Nominations open
 

Innovation Award – Sponsored by Envu 

As you know, the pest management industry is constantly evolving, and it is essential for companies and individuals to adapt and innovate to stay ahead of the curve. 

The Innovation Award, sponsored by Envu, recognises and celebrates pest control companies or individuals who have introduced innovative projects, initiatives, or activities that drive organisational change in the industry.

We are delighted to announce that applications for the Innovation Award are now open. The award seeks to acknowledge and reward those who have introduced a new and innovative method, project initiative, or activity that improves on what is currently available in the pest management industry. 
To be eligible for the award, applicants must demonstrate evidence of innovation that sets them apart from common practice in the industry. This could be through the introduction of new technologies, marketing strategies, or other initiatives. Tangible benefits, such as social or economic impact, should also be highlighted.

Efforts in building a dynamic work environment are also an important consideration. We recognize that innovation often requires a change in organisational culture and structure. Therefore, applicants should demonstrate how their innovative approach has impacted their organisation, creating a more dynamic and forward-thinking work environment.

To apply for the award, interested parties must complete an application form and submit supporting documentation online. The deadline for applications is May 31st.

The judging panel will assess applications based on their level of innovation, outstanding features, tangible benefits, and efforts in building a dynamic work environment.

This is an opportunity to showcase your organisation's innovative spirit and commitment to driving change in the pest management industry. We look forward to receiving your nomination.

Please visit the AEPMA website for further information. 

Envu was founded in 2022, a new company built on years of Bayer Environmental Science experience, for the sole purpose of advancing healthy environments for everyone, everywhere.  We offer dedicated services in: Professional Pest Management, Termite Management, Stored Grain, Vegetation Management and Turf & Ornamental Management.  Across each of our lines of business, we focus our work in chemistry and beyond, collaborating with our customers to come up with innovative solutions that will work today and well into the future.  For further information about Envu, please visit https://www.au.envu.com/about-us

Pesticon 2023- REGISTER NOW & SAVE!!!

With Pesticon 2023 fast approaching, now’s the time to REGISTER & SAVE

Attractive EARLYBIRD rates are now available.  Full delegate packages starting at $500 for members and $525 for non-members with further savings for 2 or more delegates.  

Take advantage of the special accommodation rates available at The Star Gold Coast, CLICK HERE to book your accommodation for the conference online, and follow the prompts. 

Alternatively bookings can be made by contacting the Reservations department direct on 1800 074 344 and state that you are attending "Pesticon 2023, Code AEP180923". 

More information can be found on the conference website. 

Don’t delay! Secure your place early - BOOK NOW & SAVE!!  For more information, and to register, simply visit the AEPMA Conference Website

Are you an AEPMA member? If not, why not?

The Australian Environmental Pest Managers Association (AEPMA) is the leading industry body for pest management professionals in Australia. As a member, you gain access to a range of benefits, including:

• Opportunities for professional development and training
• Access to the latest industry news and updates
• Networking opportunities with other professionals in the field
• Access to discounted insurance and other business services
• Representation and advocacy on industry issues

By becoming a member of AEPMA, you are demonstrating your commitment to professionalism, ethical conduct, and high standards in the pest management industry. You will be joining a community of like-minded professionals who are dedicated to ensuring the safety of their clients, the environment, and public health.

If you are not yet a member of AEPMA, we encourage you to consider joining today. Membership is open to pest management professionals, as well as suppliers, manufacturers, and other stakeholders in the industry.

We understand that some may have concerns about the cost of membership or the value of the benefits offered. We invite you to reach out to us to learn more about the benefits of membership and how we can support you and your business.

At AEPMA, we are committed to supporting the growth and success of the pest management industry in Australia. We believe that by working together, we can achieve our shared goals of professionalism, sustainability, and innovation in pest management.

If you have any questions or would like to learn more about AEPMA membership, please don't hesitate to contact us.

Visit www.aepma.com.au today to find out more.

AEPMA Sustainability Award – Nominations Open

The aim of this award is to encourage and recognise professional pest managers who also are working towards creating more sustainable businesses, and most importantly, to let the general public see how we really can be environmental pest managers. 

The award recipient will be recognised as the elite of our industry, earning a place amongst a distinguished group by having their achievements acknowledged and widely celebrated.

Further details regarding the Sustainability Award can be found here

Sponsored by Ensystex 

2023 Pest Manager of the Year Awards - Nominations now open!

Dont forget to nominate for the 2023 Pest Manager of the Year Awards (sponsored by BASF)

This continuous commitment is tribute to the professionalism we are witnessing in the pest control industry and what a great way to recognise the effort and dedication of the many businesses that are helping this industry to grow every day.

From now until the 31st May you will be able to choose to nominate for one of the Awards categories of the Pest Manager of the Year 2023.

BUSINESS AWARD (Two Classes)**
- Pest Management firms employing 10 or more people
- Pest Management firms employing fewer than 10 people

**The National Pest Manager of the Year will be awarded from nominees in these two categories.

MICRO BUSINESS - Pest management businesses with fewer than 3 employees.

SOUTH PACIFIC PEST MANAGER OF THE YEAR - Open to AEPMA member businesses both large and small operating in the South Pacific Region.

The top 3 companies from each category will be selected based on their written application and their website material and will progress to the judging stage of the competition.

Winners will be announced at the 2023 Pesticon Conference in August. 

“BASF are proud to be supporting the Pest Manager of the Year awards since 2010” says David Elmouttie, BASF Business Manager for Professional & Specialty Solutions.

“We believe it’s extremely important to recognise and reward businesses that show outstanding commitment to pest control and go above and beyond to deliver quality services. Each year we receive an impressive range of entries and are excited to be involved in the process once again to discover the amazing contributions being made by pest control businesses that are helping our industry grow, evolve and thrive.”

Don’t wait or hesitate to be part of this exciting journey with us and celebrate the hard work your business and its employees are doing everyday

Nominate now by clicking here 

Are you looking for a game changer in rodent control?

Our extensive range of rodenticides give pest controllers a wide choice of highly effective control options to fit every situation and budget. 

Choose the premium Selontra® Soft Bait  to deliver outstanding control, even against high pest pressure in the most sensitive environments. Selontra Soft Bait is powered by a non-anticoagulant (non-AVK) active ingredient and formulated into a stable, highly palatable soft block formulation. It is a highly effective bait that controls rodent infestations up to three times faster than anticoagulants and offers a stop-feeding effect that prevents bait wastage.

Storm® Secure Wax Blocks remain as cost-effective and dependable as ever, while Storm Soft Bait offers the same potency with a new level of palatability. Storm Secure Wax Blocks are a trusted industry standard for reliable rat and mouse control. Very durable, stable, highly palatable and cost-effective baits, they are ideal for year-round protection of vulnerable areas.  It only takes a single feed for rodents – even ones with developed resistance to other baits – to consume a lethal dose.

Storm Soft Bait has no wax and has a high fat and oil content that rats and mice can’t resist. It has the same concentration of active ingredient as its equivalent wax block, Storm Secure, which makes auditing easier if you’re using both baits.  As a high-dose formulation, a single feed is all it takes. The result is unsurpassed efficacy even in the most challenging rodent control situations.

If you would like more information on any of the products discussed, please talk to your local BASF Representative

AEPMA Branch Meetings

AEPMA branch meetings are an opportunity for all current AEPMA members to come together, share experiences, and learn from each other.

As we all know, the pest management industry is constantly evolving, and staying up-to-date on the latest trends and techniques is crucial to our success. This meeting is the perfect platform to gain insights into the latest industry developments, network with peers, and discuss challenges that we may face in our line of work.

Our meetings are a great way to connect with fellow professionals in the industry and share your experiences and knowledge. It is also an excellent opportunity to learn from others and stay current on the latest industry trends and practices.

___________________________

The AEPMA QLD Branch meeting will take place via Microsoft Teams on Thursday 4th May at 9am. 

If you would like to attend please RSVP by 3rd May via email Info@aepma.com.au

The minutes from the meeting held on 16th February are available to view here 

Online HomeGuard® accreditation 

FMC is proud to announce the launch of FMC Learn, an online training platform for HomeGuard® installation accreditation.

Become a HomeGuard® installer, anywhere, anytime.

Existing accredited applicators need to update their knowledge in conjunction with the New manual, 5D. This is now easy to do at your convenience.

Sign up today at www.fmclearn.com.au

Overcoming the Hiring Challenge: Highlighting the Benefits of Pest Control Profession to Attract Talented Staff"

We recently shared an industry update based on what our Rapid team members are hearing from our clients, with the difficulty of hiring staff being a key challenge for business owners.

If you're looking to attract people to become pest control professionals, it's important to highlight the benefits and opportunities that this field can offer. Here are some key factors that can help you attract and retain top talent in the pest control industry:

Job Security
One of the biggest benefits of working in the pest control industry is job security. Pest control is a necessary service that is in high demand, and it's unlikely that the need for pest control professionals will diminish anytime soon. This can provide a sense of stability and job security that is attractive to many job seekers.

Opportunities for Advancement
Another key factor that can attract people to the pest control industry is the opportunity for advancement. Many pest control companies offer opportunities for career growth, such as management positions or specialized roles in areas like termite control or wildlife management. This can provide a clear path for advancement and professional development.

Competitive Pay and Benefits
Compensation is a key factor in attracting top talent to any industry. Many pest control companies offer competitive pay and benefits packages, a great team culture and performance incentives. By offering attractive compensation packages, companies can attract and retain talented pest control professionals.

Fulfilling Work
For many people, the opportunity to help others and make a positive impact is a key factor in job satisfaction. Pest control professionals have the opportunity to provide a valuable service that helps people protect their homes and businesses from pests. This can provide a sense of fulfillment and purpose that is attractive to many job seekers.

Flexible Schedules
Many pest control companies offer flexible schedules, including part-time or seasonal work. This can be attractive to job seekers who are looking for a job that can fit around other commitments, such as school or family obligations.

Consider Women
We’ve seen the role and voices of women celebrated by the industry in recent years, shining a light on positive role models as business owners and technicians. Consider how your recruitment ad reads and the channels you’re promoting your vacancy through, and how a targeted approach to women might boost your chances of attracting a valuable employee.

Training and Support
Finally, it's important to highlight the training and support that is available to pest control professionals. Many companies offer comprehensive training programs that provide new hires with the skills and knowledge they need to succeed in the industry. Additionally, ongoing support and mentoring can help pest control professionals continue to grow and develop throughout their careers.

In conclusion, attracting people to become pest control professionals requires highlighting the benefits and opportunities that this field can offer. By emphasizing factors such as job security, opportunities for advancement, competitive pay and benefits, fulfilling work, flexible schedules, and training and support, companies can attract and retain top talent in the pest control industry.

Ensystex launches new podcast and video blog platform.

With the vision of being the first choice for environmentally responsible, effective, long-term pest management solutions, Ensystex strives for continual improvement and innovation.

The company has achieved a high international reputation for their products designed for professional pest managers due to its continual research, development, manufacturing, and client support.

The PEST (Professional Ensystex Solutions Today) blog and podcast has recently been launched as a forum to discuss and share relevant and important industry challenges, significant research projects happening across the globe, sustainability, and effective management of pests in Australia. The Ensystex team will share a wealth of knowledge and best practice on what is happening throughout the region.

The inaugural vblog and podcast will feature rats. Currently rats have us outnumbered! It is estimated that Sydney alone has a rat and mouse population of over 500 million. Introduced to Australia in the late 1880s by European settlers, they are now everywhere. Eating our rubbish, breeding in our buildings, and running through our streets. Recent mice plagues in regional areas of Australia attest to the significant damage rodents inflict, especially on crops in farming communities.   

There is now a new way of monitoring and managing rodent activity. 

In this blog Steve Broadbent, Ensystex Regional Director will introduce RODENTHOR DIGITAL, the permanent and intelligent solution for remote monitoring of rodents. This digital revolution heralds a change from manual inspections to automatic, more efficient, greener inspections.

With a goal towards advancing food security and more sustainable pest management practices, RODENTHOR DIGITAL is powered by the internationally acclaimed Green Trap Online (GTO) system to provide intelligent, 24/7 monitoring of rodents.

RODENTHOR DIGITAL is constantly monitoring and notifying you of rodent activity and catches in real-time. This allows prompt action to be taken, speeding up root cause analysis and thus reducing the risk of infestations growing.

Digital solutions allow professional pest managers to receive an early warning of pest activity and provide quick treatment to avoid risks of infestation, reduce the use of rodenticides, and reduce labour costs.
This is just the first in a regular series covering a range of topics such as termites, flying insect control, spiders, cockroaches and more. 

Tune in to hear from Steve Broadbent. 

Spotify Link

Vlog on YouTube

iQ® smart rodent devices

The future of rodent management is now. By using iQ® smart rodent devices at your customer accounts, you can elevate your rodent management program by blending essential time savings with efficient data collection. The iQ product line-up, powered by Bell Sensing Technologies, includes rat and mouse sized bait stations with sensors, as well as multiple catch traps and snap traps with sensors. Customise your problem solving by using the best type of device for the job, complete with easy to use and affordable technology. Even better, there are no subscription fees or data charges. All you have to do is pair with your phone and get sensing. 

iQ products help eliminate the tedious and gruelling act of checking empty traps. In a study conducted in a 56,000 sq. m. warehouse with over 200 devices, a pest control operator (PCO) was able to reduce time spent checking devices by 90 minutes in a single visit, compared to standard rodent control devices. Pest control companies who have introduced iQ technology into their rodent control programs have consistently netted time savings on trap and device checking. The time savings gained are then used towards surveying rodent’s entry points, burrows, food sources, or sanitation issues at the account. A bait station that tells the PCO when and where rodents are travelling, with timestamps, help identify rodent behaviours, which makes this technology smart to add to a technician’s toolbox.  

The functionality of iQ products makes it more practical to place hard-to-reach traps at your accounts since you don’t have to spend time checking the traps during every scheduled stop, which may require you getting on a ladder or crawling in tight spaces. Instead with iQ, you can conveniently monitor traps from your phone during your visit - saving time and reducing serious injury risk. Hard-to-reach bait stations with iQ can also serve as a great resource to use to collect data year-round or pulse bait neophobic rodents.  

With time-stamped data, you can analyse important trends like seasonality to help you quickly mitigate rodent escalations before they turn into rodent infestations that can damage critical infrastructure like machines, storage boxes, or electric wires. Data insights can also help you know the preferred baits and travelling routes of your rodents putting you ahead and informed in your battle against the fleeting and endurable rodent. Since rodents can strike fast, it’s important to be prepared. Rodents can spread disease, spark fires, and reproduce quickly.

Rodent management becomes more than just setting traps and checking them with iQ. It empowers pest control operators to become trusted partners and sleuthing detectives at their accounts. The future of rodent management is now. See how iQ products, powered by Bell Sensing Technologies, can elevate your rodent management program today by going to bellsensing.com.
iQ Products are available from your Bell distributor.

INTRODUCING TALON® GT PRO: A NEW ADDITION TO THE TRUSTED TALON BRAND

TALON® GT Pro Rodenticide Grain Bait Block from Syngenta is the new addition to the TALON® family of brodifacoum-based rodenticides.

This palatable rodenticide provides pest managers with a quality grain block which kills rats and mice in a single feed. It is for use in and around homes, agricultural, commercial and industrial buildings. 

New grain bait block 

The high-quality extruded block contains a special milled multigrain mix, food grade attractants bound with wax, anti-moulding agents and a human taste deterrent. It features gnawing channel grooves and exposed grain surfaces. You will find TALON® GT Pro to be an easy-to-handle product, and your customers will appreciate the minimal odour. 

Proven results
Brodifacoum – the active ingredient of the TALON® rodenticide range — kills rats and mice in a single feed, making it an exceptional solution for both residential and commercial situations. 

Meet the whole family 
The TALON® brand is trusted to deliver results. And now with two block formulations, you have flexible options for different rodent situations. Classic TALON® XT Pro Wax Blocks provide you with high weatherability and durability. Making it a go-to option for maintenance and/or monitoring situations. And the TALON® Rat & Mouse Killer Pellets provide a smaller profile for limited or restricted access applications where blocks cannot be physically or securely placed.

The new TALON® GT Pro Grain Bait Blocks are great to use when there is high rodent activity and you want increased uptake. The special milled multigrain extruded block allows for an improved range of rodent feeding preferences. 

TALON® GT Pro is a great option for situations such as:

• where there are high alternative food sources
• when feeding/block uptake is limited 
• in rotation with the highly weatherable and durable TALON® XT Pro Wax Blocks. 

TALON® GT Pro Rodenticide – rodents would come back for more…if they could.

For more information on TALON products, visit www.syngentappm.com.au 

*Always read the product label before use. 
 

Important new FIRE ANT label change to ANTagonistPRO Polymer Enhanced Bifenthrin a ‘Boom’ for pest management professionals.

Sundew is pleased to announce the update to the ANTagonistPRO 80 SC label to now allow application by boom spray for treating large areas infested with Red Imported Fire Ants.

Sundew Solutions has dedicated many years of in-field research and development treating the invasive pests red imported fire and yellow crazy ant.  This resulted in both ANTagonistPRO 80 SC polymer enhanced bifenthrin and SAS PRO fipronil granular ant killer both receiving APVMA approval in early 2021.

At the time of receiving this approval for fire and yellow crazy ants there was a restraint in place where ANTagonistPRO could not be applied by boom spray equipment to cover large infested areas.  

With the support of government agencies and large land holders Sundew has successfully worked with the APVMA to have this restriction removed from the ANTagonistPRO label.

This now means that ANTagonistPRO can be applied by ground vehicles using boom spray equipment over large areas very quickly and efficiently.

The update to the ANTagonistPRO label will provide greater versatility of application in treating these pests and will be a welcome upgrade for pest management professionals.

ANTagonistPRO is available from Agserv, Garrards, David Grays and Globe Pest Solutions.  For further information visit sundewsolutions.com.au 

Exotic pests like snails and stinkbugs have contaminated thousands of new cars waiting to enter the country at Australian ports, leading to lengthy, almost year-long delays.

There are over 8000 contaminated vehicles that pose a major biosecurity risk at ports in New South Wales and Victoria

Some people are having to wait up to 300 days for their cars and it all comes down to them not being cleaned before being loaded onto ships.

Minister for Agriculture Murray Watt urged manufacturers to remain vigilant with hygiene as the government will not risk the nation's biosecurity.

Read more here 

Credit - 9news

SAVE THE DATE!!

• Pesticon 2023 - 16th - 18th August @ Star Gold Coast 
• Pesticon 2024 - 14th - 16th August @ Star Gold Coast 
• FAOPMA Pest Summit 12th - 14th September 2023 
• PestWorld -  17th - 20th October 2023 

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

Or do you have something to say about an article you’ve read in the Newsletter? Why not leave your feedback on our Facebook page.