At the Australian Environmental Pest Managers Association (AEPMA), we are committed to supporting and representing our valued members in the pest management industry. To continue serving you better, we invite you to participate in our latest survey, designed to gather valuable insights into the challenges, opportunities, and aspirations of business owners and technicians within our industry.

The Purpose of the Survey

Our goal with this survey is to gather statistical data that will help us better understand and analyse the current landscape of the pest management industry. We want to pinpoint the challenges you face and identify the support and resources you need to overcome these challenges successfully.

The survey can be found here

The pest control industry is constantly evolving, and as professionals dedicated to safeguarding public health and property, your insights are invaluable.

We have put together a  survey to gauge your thoughts and opinions on various aspects of the industry, particularly in relation to training, licensing, and professional development.

Your feedback will play a vital role in shaping the future of pest control in Australia.

The survey can be found here 

We owe Australian pest managers an apology. You asked for a rodenticide that would work in any condition.  Hot and dry, cold, wet, humid and everything in between. You wanted something that would not melt in the heat, go mouldy in the damp, or turn brittle in the cold. You needed a bait that’s palatable in all environments and attractive to both rats and mice in all situations.

And we made it, we just didn’t do a good enough job of telling you about it

Bell Labs launched Contrac Soft Bait to the Australian market in late-2019.  We had an array of marketing programs scheduled for 2020, but we all remember what happened in 2020, which made 
it very challenging to give this exciting new product the exposure that it deserved.

Once things returned to some level of normality, our attention was on our brand-new acute rodenticide Fastrac Blox, and then shortly after the launch of our range of innovative iQ Products.

So, let’s circle back and remind you about Contrac Soft Bait, which is the most extensively tested bait that Bell Labs has ever developed.  This extensive lab and field testing, across a range of climates and in a variety of different environments has given us the utmost confidence that Contrac Soft Bait will give you the results you’re looking for in any situation you can throw at it.

With the declaration of El Nino by the Bureau Of Meterology and predictions of hot, dry weather for a large part of Australia in the coming months, it is imperative you have a rodenticide bait that can withstand the extremes of the Australian climate.

But your chosen rodent bait doesn’t just need to be durable, it also needs to be attractive to rodents! Contrac Soft Bait, like all Bell Labs baits, contains many food ingredients but with the addition of a unique blend of saturated and unsaturated fats, to appeal to rodents in all situations.

A precise manufacturing process is used to ensure maximum contact between the bait and the sachet paper, increasing bait acceptance in the field. 

Finally, as well as being durable and attractive, it must be effective!  Contrac Soft Bait contains the proven and trusted second generation anticoagulant bromadiolone, which delivers a lethal dose to rodents in just a single feed.

Don’t just take our word for it! Give Contrac Soft Bait a try and see the benefits of our extensive testing for yourself! 

Just don’t be mad at us for not telling you about it earlier! 

Visit our website 

Whether you work in the pest control office, or a manager, everyone can use this course develop or improve their skills in improving client satisfaction through effective and efficient communication and scheduling.

The course was developed based on demand from our clients, who wanted to upskill their team and be better equipped to respond to customer enquiries, schedule and allocate pest control work and organize equipment and materials that fit within the business’ budget and staffing constraints.

Service and Scheduling Basics is online and self-paced, meaning you can work through the course at times that work for you. It typically takes about 6 hours, which you can spread out over 4 weeks.

Priced at $195, if you’re a Rapid insurance client, or graduate of one of Rapid Training’s courses, you get a 10% discount!

If you’re looking to improve your business’ ability to respond to customer complaints, efficiently and proactively schedule work and materials and generally improve the skills of your team, this is the course for you!

Enrol today!

Fire Dancers at PestWorld opening

Aloha from PestWorld in Hawaii 

The professional pest management industry from around the globe gathered at the Hawaiian Convention Centre in the fabulous location of Honolulu for PestWorld 2023 which ran for four days from October 17 - 20.

Organised by the National Pest Management Association (NPMA), CEO Dominique Stumpf greeted guests at the opening ceremony. She explained this was a special year for NPMA as the convention celebrates its 90th anniversary. She thanked everyone for taking the time to come together as an industry saying: “We are stronger and more powerful when we share ideas and support one another.” 

The opening ceremony closed with a unique Hawaiian flourish with a performance from traditional fire knife dancers.

During the following three days there was plenty of opportunity for delegates to learn and share experiences. There was a choice of over 51 educational sessions delegates could attend with subjects ranging from technical issues such as new strategies for bed bug baiting to termite technology as well as more commercial topics as the growing use of AI and ChatGPT.

The exhibition is always at the heart of PestWorld events and this year it lived up to its reputation with nearly 200 exhibitors attending, not only from the US but also from Europe and Asia. Here delegates could catch-up on all the new developments and products.

With such a large number of international delegates present, there was excellent attendance at the meeting of the Global Pest Management Coalition. The work of the four working groups covering sustainability, partnership activities with WHO along with the mosquito response plan were reviewed. The public health & food safety group announced their upcoming Global Summit to be held in Florida, US in June 2024 to coincide with World Pest day.

PestWorld attracted over 3,000 delegates, 600 of which were exhibitors. This included nearly 400 international delegates from 50 different countries from across the globe including for the first time, several representatives from Mongolia.

PestWorld events are not all work and no play as there is time for networking and the forming of long-term contacts, specially at the receptions. The international reception sponsored by Orkin always proves popular. On the final night after the four hectic days, PestWorld in Hawaii drew to a close with a celebratory party overlooking the beach.

So, make a note. Next year’s PestWorld is to be held in Denver, Colorado from October 22-27 2024. 

To assist with homeowner education, Ensystex has just released a new informative video asset.

We encourage you share with your clients, and post on your website and across your social media channels.

https://youtu.be/jZIE_4Mvqxw

ULTRATHOR X’s micro-fine particles flow further and more evenly through the soil, where they form the invisible ULTRATHOR X Termite Defence Zone. 
 
The real benefit to you, from this improved flow profile of ULTRATHOR X arises during the application phase. ULTRATHOR X has a class-leading label allowing for rod injection at 450 mm intervals in most soil types, and 350 mm intervals in heavy clay soils.

In addition, ULTRATHOR X is uniquely labelled for the control of termites and all other crawling insect pests.

A rigorous series of independently monitored trials simulating application in the manner termiticides are applied by professional pest managers proved this improved soil penetration, which has resulted in our class-leading APVMA-approved label.

Most homes are surrounded by pavers or concrete pathways. The areas under these pathways are veritable termite highways, that must be treated, usually by rod injection, to provide protection. This becomes challenging when there are hot water heaters or air-conditioner units present. In such situations it remains vital that there are no gaps in your Termite Defence Zone. This is simply not possible with most products. ULTRATHOR X is different though, since it provides for holes to be spaced up to 450 mm apart, making it easy to protect these areas.

More commonly, if you have decorative tiles, the hole spacings of 150 – 200 mm on most product labels means the holes need to be drilled in the middle of these tiles. Even if this drilling doesn’t crack the tiles, the tiles look unsightly with a big hole in the middle. 

The exceptional flow properties of ULTRATHOR X ensures holes can always be drilled in the grout between the tiles, so they are less conspicuous. And of course, fewer holes, less drilling for you, and more competitive pricing to your clients.

How ULTRATHOR X Protects 

The unique, micro-fine ULTRATHOR X solution flows rapidly and evenly through the soil before binding tightly, to provide long-term protection against termites. Ensystex’s proprietary low-repellent fipronil ensures the termites are completely unaware of its presence in the soil and readily pass into the ULTRATHOR X Termite Defence Zone. 

The ULTRATHOR X Viral Transfer Effect™ enables the fipronil to pass from one termite to another.

So, even termites that have not passed through the ULTRATHOR X Termite Defence Zone become infected. Just like a virus is spread through the internet, ULTRATHOR X is spread through the termite colony, eliminating termites.

With ULTRATHOR X dispersing more evenly through the soil, it fully meets the requirements of the Australian Standard Series AS 3660: Termite Management, which expects a horizontal Termite Defence Zone to be complete and continuous down to a depth of 80 mm.
 
ULTRATHOR X is the only fipronil-based product in the market that has an APVMA approval for control of all species of crawling insects together with rod injection spacings at up to 450 mm. So, one product, ULTRATHOR X, does it all.

For more information, please visit: https://www.ensystex.com.au/products/ultrathor-water-based-termiticide-insecticide 

The team at BASF would like to introduce you to their new team member, Adam, who joined in September as their Southern Sales Manager. He brings a wealth of knowledge, with 22 years of experience in customer service and support roles across various industries, with the most recent being in Animal Companion Health. 

Adam fosters strong business relationships all the way from independent operators to key account groups and wholesalers, and explained, “what I enjoy the most in sales is the opportunity to help customers achieve their business goals while establishing a collaborative partnership as their supplier.” Therefore, there is no doubt that his experience will indeed complement BASF and its existing well-established team members such as Scott Morphew, Northern Sales Manager QLD/NT and Andrew Glenn, Key Account Manager NSW/ACT/WA. 

FMC recently conducted trials on Biflex® Mikron to answer “Is Biflex® Mikron Repellent to German cockroaches?”. After setting up both porous and non-porous test surfaces, these were either treated with Biflex® Mikron at the label rate for the relevant surface, or treated with water only, and left to dry for 24 hours, then a food source was placed in the middle of the test area and a mixture of adult and nymphs cockroaches were added to the test area. 

The average number of German roaches on the Biflex® Mikron and water-treated surfaces were very similar until the 40-minute mark for the porous surface, and the 30-minute mark for the non-porous surface. After these points, the roach numbers present on the Mikron-treated surfaces dropped off dramatically. The reason for this can be explained in the mortality results, at a similar time that the roach numbers present on the Mikron treated surfaces started to decline, the mortality rate started to increase. 

This trial proves that Biflex® Mikron is non-repellent to German cockroaches on both porous and non-porous surfaces. This means the roaches will not avoid Biflex® Mikron treated surfaces, such as a harbourage area, increasing the chances of picking up a lethal dose.

To read the full trial report please click here 

When tackling a rodent infestation, pest managers generally implement a “clean out” regime to get on top of the problem before moving on to a maintenance rodent control program. But what do you do for clean out options when dealing with insects, especially in commercial accounts and large open spaces?

Space sprays are the go-to option as they provide broad spectrum control with fast knockdown and allow quick application to a large area. However, not all space sprays are the same. Traditional space sprays are solvent based, as they can deliver the required droplet size for good “hang time” – a vital attribute for good performance. However, solvent-based products have a strong odour and a safety and environmental profile that makes them less than desirable in a variety of situations and with a number of clients. The alternative, a unique water-based formulation that delivers the same hang time as solvent based formulations, without the strong odour – Aqua K-Othrine from Envu.

Aqua K-Othrine incorporates anti-evaporant Film Forming Aqueous Suspension Technology (FFAST); which allows dilution of the concentrate with water and yet delivers a spray droplet the same size as if diluted in oil. By using cold aerosol ULV equipment or thermal foggers, the resulting spray has an average droplet size below 50 um – ideal for a space spray. Due to the lower viscosity of water-based and water-diluted formulations, it is recommended that smaller nozzle sizes be used, otherwise the droplet sizes may be too large, and this can lead to precipitation (or ‘spitting’) from the application equipment.

This unique EW formulation was primarily developed for use in mosquito control programs. The product is fully evaluated under the World Health Organization Pesticide Evaluation Scheme (WHOPES), which assesses both the performance and safety profiles of products before indicating their suitability for inclusion in mosquito control programs. However, the trusted broad-spectrum performance of deltamethrin means Aqua K-Othrine is not only effective on other flying insects such as flies and biting midges, but can also be used to control spiders, cockroaches and stored product pests.

Although Aqua K-Othrine contains deltamethrin, it is not a residual product. It contains a very low level of deltamethrin and is designed for fast knockdown. It can therefore be used in a wide range of situations when large areas need to be treated – including warehouses, office spaces, factories, farm buildings, schools and boats. A treatment with Aqua K-Othrine can be used as a clean out treatment to get on top of an infestation quickly or to treat an un-used facility before re-occupation to ensure it’s pest free before moving in. It can also be used in residential homes, and of course in outdoor areas for mosquitoes, biting midges and flies.

Key to a successful application is to get the required volume of spray into the space to be treated, ensuring window and doors are kept shut. As well as spraying into the air, targeting spraying to cracks and crevices, and under and behind equipment is a good idea for crawling pests. With its long hang time, it is important not to re-entry the treated area for at least four hours.

Aqua K-Othrine is the cost effective, insect clean out that can be used in a wide range of commercial situations – an ideal first treatment before moving on to a targeted, regular service program

While your cat might get a thrill out of hunting earwigs, farmers are less than impressed by the damage they do to crops.

In South Australia, the citrus industry has been working with biological services experts to help growers detect, monitor and control European earwigs.

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Credit ABC News

We have had the privilege of being approached by the Australian Health and Aged Care magazine to contribute an article on the important role that pest control plays in aged care. 

You can read the article here 

South Korea is ramping up pest control measures and inspections to prevent the spread of bedbugs after reports of suspected infestations at some saunas and residential facilities, officials said Wednesday.

The small, flat oval insects have caused a panic in France, where reports of outbreaks on trains and in movie theaters have raised worries about the impact on tourism and the Paris Olympics, which start in less than a year. Britain too has seen a jump in enquiries about the pests.

In South Korea, about 30 cases of suspected infestations have been reported nationwide, including at a traditional Korean spa called “jjimjilbang” in Incheon, west of Seoul, and a college dorm in the southeastern city of Daegu, officials said.

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Credit NBC News

An "extraordinarily rare" opening of a Sydney funnel-web spider egg sac has been caught on camera by the Australian Reptile Park.

Footage shows the opening of the sac and more than 100 tiny spiders bursting from within.
The funnel-web spider sac was handed in by a member of the public to the park's life-saving antivenom program, as the spider season is in full swing in Sydney, the Central Coast and Newcastle.

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Credit 9News 

SAVE THE DATE!!

• Pesticon 2024 - 14th - 16th August  

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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