October 2007 / Vol.4 / Issue 10

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

Contents

1. Pest Talk
2. Customer Question of the Month.
3. Monthly Special

Pest Talk

New Web Site - Launched.

We are pleased to announce the that our new web site is officially launched.

You're on it now.

You will notice that we have a new company logo as well as a new company character that we have christened "Woody". He is a stylised bait holding a shield and sword to indicate that the baits help to defend your home by giving you the opportunity to intercept, attack and destroy the termite's home.

New features on our web site include:

• Secure, direct payment processing page for orders using ANZ eGate.
• A refined and much easier to use search page for our national distributors.
• A simpler navigation system. Did you know our site includes over 90 accessible pages of information, mostly discussing termites?
• New video content.

We would greatly appreciate your feedback about our new site as well as reports of any page errors or other conflicts if you find them.

Termiproof Warranty - Officially Launched.

We are pleased to announce that our new Termiproof warranty is now officially underway. At this time, it is only available to our customers in SE QLD who are serviced by our sister company, Green Pest Control. We hope to roll it out to our national network of distributors over the coming months.

Part of the process of becoming an authorised Termiproof warranty issuer will be accreditation by way of written test that requires the applicant to demonstrate a good understanding about:

• The Green Termite Bait System
• The Ec2c Termite Windows
• Integrated Termite Management
• Installation of chemical treated zones
• General termite knowledge

In next months newsletter we will publish more details about the accreditation process so that you will have a better appreciation of the many skills needed to be an outstanding termite manager.

This month we would like to share the actual application form with you. This is the form that needs to be completed before a Termiproof warranty can be issued to you. You will find it here (note you may need to zoom in to view the detail).

As you can see, we make no effort to conceal our terms and conditions. In fact we are proud of them and encourage you to investigate them thoroughly. We hope that if you take the time to present it to your solicitor that they will advise you of two things:

• It has a stringent qualification process before the warranty will be issued.
• Once issued, the warranty will pay genuine claims for building repairs should new damage be caused by termites during the warranty period.

It is these two factors that set it apart from other warranties.

We all know the saying, “You can’t get something for nothing.” We admit, the Termiproof warranty is not particulary easy to get, but it is worthwhile pursuing if you live in an area of high termite activity. Qualifying for a Termiproof warranty will ensure maximum protection for your home. That alone is valuable, whether you buy the warranty or not.

For many of our readers who already have a full service Green Termite Bait System in place, qualifying for the Termiproof warranty is pretty easy.

Just two steps:

• Install Ec2c Termite Windows throughout the home.
• Have a full inspection of the property. If problems are found, implement additional termite prevention deemed necessary to further reduce the risk of termites attacking your home.

And that is just plain sensible! Otherwise, why bother asking a professional for their advice?

Enough said.

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Customer Question of the Month.

Question:

We had our annual 'check-up' today for spiders/ants/other nasties. The pest controller, nice bloke and all that, gave us a 'lecture' about trees (Golden cane palms, other tall palms) and shrubs (generally natives I think because they only get natural rain for a drink and they've been there 8 years now and look great) being planted close to the house - in no instance would the trunk of any tree/shrub be closer than 500mm to any external house wall. These trees/shrubs are there principally for shade during the warmer months and for privacy. The pest controller today strongly suggested they all be removed if we are to have a termite 'safe' home. We love our trees/shrubs and would only remove if there was no sensible or viable alternative. Hence I've been researching the web and came across your site.

If I placed your baits as per your recommendations - not all could be placed close to the house due to concrete pathways against three sides of the house apart from one garden where there are palms/shrubs but could be placed against the pathways, can I expect them to work fine if I leave the trees/shrubs where they are and monitor the baits regularly?

I'm not sure what soils are more 'attractive' to the termite but we are built on fill of shale/rock and poor quality, lumpy soil.

Craig M - Burleigh Waters QLD.

Answer:

Hi Craig,

Thank you for your enquiry and excellent question.

Technically your pest controller is right to advise you this way because plant roots are well known to give termites easy access to areas under your house slab which then leads to entry to your home.

However, simply digging out the plants won't make your home termite-proof. It may lower the risk, but not by enough to make this a worthwhile exercise.

Now if it was a big tree or a tree with a destructive root system (like an umbrella tree) then it would be worth the effort for more than just the reason of reducing termite risk. It would help stop your slab from cracking as well as protect drainage pipes etc.

Your soil type means that a chemical treated zone would not be practical since the soil will have to be replaced with a richer organic sandy loam and your concrete areas against the house would need to be cut and removed so that a proper chemical treated zone can be effectively applied according to the Australian standards.

If you were to place some Green Termite Baits in with your plants, it would help you to monitor for termites and allow you to keep your plants. In fact, this is exactly what hundreds of our customers do! Who wants to lose the shade, privacy and beauty that plants offer around one’s home?

Termite solutions don't always have to be drastic. That is just one of the many reasons why termite baiting is so much more popular than the old fashioned (but effective) method of trenching and flooding thousands of litres of chemical into the soil around your home.

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Monthly Special Promotion - For Newsletter Subscribers Only.

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 2007 Green Termite Bait Systems & Green Pest Control. All rights reserved.

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