August 2005 / Vol.2 / Issue 8

Hello and Welcome to the August Greenpest News. Each month we aim to provide you with some useful information, keeping it short, sweet and pertinent.

Contents

1. Pest Talk - Pre-loading baits with termiticide.
2. Bindii Warning
3. Customer Question of the Month.
4. Quote of the month.
5. Monthly Special

Pest Talk

Pre-loading baits with termiticide.

In the United States a new termite control product has made the news for all the wrong reasons. It is similar to a standard termite bait, but with the addition of a termiticide already preloaded within the bait. Sounds good!

Needless to say, this is an idea that we have also considered in depth at Green Termite Bait Systems. In fact we have carried out quite a bit of research along these lines, plus we have patents pending for these ideas. Our research led us to some very interesting results. Interesting because the theory was good, but the practice was less than satisfactory. We then made a decision to wait until technology caught up with our idea. We need the right termiticide to make this idea work. At this point in time, the termiticide we require has yet to be invented. Sigh...

We are often asked why the termiticide isn't already in our bait. On the surface, this idea appears to be a very logical progression, but is it?

Presently our termite bait is non-toxic. A termiticide is only added when termites have entered the bait. Ours is a very simple three-step process.

Obviously, if a termiticide was already in the bait at the time of installation, then it would become a simple one step process.

In fact, the baits wouldn't even needed checking. Well, that's what you'd think, wouldn't you? Hmmm... you may find the following true story quite fascinating.

The product discussed in this story is not available in Australia but is still sold in the USA. It shall remain nameless, for it is not our purpose to attack the brand, but to discuss the methodology behind it. The initial sales of the pre-treated bait product in the USA were outstanding. Then. the litigation started. The company in question was forced to change the way it marketed and promoted its product.

What follows is a summary of how it all went wrong.

Most modern termiticides are biodegradable and have a limited lifespan. If the bait is preloaded with a termiticide, then the effectiveness of the termiticide will decrease with time to the point of zero. Needless to say, non-effective termiticide would render the bait useless at killing termites or their nest.

Specific directions have now been added to the product's literature that instruct the home owner to replace the baits every nine months with brand new ones. Ouch! Now, that isn't cost effective.

There is also a further requirement that when a bait does becomes active, additional baits need to be placed alongside the active bait. It is hoped that this will achieve an increase in the level of termiticide that is transferred back to the nest by the feeding workers, assuming of course that they attack the extra baits after all the disturbance.

Then of course there is another problem. How does the home owner know when the bait is active with termites? This particular product is basically a hollowed out stake with termiticide in the centre. It can only be checked by being pulled out of the ground entirely. If the bait is active and only slightly nibbled, then it is returned to the ground. If it is more than half eaten, then a fresh bait is inserted in its place.

As you can see, this is no longer the simple one step process we imagined at the beginning. Furthermore, when termites are disturbed in this manner, they may decide to avoid the food source altogether, or at least for quite some time before they feel it is safe to return. This would make the baits useless and defeat their intended purpose.

A quick plug for us: The Green Termite Bait System has the Ec2c Termite Window which ensures that the termites are not disturbed during the inspection process.

Back to the USA. The company also needed to change its marketing to clearly state that their termite bait system was not effective as a means of termite protection alone, and. that it should be serviced by a professional pest controller if termites were found. Instructions also state that in high risk areas, the termite baits needed to be inspected (i.e. pulled out of the ground and replaced) on a monthly basis.

The one step process just got a whole lot more complicated.

This proves an old rule of science. An idea might be brilliant in theory, but it needs to be tested in the field. It is in practice where one truly proves whether or not it actually works.

We are understandably proud of the Green Termite Bait System because we have proven time and time again that it works very effectively in practice, not just in theory. In fact, since 1996, it has effectively reduced the risk of termites in hundreds of homes across Australia.

Recently, we have added a new page to our web site that we think you will find most interesting. We have compared the Green Termite Bait System with a wide range of other termite bait systems that are available in Australia.

There are probably another dozen lesser-known bait systems also available in Australia that we didn't add to the list for want of space.

We've also asked Choice magazine to do their thing and compare bait systems in Australia, but as yet we have yet to see them take some action.

We thought we would get the ball rolling with our own comparison page which you can find here:

http://www.greenpest.com.au/compare_bait_systems.html

To sum up:

Although at first glance the idea of having a termite bait preloaded with a termiticide seems like the next logical step in termite bait development, it may in fact be a backward step unless safe termiticides can be developed that will not breakdown too rapidly when they come in contact with the soil.

The distinct advantage of a Green Termite Bait System is that the baits are completely non-toxic. In fact, many people appreciate not having any chemicals in the soil or gardens around their homes, even low risk chemicals.

Our baits are easily inspected every single month so that you stay on top of any termite activity near your home, and most importantly when they are active, the very low-toxic termiticide which we add, is freshly mixed in a very small dose before it is added to the termites feeding in the bait.

When it comes to effectiveness, and value for money, the Green Termite Bait System is still a clear winner. Even though we are way ahead of our competition, you can be sure that we will not be simply resting on our laurels. We are constantly looking for ways to improve our system and we are always open to new ideas, no matter where they come from.

Your suggestions and feedback are especially welcome and a positive influence on the future development of our products. Thank you.

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Bindii Warning (Repeated).

Now is the time to spray for weeds in general and Bindii in particular. Don't wait any longer because once the Bindii go to prickle it is too late to spray. Do it now before it's too late.

Customer Question of the Month.

Question.

Dear Jerry,

I was wondering if there was any way that you could possibly get rid of a rat for me without using poison?

I look forward to your reply,

Beth M.
Broadbeach, Queensland .

Answer.

Great question! It's one we get asked fairly often. The answer is yes, we can get rid of a "single" rat without using poison. In fact, only this week we had to do just that. The circumstances were as follows.

One of our customers who lives in a high-rise had gone down to the underground garages and storerooms in her building to retrieve a couple of boxes keep in storage. She then carried them upstairs to her third floor apartment. The next day when she went to make breakfast, she noticed that an apple in her fruit bowl had been chewed. As you can imagine, it's quite a horrifying experience to reach for a piece of fruit and discover part of it missing and sight tiny teeth marks in it. Yuk!

Aghast, the lady looked about and noticed a few rat droppings. Putting two and two together, she quickly realised that she must have bought the rat up from downstairs.

Her problem was, how does she get rid of it? She bravely and carefully searched her apartment for the intruder, but he was well hidden. Maybe gone she hoped, but alas the next day another piece of fruit was spoiled.

The apartment was very well sealed which meant that the rat was trapped inside, unable to escape or return to it's regular home in the basement.

She tried a few rat traps but the cunning little fellow managed to eat the cheese without the snap trap snapping. So she called us. Normally in these circumstances we would recommend using a high-quality rodenticide that we source from the United States. The rat would then feed on the rodenticide and go away to die. The bait makes them thirsty. Normally they go outside to die in a last ditch search for water.

The problem we anticipated was that this rat wouldn't be able to freely escape and was certain to die inside the apartment, possibly in a hard to reach area. Since the rat couldn't be located after an extensive search of her apartment it was decided that most likely he was hiding behind the refrigerator or possibly the dishwasher. Maybe he was hidden under the base of the kitchen cupboards.

No doubt he was quite content getting a piece of cheese and having a fruit bowl to nibble on every day. He was able to gain enough water from the few splashes of water left in the sink after the washing up each night. We expect he was quite content to live out the rest of his life in this apartment. Food, water and shelter - all he needed - rat heaven.

Here's how we caught him. We placed a piece of dried apricot in the middle of a sticky trap, then replaced the fruit bowl with the sticky trap. Sure enough the very next morning the culprit was caught on the trap.

This method will work fine if you only have one nuisance rat, but it will not work if you have a family of rats and the reason this is so is because rats learn from each other. If they see one of their clan trapped in an unusual way, they will quickly learn to avoid the trap. Hence, the chance of catching a second rat using the same snap trap or sticky board is limited.

To sum up, snap traps and sticky boards will not catch every rat if there is a group of them. The warier ones, like the dominant male and female, will usually survive.

Rats often travel in family groups. The best way to handle a rat invasion is by using a well placed high-quality rodenticide. This way, you can be assured of getting all of the rodents and not just one or two.

You might be surprised to learn that mice are quite different to rats in their response to danger. If you catch a single mouse on a sticky board, you are more likely to catch a few of his friends on the same trap at the same time. Either they are very stupid, or they are attempting a rescue!

We're sure some people would say "live and let live" but the reality is that rats and mice are a high risk pest to allow in your home . Not only will they keep breeding until their population becomes unmanageable, but it's proven that they spread disease and cause damage to your home and contents. On several occasions we have seen instances where rodents have caused thousands of dollars worth of damage to a property. That's why they are called pests.

We do know of several kindly people who have tried using cages to catch and release rodents, but with limited success only. The rodents were always present in numbers, and no amount of catch and release was solving the problem. Eventually they capitulated, deciding that enough is enough and called us for a solution. When it comes to the damage and inconvenience of a rodent invasion, one's tolerance has its limits.

Our advice is that it is always best to get rid of rodents as soon as possible, and not to allow them to establish themselves in your home in the first place.

Quote of the month.

From an email received 20/07/2005:

Thank you so much for sending me the Newsletter. Will definitely call you when I need pest control. I just want to say I was very impressed with the gentleman who came the first time... He deserves a promotion or pay rise... and so hard to get good service like he provided... thanking you again.

Deborah V - LABRADOR

Thank you Deborah, our staff very much appreciate your feedback. We know that they all take great pride in their work.

Monthly Special Promotion - For Newsletter Subscribers Only.

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The Greenpest News is Published by J & A Furnell Nominees P/L; Shop 23a Franklin Square, 60 Railway Street, Mudgeeraba, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. The opinions expressed in this newsletter are those of Jerry Furnell. The reader is encouraged to seek further information from appropriate government and statutory departments before taking any action based on this material alone.

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See you again next month.

Always... At your service,

Jerry Furnell
Green Pest Control & Green Termite Bait Systems.
Phone 1800 6 12345.

Copyright 2005 Green Termite Bait Systems & Green Pest Control. All rights reserved.

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