AEPMA Statement Regarding The Professional Use of Second-Generation Anticoagulant Rodenticides (SGARs) 

The Australian Environmental Pest Managers Association (AEPMA) is the peak industry body with a mission to set professional pest management industry standards in harmony with community attitudes and environmental standards.

The Code of Practice Committee for “Best Practice for Rodent Management” has written a statement regarding the use of SGARs.

These SGARs should only be used by professional pest managers in compliance with this Code of Practice.

The full statement can be found here.

Please contact the AEPMA National Office if you have any questions.

Pesticon 2023 – Dates Announced

Make a note in your diary!

Pesticon 2023 will be held at The Star, Gold Coast from the 16th – 18th August 2023.

Further details will be announced over the next few weeks. 

Pest Manager of the Year 2022 – Meet Our Winners!

The winner of Pest Manager of the Year - South Pacific was FaskKil Fiji.

Fastkil employs 65 people and is run by Asita and her husband Vinay.

We caught up with them recently to find out more about why they entered this year’s competition.

“Hello from the Fiji Islands,

We are so pleased,overly excited and humbled by AEPMA in selecting our Company's Director as the Winner of the Prestigious Award.

Fastkil Pest Control Services Pte Limited is fully locally owned and operated which was established in March of 1999 by Mr.Vinay Chand and Mrs Asita Devi Deo.

“The main aim for our company is to provide economically and environmentally friendly solutions to pest control and health & hygiene services for commercial, residential and industrial clients. The aim is met through successful application of well-engineered and technological innovative solutions.

This year's Judging process was great.I admit it was a bit different from the previous years but I must say I thoroughly enjoyed it.  The questions were tricky but I think we handled them well!

We are quite humble and we were not expecting a win. Strategy wise is just simple honesty,integrity and being humble while being driven to work hard and smart.

If I had to give any tips to anyone thinking of nominating I would say,I would say be yourself, be career driven as well as grounded, know that there is always a light at the end of the tunnel.

Winning this award will boost our Chances in procuring more service requests, more employees would apply to our company knowing that we are recognized in Australia and New Zealand, more revenue will be generated through service requests as well as more clients taking initiative to employ our services.

We would like to thank BASF, AEPMA, the judges, and everyone who has supported us.

A big Vinaka Vakalevu to you all”

2022 BASF Pest Manager of the Year - South Pacific & PWAPM Excellence Award Winners

Photos from the 2022 Pest Manager of the Year Awards are available to view here 

AEPMA would like to thank BASF for sponsoring these awards

Rapid Solutions

At AEPMA’s Pesticon back in June, our Rapid team were inundated with questions from delegates about traineeships.

As businesses grow and seek to improve the quality of their service to customers in competitive markets whilst retaining good employees, traineeships have been an attractive solution.

Typically, when business owners think about Government supported training, they instantly see red tape, too many hurdles to clear and too much hassle. The dollars to support the training just don’t seem worth it! These days though, access to traineeships and Government funding is a lot more streamlined and business friendly.

Our Rapid Training Manager Kerrie Undery knows traineeships inside out! To find out more, you can contact Rapid Training on 1300 309169 or read more on our website through this blog 

Mental Health Editorial – Patrick Legey 

Following on from a very important presentation on Mental health at the AEPMA Pesticon Conference in June 2022, it encouraged me, with the panellists’ permission, to write a small editorial from the presentation for the AEPMA Newsletter.

Panellists Vasili Tsoutouras, Samuel Wood and Belinda Smith got personal in this presentation on the most critical issue facing our businesses, families and communities today.

For the panellists to discuss their Mental health issues for the benefit of others in the Pest Management Industry is a courageous act and extremely brave thing to do and should be shared with people who did not attend this presentation.

Facilitated by Lifeline Hunter region, CEO Robert Sams, the panellists shared their personal experiences with mental health and how they help themselves and others to achieve and promote good mental health.

There are a lot of common triggers for mental illness and the COVID-19 pandemic has, throughout 2020, 2021 and probably 2022 heightened a rise of psychological distress for many people.
Mental health costs Australian businesses a lot of money. Overall, the cost of workplace mental illness in 2018 was a staggering $10.9 billion. 

Every 30 seconds, a person in Australia reaches out to Lifeline for help. This national charity provides access to 24 hours crisis support and suicide prevention services, so that no person in Australia has to face their darkest moments alone.

Lifeline is part of the #YouCanTalk movement, a joint national suicide prevention campaign aimed at giving people the confidence to respond to friends and family when they need help and guide them to the right support services.

The Panel discussed managing anxiety, the benefits of a workplace Employee Assistance Program and the reality of living and working with a mental illness.

They shared the important, lifesaving work being done every minute of every day around the country by Lifeline.

We should never underestimate the power we have to connect with another person and make a positive difference in their lives. 

Struggling to cope with everyday life doesn’t look or feel the same for everyone. We can’t generalise how this will feel for someone or what type of support they might need. No matter who you are or what you’re going through, there are people to listen and talk it through with you to help you get the support you need.

If someone you know is struggling to cope or having a difficult time, you might feel unsure of what to say or how to help. While asking if they are okay might seem like a difficult conversation to have, it could be a lifesaving one.

Reach out and make time to listen to them, acknowledge their struggle, encourage them to keep talking.

There will be some days when we’re feeling okay and others when we might feel desperate and struggle to cope. This will look and feel different for many people. It’s important to know that this is normal and common and what is not.

Whatever it may be, sharing the hurt and pain with someone else can help.

Encourage them to seek help wherever they feel most comfortable. This might be their GP, family or friend, religious or community leader, or anyone they feel they can trust. 

If you, your employee or someone you know need support, you can call Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Carers Australia on 1800 242 636 which offers short term counselling, emotional and psychological support services for carers and their families in each State and Territory or call 000 if life is in danger.

More information is available on the Lifeline website.

AEPMA NSW Branch Update

An AEPMA NSW ACT State Council meeting was held on Zoom on Monday 18 July 2022.
The meeting was well attended with 11 delegates and 5 apologies including Gary Stephenson (our NSW ACT National Delegate).

Chairperson Kylee Enwright welcomed all in attendance Including new State Council delegates David Wilson (Flick- Anticimex), Brett Black (Competitive Pest Control), Olivia Hurstfield and Ken Hurstfield (Pixel Pest Control) and Russell McWilliam (Ecolab) who also attended the meeting.

After accepting the minutes of the previous meeting and looking at draft a copy of the minutes from the AGM we moved onto other matters of business.

The recent AEPMA conference on the Gold Coast was high on the discussions.

All the delegates who attended, were extremely pleased with the conference given it had been such a long time since the last one and the presentations and speakers were excellent.

Read more here

20th Anniversary of Termidor in Australia 

2022 marks a milestone for the BASF team, as it marks the 20th anniversary of the introduction of Termidor® in Australia. In the spirit of efficiency and effectiveness (much like Termidor), we thought we'd go through some of the key achievements of Australia's leading termiticide.

Over the past 20 years, more than 475,000 homes and businesses across Australia have been treated with Termidor termiticide, protecting them against one of the most destructive pests, termites.

In that time, the BASF team has also delivered over 600 Termidor accreditation training courses to more than 6,000 pest controllers across the country to ensure the correct and safe application of the product. In these past two decades, Termidor has become one of the most trusted brands in the industry and is also well-known to the homeowners, testament to its legacy in protecting Australian homes.

"The BASF Australia team is extremely proud and excited to be celebrating 20 years since the Termidor brand was launched into the local market. We've come a long way since 2002, and we've seen the product range grow and evolve to keep up with changes in the industry. But through it all, Termidor has remained a market leader and helped drive the success of our business," shares Mark Wilson, Technical Development Manager for Australia & New Zealand at BASF.

In conjunction with this milestone, the local team is running various campaigns, including a community-focused promotion where pest controllers get to nominate a local charity or community centre that deserves a Termidor treatment.

The local BASF team will choose 5 deserving winners from the nominations, who will then receive up to $4,000 in financial assistance to have a building of their choice (nominees include local libraries, fire stations, and schools) treated with Termidor. Entries are open until 30th September, so make sure you nominate a deserving community centre for them to be in the running.

Click here to fill out the form to complete the nomination, and follow along on Facebook to keep up to date. 

The Termidor brand has certainly achieved a significant amount over the last two decades in Australia. However, it seems like it's just getting started and we can look forward to an exciting year ahead as Termidor cements its legacy as Australia's leading termiticide brand amongst pest controllers and building owners alike.

Australian Women’s Pest Management Association (AWPMA)

It has been a busy time for the Australian Women’s Pest Management Association (AWPMA) over the last few months.  As announced recently, AWPMA (formerly PWAPM) has rebranded. Our rebrand has included the adoption of new values, a new vision and also a new logo.  A fresh website and member portal will be released shortly, so please keep your eyes out for these additions.

Prior to our rebrand, we proudly announced Asita Devi Deo from Fastkil Pest Control as the winner of the 2022 Excellence Award, Abigail Thomas from Pianto’s Pest Control as the winner of the 2022 Trainee of the year award and Eliza Urey from Drop Dead Pest Control as the 2022 Administrator of the year award winner.  Winning these awards is a testament to the hard work and contributions these women make to the pest control industry every day.  We would also like to thank BASF, PCT International and Bayer for sponsoring these awards.  Without their contributions, these awards wouldn’t be possible. 

The Association successfully held our first Networking Breakfast event at the Pesticon Conference in June.  Thank you to AEPMA for helping to facilitate this event and to Ecolab for sponsoring the event. Our Networking Breakfast was fully booked out and our amazing panellists - Sarah Cutting from Spiderman SE, Jodi Urey from Drop Dead Pest Control, Kahlee Aldridge from Suburban Pest Management and Nicole Tyzack from Syngenta - ran an in-depth discussion examining how to combat administration expectations in the digital age. These women and their businesses are leading the way in adapting to their client’s expectations.

Breakfast attendees also heard an inspiring talk from the 2021 Excellence Award winner Kuyan Rider.  Kuy, from Conquer Termites Northside, discussed the challenges she has faced in her personal and professional life and how important resilience has been to get through these challenges.

Manuela Curzon from Ecolab provided an informational talk about Ecolab and their passion for breaking the bias and helping women push forward in their careers. Their E3 program (Empower-Engage-Energize) was designed to accelerate the advancement of women and develop leaders to drive business growth. 

It was a privilege to meet the lovely ladies in attendance at the event and we hope to provide more opportunities for women to network across the industry. 

Upcoming Events 

The AWPMA are thrilled to announce two upcoming events:

• An online Masterclass on ServiceM8 with Fiona from Tradies Rescue. Fiona is a ServiceM8 partner and an utter whizz at ServiceM8 forms, so Ladies bring all your ServiceM8 questions. Date: TBA  
• An Axe-Throwing Networking Event, proudly sponsored by Greenzone. Come relax, enjoy great food and take your frustrations out on the scoreboard by throwing Axes. All whilst enjoying the company of like-minded women in the pest control industry. Date: Saturday 27th August Time: 3pm 

Where: Lumberpunks Brisbane – 4 Ferry Rd, West End
Register here 
 

"SNAP IT UP WITH BAYER" National Promotion

Bayer is currently running a national promotion “Snap It Up with Bayer’ which commenced on June 6 and is running through to October 31, 2022.  To enter, customers who purchase a minimum of $100 on participating* Bayer products in a single transaction can log-on here and enter for their chance to win a family holiday to Kakadu and the Northern Territory!  Daryle Swarz, National Sales & Marketing Manager (Professional Pest Management) said customers who spend $100 will get 1 ticket, $250 will get 3 tickets, $500 will get 8 tickets and $1000+ will get 20 tickets into the draw.  In addition, all entrants have a chance to win 1 of 100 cooler bag instant prizes!

*Participating Bayer products include our pest management range of insecticides:  Aqua-K Othrine® 1L, Coopex® Dusting Powder 10Kg, Cislin®25 1L & 5L, Maxforce® Gold 35g, Maxforce® Fusion 30g, Maxforce® Activ 3 x 30g, Maxforce® Quantum 3 x 30g, Starycide® 1L, Suspend®Flexx 500mL & 3L and Temprid®75 1L & 5L.

Biflex® Mikron & Funnel Ants

Over the last 5 months, FMC Australia has conducted field research on the efficiency of Biflex® Mikron on Funnel Ants. This consisted of plotting out 3 x 1.5 metre square blocks and counting the number of funnel mounds within the plot.
 
Each plot was then treated, one with Biflex® Mikron and one with Fipronil, both at a label rate and with the third plot as water control. Over the last 5 months each plot the number of mounds has been counted, as you can see on the graph the Mikron has eliminated the nests with no new incursions, even with over 1598 mm of rain, on the Brisbane testing site, proving Mikron is the perfect partner for nesting ants treatments.
 
This is an ongoing trial. To keep up to date visit and sign up for our resources here

Women in Pest Management (WIPM)

We are excited to announce Women in Pest Management (WIPM)!

The WIPM committee have been busy focusing on the events and programs we’ll be offering over the next 12 months. This includes education and training, careers for women in pest management, leadership workshops, networking breakfasts, international women’s day, conferences, recognition awards, mentoring, and mental health awareness. 

We will be releasing monthly newsletters so we can keep you up to date on what WIPM are working on, information on events, and special offers from industry distributers. We are currently working on a brand-new website and will have this released in the next couple of months. 

During the month of August, we will be heading overseas for the Pest Management Association of New Zealand (PMANZ) conference. We are excited that WIPM are now an Associate Member of PMANZ and are looking forward to representing our association at the conference. We will also be announcing the very first WIPM New Zealand representative. This is a great opportunity to build stronger connections with our New Zealand pesties.

The WIPM committee is a team of givers, women who are passionate about what they do, women who are more than happy to provide information and help others succeed. We look forward to supporting all associations and pest groups in the pest management industry. We are all in the same field of work and we can bounce ideas off one another. Working together to achieve shared goals, to address problems and develop solutions that wouldn’t be as effective if working separately.

Stronger together.

We want to make WIPM an association to help you grow as a professional. This cannot happen without your input. Let us know what your development needs and wants are, so we can design professional development opportunities within WIPM that suit you. If you haven’t already, head to the WIPM Facebook Group and vote in our poll. 

To become a member is FREE. Membership is open to men and women, and you must be involved in the pest industry. To join, all you need to do is click on the link below and request to join the private Facebook group.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/womeninpest

To find out more about the association please click here to read the very first edition of the Women in Pest Management (WIPM) Newsletter. 

A familiar face joins the Sundew Team - JON BROUGHTON 

Sundew Solutions is pleased to announce that Jon Broughton has joined the team taking up the role of Sales Executive Pest Management Professional Queensland.

“Jon brings many years valuable experience having been involved with pest management professionals across Australia.  He is very excited to join the Sundew team and looks forward to working with our valued customers across the state,” said David Priddy, C.E.O. Sundew.

Jon’s primary role will be to support our customers by providing timely product information, updates, education and support.  He will also be on hand to provide one-on-one technical advice, training and assistance to ensure you achieve positive, consistent results from our products. 

Jon’s extensive wealth of business knowledge and excellent reputation in the industry puts him in an ideal position to partner with you to add exceptional value.

Please make Jon welcome when he connects with you over the coming months.
Jon can be contacted on 0422 008 897 or email jon@sundewsolutions.com.au

The FAOPMA-Pest Summit 2022 will take place in Kyoto from 6th-8th  November and everyone is excited for the first hybrid conference in FAOPMA-Pest Summit history since the Covid-19 pandemic. Finally, all industry players have the opportunity to visit Kyoto International Conference Centre in person, and even virtually, to be part of biggest trade event in Asia and Oceania region. 
Visa Application for Foreign Visitors and Assistance by JPCA .

Japan is currently open for foreign visitors, with pre-requisite of a visa. The organiser, Japan Pest Control Association (JPCA) will assist you with your visa application through Japan’s ERFS system after you register for FAOPMA-Pest Summit 2022 Kyoto. 

Esteemed Sponsors 

We are honoured to formally introduce our esteemed board of Sponsors for FAOPMA-Pest Summit 2022 and we are excited to collaborate to make this industry event a great success! 

Platinum: Sumitomo Chemical Group, Bayer CropScience 
Gold: Fuji Flavor, IKARI Holdings, Earth Chemical, Dainihon Jochugiku 
Silver: SEMCO, Hohto Shoji, Burrtec, Killgerm/PestWest (double Silver), Syngenta APAC 
Other sponsorship opportunities are still available. Please reach out to us for more information. 

​​Facebook and LinkedIn 

We are pleased to announce that FAOPMA-Pest Summit 2022 Kyoto is now live on Facebook and LinkedIn. Our Facebook and LinkedIn platforms are ready to engage our delegates with latest updates and contents about the conference, plus some tourist tips for our foreign delegates and tech updates for our virtual delegates. 

Follow us and interact with us on Facebook  

Reach out to your professional network in LinkedIn for FAOPMA-Pest Summit 2022 Kyoto here 

For more information, please visit FAOPMA-Pest Summit 2022 Kyoto website where you will find the following information available: 

1. Registration for In-person and Virtual Delegates 
2. Early Bird and Group Booking discounts 
3. Conference Programme and Speaker List 
4. Sponsorship and Exhibitor Packages 
5. Venue Information and Transport Options 
6. Inquiry Portal for Assistance, Support and Questions 
For any support, please send us your enquiry here:  

Thank you and we look forward to welcoming you in Japan or virtually in November! 

Yours sincerely,  
Federation of Asian & Oceania Pest Managers Associations 

Under the Medicines and Poisons Act 2019 (MPA), which commenced on 27 September 2021, pest management technicians (PMTs) who held a licence before the MPA commenced have until 26 September 2022 to obtain the new endorsements for high-risk and sensitive places and bird pests.

PMTs who obtained their licence after the MPA commenced must complete the competencies to obtain the endorsements as prescribed in the Queensland Health Departmental Standard - Competency requirements for licensed technicians undertaking pest management activities with pesticides and fumigants.

Read more here 

Foot-and-mouth disease is far from Australia's only biosecurity risk - here are the other threats 

Foot-and-mouth disease might be dominating the headlines, but Australian officials say there are other diseases on our doorstep to watch out for.

Experts say these are the next big threats you need to know about — and some of them are already here.

Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV)

The mosquito-borne virus was detected in Australia in February 2022, with biosecurity officials confirming its presence at 70 piggeries in Victoria, Queensland and New South Wales.

Since then, there have been 40 cases in humans and five people died from the disease last year.
JEV was first documented in Japan in 1871 and has since become endemic to South-East Asia and the Western Pacific.

Read more here 

Credit – ABC News 

There are fears the invasive fire ant, which can form a raft to move along waterways, may have spread during record floods in southern Queensland.

The state government said floodwaters moved too fast for the insects, but the opposition has called for evidence the risk had been assessed.

Landholders, meanwhile, said they were worried eradication programs were not moving fast enough.
The tiny pest has the potential for disastrous impact should it move unchecked and experts have warned it could cause billions of dollars of social, economic and environmental damage.

Read more here 
Credit - ABC News

• FAOPMA Pest Summit 6th - 8th November 2022
• AEPMA Pesticon 16th - 18th August 2023 - Star Gold Coast

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.