“We’re not surprised that such a simple concept has resulted in praise from pest management professionals across the country…” said David Priddy, CEO at Sundew Solutions.

“We spoke to pesties and asked them what their biggest issues were with existing ant bait gels, and unanimously every product had problems.”

Research and development isn’t just about discovering new molecules, it’s about working with customers on day-to-day issues and coming up with solutions to make your life easier, more professional, and return greater revenue per technician in the field.  

1. leakage around piston in the syringe
2. gel baits that liquefy in tubes, giving an unprofessional application
3. gel baits that continue to exude from syringes
4. tip covers inadvertently coming off of the nozzles resulting in gel leakage into kit bags
5. the expense to supply and maintain guns to every technician to be able to apply ant gels

Click here to read more about this exciting product.

Rare photos of the mating habits of one of Australia's most unique looking spiders, the golden huntsman, have been snapped at Taronga Zoo.

"Spiders are rather secretive and don't normally mate out in the open - but sometimes, usually at night, you might see some doing it on a wall or in the middle of a web," Taronga Zoo's spider keeper Lachlan Manning said.

"You'd only really see that once a year. It only really happens in the warmer parts of the year, when more mature spiders are around."

But how does the mating process work?

"They have two smaller limbs which people might mistake as a fifth pair of legs - they're called pedipalps. They work like arms in some cases - but can also hear and sense smell to a small extent," Mr Manning said.

"This is actually how the male becomes aware of the female's presence."

Read more here.

AEPMA HQ caught up with the winner of the 2018 Pest Manager of the Year (Fewer than 10 People category) award, Curtis Thew, owner/operator at Multipest in Capalaba, QLD.

A couple in Mongolia have died of the bubonic plague after eating the raw kidney of a marmot, a type of rodent.

The couple died on May 1 in Mongolia's western Bayan Olgii province, which borders China and Russia. The incident triggered a quarantine that left some foreign tourists stranded in the remote region.

Folk Remedy For Good Health
According to Ariuntuya Ochirpurev, of the World Health Organization in Ulaanbaatar, eating raw marmot meat and kidney is a folk remedy believed to help boost health.

Authorities, however, have been warning people against eating raw marmot meat because it carries Yersinia pestis, the bacterium that causes the plague.

Mormot is commonly associated with plague cases in Mongolia and hunting the large rodent is in fact illegal. Some, however, ignore these warnings over the belief that consuming the innards of the animal is good for their health.

Read more here.

The PWAPM Excellence Award seeks to recognise and highlight the achievement of women who have advanced in the pest management industry.

Nominations will open for inspiring women within the industry who embody leadership qualities and embrace the principals of corporate social responsibility.

The PWAPM Excellence Award winner will be recognised as a woman in the pest control industry that has not only shown outstanding leadership but has dedicated their time and energy in making notable contributions to the development and growth within the industry.

The nominations will be open to women working in upper management, sales and representatives, manufacturers, technicians, insurance, and research organisations.

The award will culminate at the Rapid Solutions Gala Dinner, to be held at the Rapid EduCON 2019 Conference at Royal Pines Resort, Gold Coast on the 9th August, recognising the category finalists and naming the award winner.

Entries will be provided via nomination. Businesses can nominate an employee, or individuals may nominate themselves.

Click here to read more about the award.

The Annual General Meeting and Special General Meeting of the Australian Environmental Pest Managers Association is to be held at 2/247 Ingles Street Port Melbourne, on Thursday 20th June, 2019 at 9:00am AEST. 

For further information, including the Agenda and Proxy form (for members only), please visit the AEPMA website.

Newsletter contributions/comments

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• QLD Branch Meeting - 12 June 2019 
• AEPMA Annual General Meeting - 20 June 2019
• SAVE THE DATE! Rapid Solutions Conference (RACV Royal Pines, Gold Coast) – 8-11 August 2019
• FAOPMA Pest Summit 2019 (Daejeon, Korea) – 24-27 September 2019