Welcome
 
Welcome to the Australian Environmental Pest Managers Association September 2020 edition.  Please read on below for more details below or visit our website for online version.
AEPMA National Office - Update
 
Dear Members,
 
Welcome the September 2020 edition of the AEPMA Newsletter.
 
As you are all aware the situation for our Victorian members was and still is very challenging.  Our national office took a lot of calls and emails from our members regarding pest control asking if it was listed as an “essential service”  Again, AEPMA contacted all relevant Government Departments to ensure that pest control would indeed be considered an “essential service”.  

We have also provided ongoing updates to all of our members regarding changes introduced to the JobKeeper package and I hope that you have found this information useful.

Please remember that September 10th is R U OK? Day.  This is a national day of action dedicated to reminding everyone that every day is the day to ask, “Are you OK?” and support those struggling with life's ups and downs.  It’s really important to check in with colleagues, friends and family to help remind them that they are not alone and they have support.  More information on R U Ok Day can be found below.

As always, we are looking for any interesting articles to add into our upcoming newsletters so, if you would like to see your name in print please contact our National Office via email info@aepma.com.au 

Thank you for your continued support, and if you have any questions please don’t hesitate to contact us. 

Regards
 
 
Vasili Tsoutouras
President
AEPMA - QLD Branch Meeting
 
The QLD AEPMA Branch meeting will take place via Microsoft Teams at 9am on the 10th September.  

Kate Retzki and her team from the National Red Imported Fire Ant Eradication Program will be joining this meeting to provide an update on the programe.

The National Red Imported Fire Ant Eradication Program is the largest global eradication project ever undertaken, nationally funded by all Australian states and territories as well as the Commonwealth Government. 

The program aims to eradicate this exotic pest, based on expertise shared by international specialists in this field. The program is discovering patterns of ant activity and developing new ways of beating the ants as new challenges arise. So far, the program has contained the spread of fire ants to less than five per cent of what it could have been.

A 10-year eradication plan is underway. Members of the program’s team will provide an update on their progress, future initiatives and interesting insights at our upcoming committee meeting. 

If you would like to join this meeting please RSVP to the AEPMA National office via email info@aepma.com.au or call 1300 307 114

R U Ok Day?
R U Ok? - Thursday 10th September.

A place where asking the question “Are you ok?” can really work is in the workplace. As employers or staff, we can all create a culture where people feel confident asking and answering this simple yet important question. Besides our legal responsibility of providing a safe and healthy workplace, these conversations can make a real difference to staff going through a tough time.

R U OK? has released new resources to encourage more business leaders, owners and employees to build an R U OK? Culture in their workplace so that everyone feels safe, supported and encouraged. 

The resources, including the R U OK? Workplace Champions Guide, promote peer-to-peer support and regular meaningful conversations amongst colleagues in the workplace.  

More information and workplace resources can be found here

 

 

 

 

 

 

FAOPMA Online Survey

We have created an online survey (in English) on the impact of Covid-19 on the Pest Management Industry in the Asia – Oceanic region.  This survey should take approximately 5 mins to complete online and will help FAOPMA to understand how to support our members during these difficult times.
  
The results of this survey will be shared and presented at the virtual online Conference   FAOPMA –Pest Summit 2020) with the emphasis on Survive Covid-19, Protect Your Future - safeguarding the Pest Management Industry through an uncertain world. (November 2020). 
 
The survey can be found here 
 
We kindly ask that each country member through the National Association, inform their members regarding the survey.  The deadline for this survey is 15th September 2020.

Agserv - Pestech

A highlight of the year for Agserv, is the Pestech Conference. This yearly event usually sees the pest control industry gather in Australia's capital cities to network, hear of new technologies, products and services from all the biggest and brightest chemical suppliers to the industry. Since 2020 has been disrupted to say the least, Managing Director Eris Hess had this to say;

"Well as they say, the show must go on. We have had great support from our suppliers and customers all year, so it was only fitting we still provide some of the benefits that Pestech 2020 would have afforded. Our sponsors Bell Labs, Bayer, Syngenta, Sentricon and FMC are still bringing the goods with specials available for the next 10 weeks and customers will get the opportunity to hear from our branch managers as well as new tech and products from our sponsors."

Pestech 2020 has an online presence on the Agserv website - it's a far cry from getting together for speeches, masterclasses and socialising, but you'll hear from each of the sponsors and the team at Agserv are available for a chat anytime. Each sponsor will roll out over the course of the campaign, so check back in regularly on facebook, linkedin and the website for more specials and content. 

https://pestech.agserv.com.au/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/agserv-pty/
https://www.facebook.com/agservpest/

A New "Attraction" from Ensystex

Permethor® Magnetic is the latest product to be launched by the Innovations Team at Ensystex. Ensystex’s Regional Director, Steve Broadbent, advised that, “Permethor Magnetic is intended to set a new standard for dusting treatments. 

“Permethor Magnetic employs the same light powder formulation, designed to flow deeper and further into voids and crevices, that is used in Permethor Dust. The big difference is the incorporation of our patented magnetic component, Magthanite®. Permethor Magnetic provides for faster kill and improved transfer due to its magnetic properties.”

Read more here 

Coronavirus Pandemic may be the end of Bedbugs?
By Wendell Arnett, Bayer Territory Sales Manager – Pest (NSW/ACT/WA)

Given the reduction in travel and spending nights in hotels and other venues outside our homes, the chances of being bitten by bedbugs or bringing these uninvited guests home have been greatly reduced.  Wendell Arnett, Territory Sales Manager at Bayer, said “The spread of bedbugs can be likened to a virus, in that they spread via hosts – person to person – usually by travellers moving from one place to another.  The traveller only needs to stay in one hotel or apartment with a bedbug infestation and the bedbugs then get into their open luggage and stay with them for the ride, infesting more and more accommodations along the way”.

Recently, in Melbourne, a city hotel designated as a Coronavirus Quarantine hotel by the Victorian State Government was found to have a bedbug infestation.  Hotel quarantine guests were horrified, however, Chief Health Officer, Brett Sutton, emphasised what we, as professional pest managers already know, hotel bedbug infestations are caused by travellers, being transported in luggage and is not the fault of hotel management necessarily.  He reiterated “they are part and parcel of the hospitality industry”.

Read more here
Free Online Environmental Biosecurity Roundtable Webinars

In place of our Environmental Biosecurity Roundtable events for 2020, we are excited to invite you to the new Environmental Biosecurity Webinar series. Many of you would have received the information sent out earlier this month regarding the series which began on Tuesday 28 July.

Each webinar will feature three keynote speakers and explore a particular theme relating to environmental biosecurity.

REGISTER HERE to receive speaker info and your digital invitation and joining details for each webinar as they are confirmed. 

2020 Environmental Biosecurity Webinar Program*

  • 29 September: Flora, Fauna and Fire – Regenerating a scorched landscape
  • 27 October: Biosecurity risks in focus - Contaminants and commerce
  • 24 November:  Biosecurity in our backyard

*Webinar dates are subject to change pending presenter availability.

 
Want to know if the spider in your garden is deadly? There's an app for that

Want to know if the spider in your garden is deadly? There's an app for that

Ever wondered if the snake or spider you've come across in your backyard or a hike up Mount Ainslie is friendly or a venomous species to be avoided at all cost?
There's now an app for that.

Critterpedia, a collaboration between the CSIRO and Australian entrepreneurs Murray and Nic Scarce, will allow users to take a photo of a snake or spider and identify what species it is, along with other information.

Read more here
Credit – The Canberra Times  

 

Food stockpiled during coronavirus means more weevils, moths in staples like flour and rice

If you stockpiled pantry items like flour and rice in the early days of the pandemic, expect to find "extra protein" in them.

More food in storage means more weevils and moths, but entomologist and food scientist Skye Blackburn says you need not worry, because you're probably eating them anyway.

Read more here

Credit – ABC

New Industry Needs Pest Managment Expertise 
 
New Industry Needs Pest Management Expertise

A new agricultural industry needs your insect killing skill, to save insects!!! Sounds crazy right?

Insect breeding farms are now springing up around the world and are hailed to be the future food to help feed the masses…. but only if they can get on top of pest management. Insects are up to six times more efficient at producing animal protein than conventional animals (cows, sheep). By 2050 we need to increase food production six-fold, or billions of people will struggle to put food on the table. We are not necessarily talking about eating the insect directly (although cricket protein bars and muffins are delicious), initially we are talking about using insect to feed chickens, fish, pigs etc.

Read more here 

Newsletter contributions/comments

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.

 

  • QLD Branch Meeting 10th September @ 9am (Microsoft Teams)
  • SAVE THE DATE!!  AEPMA Conference Pesticon 2021 22nd - 24th September 2021

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