyone who was involved in organising our bowling event at Hindmarsh Bowling Club.
•    FMC for refreshments from the bar
•    Southern Suburbs Pest Control for raffle prizes
•    Jim Westhead from Bayer and Sam Wood from Bell Laboratories for their presentations

Finally, congratulations go to our raffle prize winners Daniel Bird, Jim Westhead, Dena Morrison and Bob from Garrards 

We would like to offer more of these events in the future.  Keep an eye out in the monthly newsletters.

Gordon Morrison, Chairman for the SA AEPMA Committee Meeting
Southern Suburbs Pest Control.

Save the date - AEPMA National Conference 2018 - 19-21 September

AEPMA is pleased to announce details for the 2018 National Conference.  The conference will be held at Jupiter's Casino on the Gold Coast from 19-21 September 2018.  

Advice from NSW Fair Trading to check the NSW Loose-fill Asbestos Insulation Register

Loose-fill asbestos is crushed raw asbestos which was installed in the ceiling spaces of NSW residential properties in the 1960s and 1970s as insulation. If disturbed, fibres can become airborne. Asbestos fibres that are breathed in can pose a risk to health. In order to provide safety, certainty and support to the community, the NSW Government has created the Loose-fill Asbestos Insulation Register (LFAI Register), which enables the broader community to know whether any particular residential property is affected.”

NSW Fair Trading wants to make sure that all companies and tradespersons who may have a need to access either the ceiling or wall cavities, or indeed simply enter a premises, is aware that a premises may be affected by loose-fill asbestos. As noted in the flyer, any NSW premises can be checked by simply doing a search of the Register.

The flyer also advises that a premises that is affected should also have a warning sign at the switchboard.

Click here to download the flyer

NSW ACT State Council holds annual Hawks Nest Meeting 

The last AEPMA NSW ACT State Council meeting was held on Saturday 4 February 2017 at the conference room, Oceanside complex in the beautiful town of Hawks Nest/Tea Gardens on the NSW mid North Coast.  For many, the trip started on the Friday afternoon with a two hour drive from Sydney and after a quick check in, it was time for us to have drinks and dinner with our hosts and the members present.  For me, after so many years in the Pest Management Industry, I am still learning so much from the pre and post meeting networking with my colleagues and what’s more, I have made so many good friends.  Hawks Nest is a very small town.  However we even managed to seat at the “Benchmark On Booner” restaurant next to UTS Entomologist Bryce Peters and his wife and caught up with his side of the world!! The restaurant/ pub is a must go if you are on holiday in the area.  

On Saturday, we were joined by other members of the State Council and the meeting started on time at 9.30am.  It was a pleasure to welcome Life Member Mr Greg Moon, National Executive Director, Mr Stephen Ware and local, Andrew Knight (Ensystex).  After apologies and previous minutes were accepted, we got down straight to serious business.

Click here to read the full article

AEPMA Membership - Can you afford to miss out?

A big thank you to all who have promptly renewed their AEPMA membership.   Remember, for your details to remain on the website you need to process your renewal ASAP.  If you have not received your renewal notice, please contact the office immediately on 1300 307 114 with your details or log in to your account portal on the AEPMA website.

Not a member of AEPMA and interested in joining?  Click here to join online or contact the AEPMA National Office on 1300 307 114.

Now Open - Nominations for Pest Manager of the Year 2017

Nominations for Pest Manager of the Year 2017 are now open – kindly sponsored by BASF.  Don’t miss the opportunity to put your entry in – AEPMA members and non-members are welcome to enter.

The winners will be announced at the Gala Dinner at the Rapid Solutions Conference in August 2017.   Entries close by COB 28th April 2017 and can be sent via mail, fax (07 3268 4213) or email to info@aepma.com.au. More information is available on the AEPMA website.

Newsletter contributions/comments

AEPMA welcomes any contributions or suggestions for articles that you feel are relevant to the industry. Simply forward to info@aepma.com.au.

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