We all have had that ‘someone special’ in our life that we feel truly blessed to have known and shared time together with. It may have been a family member, a distant relative or a friend that has been diagnosed with cancer. Some live on to fight the disease whilst others succumb. We feel helpless and share their pain.

So on Saturday the 24th February 2018, I swam the 19.7km Rottnest Channel Swim to raise money for Cancer Council WA and in memory of that ‘someone special’. If my mother could go through chemotherapy and raise 5 children, then surely I thought to myself I can endure the mental and physical challenge of swimming just under 20km in the open water to Rottnest Island. 

We all know Perth is famous for its beautiful clean beaches, however what nobody politely informed me about (as I returned to live in Perth in January after 12 years of living in Thailand), is that Perth is now famous for the sharks! Not just any kind of shark, but great white sharks and apparently they are a bit of nuisance! 

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An AEPMA NSW ACT State Council meeting was held on 3 February 2018 at 10.00 am at Tea Gardens. Thank you to Shayne and Lynn Reynolds of Pelican Pest Control for organizing the weekend and the Saturday afternoon boat trip. While the yearly event was not attended as well as we would have liked it, we all did have a great weekend. As usual, it was pleasing to see Stephen Ware (NED) and his wife Ann-Marie attending the event.

After the usual procedures of apologies (and we had a lot) and accepting the previous meeting minutes we got straight down to business. It was unfortunate to have Roger Waters (Pink Floyd) in town as we lost a few people to the show. I was told it was a good show and worth it.

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Humid weather in Queensland is proving to be a bit of a pest - and providing ideal conditions for another kind of pest.

Pest controllers are battling termite infestations across southeast Queensland, with the tiny insects chewing through houses and costing home owners a fortune in repairs.
Andy Deyney first discovered one of his Gold Coast properties was under attack, with termites gaining a beachhead in the bathroom.

The house needed major renovations, with costs running into the tens of thousands of dollars.

"That's a horrible feeling... that's the moment when you sink," he told 7 News about the news hitting him.

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The Dual Powerlight from Ensystex uniquely combines two powerful 5 Watt CREE LED lamps, offering two different light modes, a bright 300 lumens white light mode for standard pest inspections, together with a UV-A black light mode for targeting specific hygiene and pest situations.

Ensystex Regional Director, Mr Steve Broadbent advised the Dual Powerlight was designed specifically for use by professional pest managers. The bright white light is ideal for commercial pest inspections or termite inspections. It is powerful enough to brightly illuminate the target inspection zones, so you don’t miss any pest activity, but not so bright as to dazzle when close checking in cupboards, etc. The 300 lumens power is perfect for this need. 

The high-power UV-A black light is required for IPM programs and is uniquely contained in the same sealed, water-resistant reflector. Rodent urine glows brightly under UV-A light enabling rodent runs to be monitored and contamination to be identified.  

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When a club became concerned about a casual employee’s capacity to perform her duties, it decided to reduce the number of shifts on offer to her and give her more training. However, when the employee was advised of the changes, she baulked at the huge reduction in shifts (around 75%) that she would be offered, and, according to the employer, verbally resigned. 

The employee claimed unfair dismissal on the basis she was left no choice by the employer’s actions but to “involuntarily resign”. The FWC, at first instance, accepted the change proposed by the employer was effectively a repudiation of the contract. In doing that, the FWC identified the existing spread of shifts and the typical weekly hours the employee typically worked, as the employee’s employment conditions.  

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Gin and tonic no longer keeps mozzies at bay

Many of the myths surrounding food and drink that deter mosquitoes are too hard to swallow, writes Dr Cameron Webb.

The warm weather is beckoning us into the backyard but pesky bloodsuckers are waiting. Insect repellents are safe and effective but many people are reluctant to rub what they perceive to be smelly or sticky on their skin. Wouldn’t it be great if there was something you could eat or drink to protect yourself from mosquito bites?

There are plenty of “mozzie busting” gadgets and gimmicks marketed as alternatives to topical formulations. From wrist bands to smartphone apps, the range of products reflects the demand among the public for these products. Unfortunately, few of these provide effective protection..

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Dear Colleagues,

I have now completed the web site that promotes Advances in the Biology and Management of Modern Bed Bugs, the first academic text on bed bugs for 50 years, since the seminal publication of Robert Usinger, The Monograph of the Cimicidae.

Advances includes contributions from over 60 authors including the biggest names in the field (Michael Potter, Dini Miller, Rick Cooper, Changlu Wang, Stephen Kells, Alvaro Romero, Chow-Yang Lee, Mike Siva-Jothy, just to name a few), has 46 chapters, and is more than 450 pages in length.

www.abmmbb.com

• You will find information about Advances and what it is trying to acheive,
• The (very extensive) Table of Contents,
• Abstracts of each chapter,
• Photos and bios of each beautiful author, along with their amazing contribution/s,
• Where to Buy, and,
• A Contact page.

Hear Prof Dini Miller and her co-editors, Prof Chow-Yang Lee and Stephen Doggett, talk about the brand new bed bug text book; Advances in the Biology and Management of Modern Bed Bugs:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YpbfGXegQmk&t

Keep an eye out for a special 20% discount off the RRP, coming very soon!

Kind regards
Stephen

Stephen L. Doggett | Senior Hospital Scientist | Department of Medical Entomology, NSW Health Pathology | ICPMR (Level 3) | Westmead Hospital

A major thoroughfare in Melbourne's CBD has been closed off after a deadly tiger snake was seen slithering into a gutter, forcing police to establish a large cordon around it.

Police officers and City of Melbourne animal handlers were guarding the scene at the corner of Spencer and Collins streets just after midday on Thursday as they waited for a snake handler to arrive.

As more police arrived, crime scene tape was strung up around the snake.  One southbound lane outside the Quality Hotel was also closed.

Scores of lunchtime pedestrians ambled past, oblivious to the fact they were coming within a metre of one of Australia’s most venomous snakes.

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• PMITAG NSW Meeting - 14 March 2018
• NSW ACT State AGM - 11 May 2018
• PMITAG NSW Meeting - 13 June 2018
• PMITAG NSW Meeting - 12 September 2018
• SAVE THE DATE!  AEPMA 2018 National Conference on the Gold Coast - 19-21 September 2018   
• FAOPMA 2018 - 26-29 September in Shenzhen, China 
• PMITAG NSW Meeting - 14 November 2018