AEPMA's Codes of Practice are undergoing an update and  we are requesting interested parties to contribute their expertise to the working groups.

The current AEPMA Codes of Practice are:
1. Termite Management (v 2017)
2. Termite Management During Construction (v 2017)
3. Food Industry Pest Control (v 2014)
4. Bed Bug Management (v 2013)
5. Prior to Purchase Timber Pest Inspections (v 2017)
6. Rodent Management (v 2019)
7. Training in the Pest Management Industry (draft 2016)

Should you be interested in participating in any of the above Code of Practice working groups, please register your interest to info@aepma.com.au.  Please include the following information:

• Name
• Company
• Position
• Contact Details
• Working Group you wish to join

Brief summary of training and background relevant to each working group
If you only wish to provide comments or suggested changes in respect of the existing Codes of Practice, this is now open.  Please forward details to AEPMA by 7th March 2020.  Copies of each of the Codes of Practice can be found on the AEPMA website: www.aepma.com.au.

The 10th annual Tea Gardens meeting is on again. This delegate and partner event provides the opportunity for NSW members to attend the state branch meeting while enjoying the beautiful Tea Gardens and Hawks Nest waterways, beach, dolphins and much more.

For more details, click on the program below or contact Patrick Legey – Patrick@austrapest.com.au. 

Click here to view full program

BASF and an affiliate of Lone Star signed a purchase agreement for the acquisition of BASF’s Construction Chemicals business. Lone Star is a leading global private equity firm with a proven track record of successful transactions in construction materials and related industries. 
 
With more than a century of experience in the construction industry and through collaborative relationships with our business partners they deliver high-performance, sustainable and innovative solutions as well as excellent technical service. Within Lone Star’s portfolio, they will run the business as an independent company in an industry-specific set-up. This enables them to focus even more on the requirements of our customers in the construction industry.

Click here to read full article.

KPIs are all well and good to manage employees but it’s important they relate to consistent and relevant markers if they are to be used to determine overall performance. And the Fair Work Commission has found that using voluntary customer surveys as the measure, doesn’t cut it.

The case concerned a car dealership that requests its clients to fill in a customer satisfaction survey after a service. The questionnaire isn’t specific in terms of identifying particular employees with whom the client may have had dealt.

The employer collects data from the surveys and uses them to rate employees, with scores referred against national performance figures taken from similar surveys countrywide. 

When a Service Advisor was dismissed because his score fell into the bottom half of the ratings, he claimed unfair dismissal and the FWC upheld his case.

Click here to read full article

Containing leading-edge patented Partix™ Technology, Suspend®Flexx now available in a 500mL pack.  Scientifically proven to maximise the active ingredient, this world-first technology allows the active to be more readily available on surfaces and enhances the efficacy and residual effectiveness.  

Unlike other general insecticides, Suspend Flexx is not a capsule suspension, nor a micro emulsion.  Its formulation is a matrix capsule that is larger than other micro caps.  Suspend Flexx micro caps have a range of 15-30 μm, with the active (deltamethrin) concentrated up on the surface, not encapsulated inside. 

Suspend Flexx can be used both indoors and outdoors, and offers flexible application rates.  It can be used in domestic, commercial and industrial situations, as well as public buildings and structures; including farm buildings, meatworks and poultry sheds.

Click here to read full article

Grasshoppers have to deal with blood pressure issues when they are upside down

You wouldn’t think gravity would be a big worry for insects. They’re so small. So light. An ant that fell from a second-floor balcony and landed on its head wouldn’t even get a bruise.

Consequently, scientists have not concerned themselves greatly with what gravity does to insects. But a group of scientists who routinely put grasshoppers into the linear accelerator at the Argonne National Laboratory in Illinois, USA, decided to take a closer look.

Click here to read full article

The next training day is on Wednesday 26 February 2020.

It will be held at the National Red Imported Fire Ant Eradication (NRIFAE) Program Office, 145-147 Wayne Goss Drive, Berrinba, QLD.

Click here to register. 

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.

• AEPMA Membership Renewals 2020-2021 -  February 2020
• Pest Manager of the Year - Applications Open - 1 April 2020
• Bayer Excellence Awards - Applications Open - 1 June 2020
• World Pest Day Summit - Singapore - 8-10 June 2020
• Agerv Pestech 2020 - 3-14 August 2020
• AEPMA Conference 2020 - The Star, Gold Coast - 16-18 September 2020
• FAOPMA Pest Summit - Manila, Philippines – 23-25 September 2020 
• PestWorld - Nashville, Tennessee - 13-16 October 2020