Australian Women’s Pest Management Association E-Gazette, June 2023

Board Report

The AWPMA Board has recently been researching and examining the demographics in the pest control industry. And two startling statistics to come to light are that our industry has a 4% participation rate for women, with the all jobs average being closer to 45%. And the average age of workers in our industry is 45, with the all jobs average being 40. This tells us two things; we need more female staff, and we need younger staff. The AWPMA board would welcome suggestions from all industry participants on ways we can change this for our industry. With this in mind we would encourage all females to attend Pesticon. Wow! There is only 3 months to go until Pesticon - this is such a great conference and opportunity to network as a business. The AWPMA board are so excited to be holding two events this year at Pesticon the Networking Breakfast and the Aquaduck Tour. Check out details on both these events and make sure you have your tickets booked, they are separate tickets to conference delegate tickets.

As of the 1st of June, we have opened entries for the Excellence Award proudly sponsored by BASF and the Trainee of the year and Administrator of the year award sponsored by FMC. We would encourage all employers to nominate females in their organisations or for eligible women to apply themselves, these awards are about recognising females in our industry. We have been so proud of our past award winners, all exemplary women who have excelled.

The AWPMA board is always available for

Newsletter Contributions

Please submit your content to info@awpma.org.au.

The cut off date to have your content and articles in is the first of the month.

Forthcoming issues:

September

suggestions or any questions you may have please don’t hesitate to reach out to us at info@ awpma.org.au.

SPECIAL APPEAL

My name is Paul Enwright and I am the husband of Kylee Enwright. We all know Kylee as beautiful, bubbly and a bit of a trail blazer within her local community and the Australian Pest Industry.

After a fall last Sunday whilst holidaying in Thailand, Kylee is now in an induced coma and remains in a very serious condition. My world, that of our family and team members of CPR Pest Management Services has been turned upside down.

Being a much-loved part of our local community & the Australian Pest Industry, it would be wonderful if we could rally around Kylee by helping with some of the overseas medical expenses we are facing, to lessen some of the stress and anguish during these uncertain times.

JOIN US!

The Australian Women’s Pest Management Association (AWPMA) is open to all women in the pest management industry. Our membership base is made up of all kinds of roles and positions held by women in the pest control industry from technicians in the field, office staff, business owners, chemical reps and trainees.

The association was founded in 2020 to support women currently in the pest control industry and to increase the number of women entering the pest control industry. The Australian Women’s Pest Management Association (AWPMA) aims to support members by:

Networking

To provide opportunities for women to meet and cultivate relationships with like-minded women in the pest management industry.

Awareness

To keep members up to date on current trends in the pest management industry and how they are being adopted by other businesses.

Collaborate

To facilitate transparent opportunities for women to provide feedback to the AWPMA regarding the association or the pest management industry.

Celebrate

To facilitate award opportunities to celebrate the achievements of women in the pest management industry.

Personal Development

To provide opportunities for participation in learning events with experts, in a supportive environment where all questions are encouraged.

I am so excited to share with you that Pesticon 2023 will take place on the 16 – 18 August 2023 at The Star Gold Coast.

The theme of our 2023 conference is “What Customers Want”.

This will be an unequalled opportunity to understand the pest management business and customer expectations, defining the types of customer needs to look for, unpacking the common barriers that prevent companies from fulfilling their customers’ needs, and solutions to start improving customer service.

Pesticon 2022, was a huge success and Pesticon 2023 is shaping up to be one of the must-attend events in 2023. This exciting event is filled with education and knowledge, practical tips and advice, and will be once again be held at The Star Gold Coast.

The Exhibition Hall will again be a hub of activity at the conference. Key manufacturers and suppliers will be showcasing the latest products and services for all aspects of your business, launching new products, explaining current techniques and demonstrating solutions that will benefit small, medium and large pest management companies.

Along with our special social events, Pesticon 2023 is an ideal learning and networking opportunity.

We are thrilled to be hosting the conference at The Star Gold Coast. With special accommodation rates and ideally situated on Broadbeach Island, this slice of paradise is the perfect place to combine business and relaxation. Take your pick from almost 596 luxurious rooms, enjoy sweeping coastal and hinterland views . With award winning restaurants, bars and the Pavilion Convention Centre all within arm’s reach, you have all the ingredients for a memorable stay.

The Gold Coast is Australia’s premier holiday destination, famous for its theme parks, stunning Surfer’s Paradise beaches and subtropical rainforests, the Gold Coast boasts 70 kilometres of uninterrupted coastline and 26 patrolled beaches.

After such a successful Pesticon 2022, I warmly invite and encourage you to join us at the 2023 conference. I look forward to seeing you all in person on the Gold Coast in 2023!

Vasili Tsoutouras President AEPMA

The Star Gold Coast has recently been named Queensland’s most luxurious and prestigious place to stay and dine, after being handpicked for two top awards at the hugely respected Queensland Hotels Association Awards for Excellence.

The Star Gold Coast’s ability to deliver world class events of any size and variety have made it one of the most sort after exhibition venues in the country.

Freshly renovated and ideally situated on Broadbeach Island, this slice of paradise is the perfect place to combine business with a bit of relaxation and free-spirited fun. Take your pick from almost 596 luxurious rooms, enjoy

sweeping coastal and hinterland views and kick back poolside. With award winning restaurants, a 24 hour casino and the Pavilion convention Centre all within arm’s reach, you have all the ingredients for a memorable stay.

With attractive discounted room rates, its the perfect opportunity to bring the family and take some time out after the conference to enjoy all that the Gold Coast has to offer.

Many attendees travel from far and wide to attend Pesticon, one thing that the AWPMA board has noticed is many of us who travel don’t get to see much of what the beautiful Gold Coast has to offer. So, we are inviting the women of our industry to book your seat on our very limited Aqua Duck tour. If previous events are anything to go off, this event will sell out quick! Departing from the STAR hotel at 4:45pm on Thursday 17th August.

The Aqua Duck tour, is the best of both worlds, a bus and boat tour. Join us aboard the amphibious Aqua Duck for an afternoon sunset cruise and city tour where you will sip on bubbles and enjoy a snack whilst hearing the stories that

have shaped the Gold Coast of today. Behind its glittering exterior of skyscrapers, bright lights and golden beaches, lies a web of secrets, scandals and almost unbelievable stories of how this famous town came to be the Gold Coast as you see it today. Hear all about the businessman who embezzled over $13million, the missing 3m boa constrictor, and Australia’s first bikini plus many more fun and interesting stories on our 1.5hr secrets, scandals and sunset tour of the Gold Coast this is a commentary you won’t find in any guidebook. As they say… ‘all that glitters isn’t necessarily gold’. We look forward to seeing you in August for a quacking good time!

EVENT DETAILS:

Date: Thursday 17th August

Time: 4:45pm – 6:15pm

(Participants must be at the main entrance of the star by 4:30pm to prepare for departure)

Cost: $50 for AWPMA Members or $75 for Non-Members

Participants: Women Only

More Details: https://www.aquaduck.com.au

Aqua Duck Tour BOOK HERE

AWPMA is very pleased to be working with AEPMA and FMC to host the AWPMA Networking Breakfast, this event is open to everyone. So come join us for a buffet breakfast on Thursday 17th August from 7am-9am, we will be celebrating the winners of the Administrator of the year award and the Trainee of the year award, proudly sponsored by FMC.

We will also have the lovely Von Barnes from Pinnacle Properties presenting a keynote presentation on her journey in the business world. Through hard work and determination Von has built her business Pinnacle Properties up to be a multimillion-dollar business. She and her team are highly focused on caring for their clients, they have a 99% referral base for their business and are always striving to provide a “Great experience, not good, great!” Von has faced many challenges in her business journey and will be offering insight on how to achieve success, how to deal with a male dominated

career and come out on top and empowering yourself and those around you. She describes herself as “Female Entrepreneur – savvy, seasoned and successful”. This will be a Keynote Presentation not to be missed.

EVENT DETAILS:

Date: Thursday 17th August

Time: 7am – 9am

Cost: $25 for AWPMA Members or $45 for Non-Members

Participants: Everyone Welcome

More Details: https://www.pinnacleproperties. com.au/about-pinnacle-properties/our-team/

If you are keen to attend one of our gatherings, we do have a number of them scheduled over the coming months in different states. We would encourage you to keep an eye out on our Facebook Page for more information on these events.

Networking Breakfast BOOK HERE

To know Von Barnes, is to know she has such a varied and interesting background.

Let’s start from the beginning! . . . .

Von was born in Seventeen Mile Rocks, Brisbane.

Her first degree was an Arts Degree, and studied at Latrobe University in Bendigo.

Her second degree was a Post Graduate in Education at Deakin University, and then went on to teach at the Australian Institute of Applied Sciences.

To add to this pretty impressive resume to date, Von became a Consultant and Director for Mary Kay Cosmetics, standing strong in the business for over 25 years, until Mary Kay closed in 2021 – you may have seen her in her trademark pink car, travelling Brisbane and beyond!

Von has also travelled far and wide as a motivational speaker in many countries around the word, with her most ambitious (and possibly largest) audience of around 12,000 people in Dallas, Texas.

Von was an ambassador for Red Nose Day and SIDS for Kids, being awarded Red Nose Hero / Queenslander of the Year in 2010.

Her motto? To give women the opportunity of the lifestyle they deserve.

Her strengths? Her communication, vision, enthusiasm and positivity is known throughout the community that surrounds and supports her.

Von embarked in a real estate career over 10 years ago within another company, and with a vision to one day having her own business. That vision became a reality, when Pinnacle Properties officially opened its doors on 26th February 2016, with a team of five staff members, founded by Von and her husband John.

Von’s goals for Pinnacle Properties is to become the best boutique agency in Brisbane – with kindness, integrity and a heart. The next step is to attract agents with the “Von Barnes Philosophy”.

Von married her wonderful husband John in 2001 and resides in the western suburbs of Brisbane.

What does Von get up to in her spare time? She absolutely adores cooking, her weakness is chocolate, cheese and champagne, has fantastic taste in relation to interior decorating, and importantly, spending time with the people she loves!

AWPMA IS VERY PLEASED TO BE FACILITATING THREE AWARDS AT THIS YEAR’S PESTICON CONFERENCE, THEY ARE:

For more details on these awards please visit our website https://awpma.org.au/about/awpma-awards/ or contact the AWPMA board at info@awpma.org.au

EXCELLENCE AWARD

Winner 2023

2023 EXCELLENCE AWARD,

PROUDLY SPONSORED BY BASF

The Excellence Award recognises women in the pest control industry that show outstanding leadership and make notable contributions to the development and growth of other women within the industry. Nominations for the Excellence Award will be opening in April, the award winner will be presented at the Gala Dinner held at the Pesticon Conference.

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS NOMINATE NOW

Nominations Open 1st June

ADMINIS TRATOR

ofthe Year 2023

2023 ADMINISTRATOR OF THE YEAR AWARD, PROUDLY SPONSORED BY FMC

This award looks to recognise an outstanding office manager or administration assistant. We all know the office is the backbone of the business that keeps it all together. We want to honour an outstanding member of your office crew. Nominations for the Administrator of the year award will be opening in April, the award winner will be presented at the AWPMA Networking Breakfast.

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

Nominations Open 1st June

NOMINATE NOW

TRA I N EE

ofthe Year 2023

2023 TRAINEE OF THE YEAR AWARD, PROUDLY SPONSORED

BY FMC

Trainees are the future of our industry. We want to recognise a trainee that has gone above and beyond to engage in the pest control industry. We want to recognise a trainee that has strived for and achieved success, best practice, and innovation in training. Nominations for the Trainee of the year award will be opening in April, the award winner will be presented at the AWPMA Networking Breakfast.

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

Nominations Open 1st June

NOMINATE NOW

2022 AWARD WINNERS

The 2022 PWAPM Excellence Award, proudly sponsored by BASF. We were all delighted to see Asita Devi Deo take out the 2022 PWAPM Excellence Award after being nominated for the past 3 years and becoming a finalist each time. Asita is an extremely deserving winner who stole the show with her tears of joy and speech dedicated to her family.

The 2022 PWAPM Female administrator of the year award kindly sponsored by PCT International recognises the achievement of a women who has provided exemplary

support in the administrator role in the pest management industry. Eliza Urey won the award for 2022.

The 2022 Female Trainee of the year award kindly sponsored by Bayer, this award seeks to recognise the achievement of a Female trainee who has gone above and beyond to engage in the pest management industry. Abigail Thomas won the award for 2022.

Watch the interviews with the three 2022 award winners.

PRE-2010 AGREEMENT RESOURCES FOR EMPLOYERS

The Fair Work Commission have developed resources to help employers meet their obligations to notify their employees about the sunsetting of their pre-2010 agreements.

Employers who have a pre-2010 agreement that covers one or more employees (also known a ‘zombie agreement’) are required to notify affected employees in writing about the sunsetting of the agreement. They must do this before 7 June 2023. Failure to notify employees may attract a civil penalty.

RESOURCES AVAILABLE:

Guide for employers (PDF) — Information for employers about pre-2010 agreements (‘zombie agreements’) and the written notice requirement

Template written notice (Word) — Employers can use our template written notice to meet this obligation.

You can access the resources on the Fair Work Commission website.

ABOUT PRE-2010 AGREEMENTS (‘ZOMBIE AGREEMENTS’)

Certain kinds of registered agreements that were made before 1 January 2010 continued to operate when the Fair Work Act fully commenced on 1 January 2010 (pre-2010 agreements). Many of these pre-2010 agreements no longer cover anyone and so have ceased to operate. However, some employers and their employees are still covered by pre-2010 agreements and these agreements continue to operate today. These

are also known as ‘zombie agreements’.

A pre-2010 agreement will automatically terminate on 7 December this year unless an application is made to the Commission to extend the default period.

Find out more about sunsetting of pre-2010 agreements (‘zombie agreements’).

Article first published by Fair Work Commission.

‘GET INVOLVED, YOU WON’T REGRET IT’ – AEPMA PRESIDENT ON PESTICON 2023

The biggest event in the pest management industry calendar, Pesticon 2023, is taking place at The Star Gold Coast from 16 to 18 August this year. Hosted by the Australian Environmental Pest Managers Association Limited (AEPMA) and supported by Rapid Solutions, it brings together suppliers and stakeholders for three days of sharing ideas and learning from experts and each other. If staying current in your knowledge and on top of industry changes is on your list of priorities, this is the event for you.

This year’s theme is “What Customers Want”, with the focus on customer expectations and how to overcome the barriers businesses face in meeting these expectations. We spoke to AEPMA president Vasili Tsoutouras on industry changes in the last couple of years, business challenges, and why everyone should join Pesticon 2023.

You’ve dedicated your whole career, not just as a business owner, to pest management. What do you love about this industry?

I was born into this industry, so it’s in my blood, so to speak. The other reason I love it is that I believe we fix people’s problems, which is honourable in my opinion. I look around at so many other friends of mine in other professions, and a lot of them are seeking purpose. As pest controllers, we’ve got purpose every single day.

We get to genuinely contribute to society and the environment in a positive way, and we genuinely make people’s lives better as an industry.

This industry has afforded me what I consider a wonderful life to date, and I can only see a better life ahead of me. I feel indebted to it, hence my effort towards the greater pest control industry, not just our businesses. I think if you can, you should. It’s a duty.

Several Pesticon 2022 attendees peruse the various stands

I can imagine it’s very gratifying to be able to solve people’s problems in such a practical direct way, every day?

Definitely. Our average technician typically wasn’t necessarily the most exceptionally academic person. They probably weren’t the jock at school either. They’ve probably been the quiet person in the room their whole life and then they get to fix people’s problems and get

a massive sense of gratification out of it. That’s the person we seek because we find that they’re the ones who are the most successful long term employees in our industry – that quiet person who’s never been super expressive.

They’re hard working, and you grab them and put them into a pest control job and they light up because it’s the first time someone has looked at them and thanked them for a job well done.

INDUSTRY TRENDS

The past few years with COVID-19 have been interesting times for pest management businesses in Australia. How did your members fare during the past 3 years? What, if anything, changed in the pest management sector as a result of COVID?

To start with, COVID was obviously extremely scary and you would have hated to be a person in business at that point in time. Owning a business was probably the scariest thing you could have possibly done; that’s the reality of it.

But we soon found purpose again because we were able to offer services like a disinfection service and then we realised how crucial we were because we were an essential service in the end. It’s almost like it took the pandemic to realise how integral we are and really understand that in its entirety. I think we always knew that we were important, but we didn’t know the gravity of the situation and our importance to society and to the whole mechanics of our way of life.

So I think there was some really good lessons.

COVID showed us how important we are. Our industry definitely grew on the back of COVID. We became more professional and we were definitely more recognised by the public. In the end, COVID wasn’t a detractor from our industry. It was something that has made us even more important and it’s allowed us to spread our wings even further and really understand how important we are in the chain.

People generally associate rats, cockroaches and pests with things being dirty, unclean, and spreading disease. So you can see the link becomes easily realised as a consumer without us telling them at all.

What are the key concerns for business owners and operators at the moment? Does it differ from state to state?

I think it does differ from states to state as well as business size. But definitely a major theme across the industry nationally would be employment issues and the difficulty of finding people.

What do you mean by we became more professional during COVID?

At a business level, we got better at writing. So for instance work method statements and standard operating procedures because all of that became more necessary in the process of COVID.

There was growth, business owners saw room for improvement. In my business alone, COVID allowed for extra training. We had all of our supervisors and management teams complete their diplomas in work, health and safety.

We all became a bit more professional and that was partly because the consumer required it from us, and partly because we saw the opportunity to be better.

You say you became more appreciated during COVID. What do you mean by that?

I think customers realised that we were genuinely essential, so the level of respect increased. People really understood the difference between what’s essential from a health point of view and what’s not. People started to associate pests with health in a more serious way – whether it’s subconsciously or consciously.

Government, primary industry and food manufacturing genuinely associate us with health now from a conscious point of view.

On the other hand when I listen to complaints about employment, the reason why some businesses have an employment issue is because they’re not willing to pay people what they’re being paid elsewhere. So you have to carefully consider whether it’s really an employment issue or an issue with attracting people with the right pay. The next would be training and the level of quality that’s occurring in that space from some providers.

Apart from pay, what are some ways that you think businesses can attract and retain employees?

Culture. You get your culture right and get your people talking about enjoying working for your business and then watch magic happen.

I’ve always thought of our industry like this –pest control is not about pest control, it’s actually about people. The business that wins the people battle is the one that wins the day.

And by people I talk about my employees, but also my customers. If I make my employee’s

life good and sustainable, help them succeed and offer them the support they need and the tools to be the best, they’re going to deliver to my customer. My customer’s going to enjoy our service and then that relationship’s going be good and that employee’s going to get that dopamine hit that I talked about over at the start where they become important. When they see value in themselves and purpose, all of a sudden you’ve created this system where everybody’s won.

PESTICON 2023

AEPMA is a member based organisation – what are the key benefits for businesses to join?

I think the fact that government liaises with us and we’re the ones speaking for the industry is in itself enough reason to become a member.

What are the biggest challenges on the horizon for people working in the pest management industry?

There are definitely economic challenges ahead, as well as training and talent acquisition challenges.

And the biggest opportunities?

When the economy doesn’t do well, people protect what they have. And there I see the opportunity for our industry to flourish. We’re not as tied to the economy as what other industries are. Health isn’t going away and the requirements around health aren’t going away. We’ve got an opportunity to really tack onto that and be a part of that movement. Same with sustainability. As an industry, we’re definitely a piece of the sustainability puzzle.

We should make sure we’re actively talking about us being a sustainable sector and our importance to the environment and to people’s health. We’ve got a good future ahead of us if we’re clever. We need to maintain our position and excel in those areas around sustainability, health and asset protection.

There’s also the fact that you’d be doing the right thing community-wise, that you’ll get discounts to the conferences, and the direct contact that you get with other members. You’re given information before the wider industry knows about it. You get to be a part of the discussion when it comes to the control of your destiny and the industry.

Find out more about AEPMA here: https://youtu.be/Ju11FnNeFKE

Pesticon 2023’s theme is “What customers want”. What can attendees expect from the conference this year?

The theme of what customers want really allows a massive scope for the presenters. There’ll be presentation on wellbeing and making sure your staff are tiptop mentally. There’s discussion around dispute resolution and one on demographics – understanding who our consumers are and what they’re going to look like over the next 10 to 20 years. There’s a lot of really useful information to set your business up for success in making sure you’re offering the most valuable service possible for the consumer.

Watch one of the speakers at Pesticon last year: https://youtu.be/aZddamvv8iI

Mental health is again a key session of your conference. Why do you think this topic is of particular importance for pest management?

Last year, Rapid Solutions CEO Belinda Smith and I were part of a discussion about sharing our own experience in this space, and people really resonated with it. There’s no doubt in my mind that we changed people’s perceptions and started conversations that maybe had never been had before.

Mental health issues aren’t going away in our community. Mental health is important and if we’re not on top of it or in tune with it we’re not going be serving our customers to the best of our ability. We’re a small industry so almost everybody knows everybody somehow. You don’t want something bad to happen to somebody. We want to make sure that we can have amazing open conversations, look after each other and make sure that we’re all here, safe, happy and prosperous.

We have a lot of blue collar people in this industry who probably aren’t as open as what they could be in this space. They might have been suffering in silence for a long time and, as an association, we want to be leading the way in this space.

Why should owners and operators attend the conference this year?

The program is solid and has a lot of really practical advice to take away to make your business better. Whether that’s making your people better, ensuring that they have the tools to be successful, making sure you’ve got the ability to resolve disputes better or understanding what the demographics are going to look like in the future… There are so many amazing speakers

and really valuable topics. You’d be crazy not to come if you’re an owner of a business and you’re genuine about growing as a business in this industry.

Anything else you’d like to add?

Make sure you get involved. It’ll be the best thing you ever did. One of the things that people have asked me is what I get out of heading AEPMA and the greater industry. You could argue that at times it’s a detriment to my business because of the time I have to spend on it. But what I argue is that the personal development I’ve got out of being involved in AEPMA far exceeds the impact that time loss might have had.

On top of this, I know I gave back to an industry that has afforded me a wonderful life until now and into the future. It brings about a massive level of satisfaction. So I’d tell everyone to please get involved, it’s so worth it.

A NOTE ON RAPID SOLUTION’S ATTENDANCE AT PESTICON

Rapid Solutions is again sponsoring the Pesticon Network Lounge, providing free coffees from the coffee cart and welcoming delegates to have a chat to our heads of insurance and training.

There’ll be special offers for enrolments in Rapid Training courses and the launch of new courses to keep pest manager skills fresh and up to date, helping reduce the risk of customer complaints and claims.

Our Rapid CEO Belinda Smith will be presenting on claims trends and will be at our stand throughout the conference to chat about insurance and claims.

BELINDA SMITH CEO, Rapid Solutions

Experienced leader and executive with a diverse industry sector background. Skilled in business growth, strategic planning and implementation and culture building. Focussed on providing customers with peace of mind and tailoring service offerings to meet market needs. Passionate about ending family violence because everyone deserves to live safely in their own home, workplace and community.

THE SUPER GUARANTEE RATE IS INCREASING

If your small business has employees, or hires eligible contractors, you’ll need to ensure your payroll and accounting systems are updated to reflect the new super guarantee (SG) rate of 11%.

The new rate will apply to all SG payments made to employees and eligible contractors on or after 1 July.

To avoid the super guarantee charge (SGC), payments must be received by the employee or contractor’s fund on or before the quarterly super due date of 28 July.

If you need help to work out how much super you need to pay for your employees and eligible contractors after 1 July, you can use our super guarantee contributions calculator.

The SG rate is scheduled to progressively increase to 12% by July 2025.

Remember, a registered tax professional can help you with your tax and super obligations.

First published: https://www.ato.gov.au/Business/Smallbusiness-newsroom/Lodging-and-paying/The-super-guaranteerate-is-increasing/?SmallBusNewsroomLanding

FMC IS PROUD TO ANNOUNCE THE LAUNCH OF FMC LEARN, AN ONLINE TRAINING PLATFORM FOR HOMEGUARD® INSTALLATION ACCREDITATION.

Become a HomeGuard® installer, anywhere, anytime.

Existing accredited applicators need to update their knowledge in conjunction with the New manual, 5D. This is now easy to do at your convenience.

Sign up today at www.fmclearn.com.au

POPULATIONS OF EUROPEAN WASPS EXPLODE ACROSS AUSTRALIA

Reports are coming in thick and fast from pest management professionals across NSW, VIC, TAS and SA that European wasp populations have exploded over the past month.

At this time of year European wasp nests are at their peak in size. Colonies change their focus to producing vast numbers of queens and males. These will mate before the queens seek sheltered spots to go into hibernation for the winter months emerging again in early spring to start the cycle over again.

LEADING RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT IN AUSTRALIA

Sundew Solutions are the first company to

register a remote toxicant baiting program with the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA). A range of European wasp products are sold in Australia under the brand Sundew VESPEX.

Presently, the Sundew VESPEX products are the only APVMA approved solutions for remote baiting of European wasp nests.

NOW IS THE PERFECT TIME

This time of season is a perfect time to be implementing a treatment to eliminate entire nests using the Sundew VESPEX European wasp baiting program. A toxicant bait is made combining Sundew VESPEX European Wasp Lure with Sundew EnsnarePRO 50 SC indoxacarb non-repellent insecticide. The liquid bait is then dispensed into VESPEX Baiting Tunnels for European wasps to feed on and take back to the nest for total colony elimination. Typically, nests are controlled in <14 days.

HOW DO I BECOME A SUNDEW VESPEX ACCREDITED SPECIALIST?

Sundew is committed to meeting good product stewardship standards, which includes ensuring that people who use the products are fully aware of the correct techniques of usage and understand their obligations. For this reason Sundew has created the VESPEX Accredited Specialist program.

The VESPEX Accredited Specialist program was created to provide detailed training on how to effectively implement a baiting treatment for maximum effect.

To learn more about becoming a VESPEX Accredited Specialist visit sundewsolutions. com.au, email info@sundewsolutions.com. au or contact Rowan Gregson at rowan@ sundewsolutions.com.au or call 0422 403 556.

SUNDEW SOLUTIONS

EDUCATIONAL VIDEO - INSECTICIDE DUSTING PART 1 – Do you know how a bulb puffer

SMALL BUSINESS SUPPORT YOU CAN TRUST

Our Employer Advisory Service (EAS) gives small business employers free tailored written advice about pay and conditions to help you make sure you’re meeting your obligations under the Fair Work Act.

Consider using the EAS if you’re:

• not sure about which award covers your business

• hiring your first employee or creating new roles

• need guidance on leave entitlements, meal breaks, allowances or other entitlements.

Did you know that award coverage can change if the primary nature of the business changes, or the primary nature of an employee’s duties changes?

Learn more about the EAS and finding the right award from our LinkedIn article.

PREPARE FOR UPCOMING CHANGES TO WORKPLACE LAWS

Our Secure Jobs, Better Pay downloadable timeline will help you keep track of recent and upcoming changes to the Fair Work Act.

From 6 June 2023, there will be:

• changes to agreement making

• increased access to multi-employer bargaining through single-interest bargaining, supported bargaining and cooperative bargaining

• changes to extending unpaid parental leave, including giving the Fair Work Commission the power to deal with disputes

• more employees able to access flexible working arrangements.

Stay up-to date via our Small business latest news page, it summarises the changes and how they may impact you.