July 2008 / Vol.5 / Issue 7

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

Contents

1. Pest Talk.
2. Rat control measures Part 1.
3. Customer Feedback
4. Monthly Special.

Pest Talk

It has once again been brought to our attention that a certain termite bait is being sold in Australia illegally.  We won’t mention its name.  The reason it is illegal is because it is pre-loaded with an insect growth regulator and subsequently it requires registration and approval from the APVMA (Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority) and of course this hasn’t been done.  The APVMA require proof of the efficacy of the product as well as tests to show that it is safe for the public since it is sold as a DIY system in flea markets around Australia.

In the past twelve months the APVMA has been advised from several reputable companies of this violation of regulations yet they have done nothing about it.  They are failing at their job and the public is at risk.  We have bought the issue to light in this newsletter because this newsletter reaches over 3,000 people each month and we know some of our readers are in positions within government and councils, pesticide manufacturing, CSIRO and other fields related to the termite industry.  We also have readers within the media, both paper and TV news programs, so maybe the APVMA should take note.

A copy of this newsletter is also being sent to the APVMA so they can contact us for further details and no longer deny knowledge of these illegal activities.

Why do we feel that this issue is important?  Two reasons:

1. More than one law is broken.  The laws are in place to protect the public from both physical and financial harm.
2. The product does not measure up to its claims.

 

It is unlikely that an insect growth regulator would pose much risk to the public, especially enclosed in a bait station; however it still needs to be properly tested and approved by the APVMA.  The baits are being sold by unlicensed, inexperienced salespeople at flea markets.  They are plainly giving termite advice which is against the law unless you are duly licenced.  This is rather important, because most people don’t stop to ask “Is this person qualified?” and “Do they know what they are talking about?”  It has been reported to us that what is being said in some cases is total rubbish and if the poor advice being dished out is followed; the person following the advice is likely to end up with a serious termite problem.

There are two battling web sites (we won’t mention) pushing the product.  They started out together and split after a disagreement.  Some of the advice being offered online could get you into trouble if you followed it.  In short, their customers who buy the product and think they are termite safe may still be at a much higher risk than they are led (misled?) to believe.

No doubt, due to the product’s high price, their market share is tiny.  The point of this little article is twofold:

• “Buyer beware” and...
• Who's watching the watchdog? “APVMA: Do your job.”

By the way; is pre-loading a termite bait with chemical a good idea?  We answered this in our August 2005 and December 2007 newsletters.

For those of you who can’t be bothered to read the articles in full, the simple answer is:
“No. The termiticide should always be added fresh.”

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Rat control measures Part 1.

Our newsletter is predominantly about termites.  However, if you have checked out our newsletter index, you will see that we have previously covered many other pests and their associated problems in the years 2004 - 2006.  This month we are going to talk about rodents, in particular, rats, because you might be surprised to learn that they can on occasion do more damage to your home than termites!

This year, the rain and cold weather has made rats a major issue for many home owners.

The definition of a rodent is a creature that gnaws.  Rats gnaw for two reasons:

• To gain entry to fresh territory.
• To reduce the length of their front teeth.  If they don’t do this their front teeth will continually grow, and could grow so long that they would no longer be able to eat and consequently they could die from starvation.

Rats are not particular about what they gnaw.  We’ve seen teeth marks in timber in roofs, as well as in tin cans found in a pantry.  Some customers have suffered expensive plumbing repairs after rats gnawed on their home's hidden pipes and hoses.  If a rat should gnaw on a dishwasher hose (which is quite common by the way), you could end up with your home flooded, especially if you’re away when the hose bursts a leak. It's rare, but if a rat should gnaw on an electrical cable in a roof and cause a spark, the house could burn down. To clarify, the gnawing on electrical cables is common, the fire isn't.

Another scenario that we encountered was when the rats gnawed on the internal overflow pipe of a brand new air conditioner.  The condensation water was running down the inside wall of the living room rather than out the overflow pipe.  The gyprock (plaster) needed to be replaced and the wall needed to be repainted plus the air conditioner warranty didn’t cover the rat damage of course, so the service to fix it wasn’t free.  Total cost $970.  Ouch!

Here are some interesting facts about rats.

• Rats tend to eat most of their food at one time, whereas mice will nibble a little at a time.
• Are able to squeeze through very small openings: ¼ inch for mice and ½ inch for rats.
• Roof rats may travel quite a distance to access food. In residential areas for example, roof rats may travel from harbouring areas in trees to feed in garbage cans, pet dishes, etc.
• Rats can burrow down vertically to a depth of 1.2m
• Are known to carry diseases like leptospirosis, plague & salmonella
• Can climb any surface offering a foothold
• Can climb horizontal & vertical wires
• Can climb inside vertical pipes from 40mm – 100mm diameter
• Can climb outside vertical pipes and conduit up to 75mm diameter
• Can climb vertical pipes of any size within 75mm of a support (wall)
• Can climb vines shrubs trees or travel along phone or power lines
• Can crawl horizontally on any type of pipe or conduit
• Can destroy buildings (electrical fire)
• Can dive through plumbing traps
• Can drop 15m without serious injury
• Can gain access via 15mm hole (rats); 6mm (mice)
• Can gnaw through a variety of building materials including:
  • aluminium sheeting
  • electrical cables
  • glass
  • improperly cured concrete
  • lead sheathing

• Can jump horizontally at least 2.4m from an elevation of 4.5m
• Can jump horizontally up to 1.2m on a flat surface
• Can jump vertically up to 900mm
• Can reach as much as 330mm along smooth vertical walls
• Can swim as far as 800m in open water
• Can travel in sewers even against substantial current flow
• Can tread water for up to three days

If your home gets rats, sooner or later you will notice.  You’ll either hear them at night scurrying around in your ceiling and sometimes up and down your internal walls or you’ll see their droppings inside your home.  If you have fruit out it is likely to have bite marks in it, or the cereal and biscuits will be ripped open as the rats find their way into the goodies inside.

The worst part about rats is that they urinate as they travel and once it dries it can’t be seen, however the germs and bacteria are still present which is not good if they visited a kitchen bench overnight or if you have a baby crawling on the floor.

What do you do?  Call a professional is the best answer.  DIY is an option, but ignoring them and hoping they will go away is futile.  The problem with DIY (apart from actually having to do it – go shopping, buy the baits, get up in your roof, set the baits properly) is that if it doesn’t work you can’t get your money back from Coles for an empty packet of rat blocks; so you’re left with either trying again (more money) or calling a professional which you could have done in the first place.

The benefit of using a professional is that you (should) get a warranty, so if the problem persists you don’t have to pay any more, just get them back out.  Our sister company Green Pest Control usually offers a 12 month warranty which means if the bait runs out and the rats come back it will be topped up for free.

Other benefits of using a professional are:

• Safety.  Rodenticide is dangerous for children and pets, so it MUST be placed out of their reach.  Professionals know how to do this as well as how to secure a bait so a rat won’t drag it out where a pet or child might find it.
• The rodenticides will be placed in areas where they are more likely to work.  We will cover this more fully in next month’s newsletter.
• Long term and short term bait will be used.
• Four or more different types of bait will be used which caters to the range of tastes that often exists amongst a group of rats.  In other words, something to appeal to every one of them.
• The right amount of bait will be used.  The reason many DIY baiting attempts fail is simply:
  • Insufficient bait
  • Poor positioning
  • Not secured
  • Incorrect bait (No, they are not all the same)
  • Additional rodent control measures are not simultaneously implemented.

In next month’s newsletter we’ll give you some tips on how to DIY.

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Customer Feedback

While we are on the subject of DIY; we received an interesting feedback comment this week from: Trevor F of Ormiston QLD.

Our sister company Green Pest Control conducted a termite inspection at Trevor’s home and when asked if there was anything we could do next time to make it better or more valuable his reply was, “Probably not.  I spent the full inspection time with the technician and learnt heaps.”

It’s a good point.  If you have the time to be home and are prepared to follow your termite inspector around (which we encourage) then you are bound to learn a few things, especially the unique aspects of your home that warrant diligence as well as any high risk areas that need extra attention.

Our DIY Home Owners Guide to Termite Inspection which we sell for $66 as an eBook or $77 as a ring bound manual is by default, general in nature and covers a wide variety of termite issues as well as construction styles.  We encourage every home owner to regularly check their home for termites themselves between regular professional checkups.  It makes sense to learn as much as you can from your professional while he’s there doing an inspection.

One word of caution; Please don’t think to eliminate your regular professional inspection altogether.  A good inspector will pick up things that you might miss.  Remember he does it every day and is trained to see / find signs of termite activity that the average layman might overlook.

Monthly Special Promotion.

This special is no longer available. Please go to our current newsletter for this month's special.

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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 2008 Green Termite Bait Systems & Green Pest Control. All rights reserved.

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