When temperatures start to rise, around September in Australia, so does humidity and with it emerge all sorts of creepy crawlies from crannies you never knew existed in your home. An abundance of cockroaches start to scamper over benchtops and toothbrushes, fleas multiply and spring up from carpets and rugs while ants form long sinuous trails towards the sweet section in the pantry.
This prompts our most natural reaction: it’s time to get the pest controller around again. But what do we look for in a pest manager? How do we know his efforts will be effective and what long-term effects the chemicals may have on the health of our home?
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The Australian pest management industry appears to be regulated in a rather ad-hoc fashion with voluntary membership of the Australian Environmental Pest Managers Association (AEPMA). This organisation grew from the Council of Australian Pest Control Association (CAPCA) in 1988, following recognition of the need for a national body. But how can an industry be regulated without compulsory membership of a watchdog?
Calling AEPMA and asking for advice on which pest company to choose from, as well as detail on chemicals used in management and their potential long-term effects, will result in the advice from a receptionist that each pest company operates individually and that it is necessary to therefore contact them individually to discuss their green credentials. It appears there is no criteria or compliance with one set of environmental rules.
Membership of AEPMA requires a valid pest management licence, current insurance against mishaps and a fee of $500 a year as quoted by the abovementioned receptionist. Their website claims all AEMPA members use Integrated Pest Management (IPM) techniques from an understanding of the pest habits and biology. Members use only those pesticides registered by the National Registration Authority for Agricultural and Veterinary Chemicals (the NRA) and supposedly apply those pesticides only against the pests for which they are registered, only at the rates and strengths stipulated on the approved label. They are obliged to recommend future action to avoid or minimise further problems.
While that all sounds fabulous providing guidelines are adhered to, digging deeper into the industry unearths the ease with which a pest management licence is granted and the spawning of a lucrative small business. Rodrigo Matamala from Easy On Earth pest control says, “Pest control is an industry that is very easy to get into. You basically need a second-hand ute, a little pump, some chemicals and you’re ready to go.”
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A pest management qualification is obtained through TAFE in Australia. Requirements involve distance learning over a period of 12 months, which is largely theoretical. More efficient punters can submit their six assignments early and complete the course in as little as three months. There is a four-day practical requirement as well as a two-day chemical application certificate. Students do not have to be currently involved in the industry and the minimum entry requirement is New South Wales School Certificate or the equivalent in other states.
Application for a licence is relatively easy. Joy Hood, from the department of Primary Industries and Natural Resources at OTEN TAFE at the Western Sydney Institute explains, “They need a transcript from us to say they satisfy the requirements of the course and then they take that to WorkCover with a couple of passport photos and about $40 and WorkCover issues the licence.”
Finding out more about the chemicals used and questioning why only two days of training in chemical handling is offered proves difficult. However, despite being told legislation was in place for obtaining chemicals for pest management, aminopyridine, a compound used in bait, and many others can be purchased on eBay. Agserv Australia and Globe Australia, the two main suppliers to the pest control industry in Sydney, do not even require a licence to buy their products.
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The industry appears to survive through callbacks, where a treatment has been unsuccessful and a follow-up treatment becomes an urgent necessity. Rodrigo believes people want a quick solution and often they don’t want to clean, yet the answer to a pest problem lies in wisdom and education, not poisonous or generic chemicals.
If unchecked, pest populations flourish and the infestation multiplies. It may happen that the pest management company has miraculously disappeared. By walking in, spraying everything generically, then walking out, it is possible to make eight or nine service calls within a day, saving time and making money.
This mercenary approach has created a gap for more sensitive tactics and explains the rise of natural and organic operators who have concerns for the health of your home.
Rodrigo Matamala studied entomology (the science of insects) in his native Chile and now runs a small academic venture as an adjunct to his Easy On Earth pest control business in Sydney. He is also an avid macro photographer. “My work allows me to play with all my insects and I’m publishing a new website with photography, such as the eyes of insects with amazing magnification. It’s a different world,” he admits.
His philosophy for pest management is virtually humane and he commences work on your property with a walkabout. “We like to spend an hour checking everything and trying to get an understanding of the interaction around your property, because that is very important,” he explains.
A knowledge of pest behaviour as well as pest physiology combines to make his job all the simpler and, providing homeowners follow his detailed course of action, pest populations will dwindle. He finds himself checking ovens for fat spillages, removing crumbs from toaster trays and suggesting clients move fridges and dishwashers to mop behind them.
To treat the German cockroach, Rodrigo uses a special vacuum bag that he sucks the cockroach up with. He then applies a small amount of product to the bag, seals it and leaves it in place. He says, “German cockroaches are gregarious, they stick together and they actually groom each other all the time by cleaning themselves.”
He knows they leave a pheromone in their droppings that attracts other cockroaches so they all nest in the same place. “After all the vacuuming, I tell the client how to clean to take the pheromone away. There is no chemical involved; basically, the whole operation is very simple. We try to take shelter, food and water away from the insects and then we don’t have to use chemicals,” he adds.
Out of 100 treatments he perhaps has only two callbacks. “The reason this happens is because every time we have a new treatment, I spend an hour going through a recommendation list and it will tell the client, for example, don’t leave any unwashed dishes in the sink overnight and wipe the excess water in the sink,” says Rodrigo.
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He maintains that gaps in the sub-flooring need to be sealed, blocking not only the passageway for insects but also the light. “All insects are attracted to light. It’s like putting a chocolate in front of a two-year-old child,” he says.
By simplifying the way people live in their houses, Rodrigo believes, pests cease to cause a problem. His advice to clients includes, “Those bins you have against the wall — try to keep them away” and “Try to keep vegetation 40–50cm away from your house.” He tries to treat every insect differently with an appropriate rather than generic strategy, but he has to constantly deal with clients wanting a quick fix when it may not be appropriate to the cycle of the insect. “The clients need more education about pests. They ask you to fix the problem when it’s too late, when the population is too big. That’s when the chemical way is really difficult to compete with,” he explains.
In these instances, he is forced to resort to using a low-grade chemical. “In August, I got a couple of calls from people who had one or two cockroaches in the kitchen, asking if I could give them a quote. I quoted, then they said, “Oh we’ll probably do it in summer.” This response totally challenges his business. As a pest control expert he takes it upon himself to advise the client that perhaps this summer will be extremely hot and rainy and that preventing an infestation now is appropriate. What happened in this case was the client waited too long and called back in December with a request to visit immediately.
According to Rodrigo, part of the problem with the conventional pest management treatment is the Australian industry uses generic chemicals and never rotates them. The likely outcome is that pests build up physiological resistance to these treatments while the indoor air is layered with chemicals affecting the human occupants. Untreated infestation can equally be a health hazard. The droppings of American cockroaches can induce asthma; urine from a rat in your roof can dampen the ceiling and create a haven for fungus that causes respiratory problems. White-tail spiders can produce necrosis in human tissue to the point where you can actually lose a finger or a hand. As insects (particularly cockroaches) are able to travel through sewers and drains, their exposure to bacteria means they may carry disease, including salmonella and typhus.
Rodrigo has big plans for his business. He already plants a native Australian tree every time he applies for business cards, drives a small van with a low carbon emission and recycles all his office paper, but within the next six months he hopes to significantly improve the environmental footprint of Easy on Earth through more proactive means.
“We always study how other operators work and we came across a landscaping company in America that put a little solar panel in their truck as their energy supply,” says Rodrigo. By using a similar concept, he could recharge his vacuum with solar power, conserving energy. His green business model means his customers will be the winners. “We can reduce costs, pass those savings to the client and match the price that conventional pest control normally charges,” he adds. Alongside that, the planet will also be thankful.
Home remedies handed down over the decades are also a great example of integrated pest management. By making observations about pest colonies, behaviour, habitat and food sources and improving hygiene, it is possible to get rid of pests using a minimally toxic approach.
Listed below are recipes developed by the Waste Planning and Education section of Lake Macquarie City Council, though no scientific assessment has been made of their efficiency.
Cockroaches
Keep cupboards dry, screen windows and doors and seal cracks. Wipe surfaces with a mixture of 100ml water to 10 drops of eucalyptus oil, then use undiluted eucalyptus oil around drain holes and doorframes. Alternatively, soak a rag in beer and leave in a shallow container overnight, in the infested area. In the morning you can dispose of the intoxicated insects.
Ants
Use drops of orange essential oil to repel, or rub a cut lemon over ant tracks or in problem areas. Try blocking their entrance with a gap filler, then use soapy water to kill them and wipe out their trails.
Fleas
Put a combination of mint, fennel and wormwood leaves under rugs, mats, sheets, mattresses, pet baskets or wherever there is an infestation. Floors mopped with two litres of warm water containing a teaspoon of peppermint, tea-tree and eucalyptus oils will deter them.
Mosquitoes
Use nets and flyscreens and remove water sources to prevent breeding. Aromatherapy burners containing eucalyptus or lavender are excellent repellents. Grow lavender near outdoor dining areas and hang bunches outside doors. Basil growing in pots around the house will act as repellents.
Silverfish
The same home remedies for cockroaches apply but, to protect books, place fresh bay leaves between the pages.
Spiders
A repellent for spiders is an alcoholic cocktail containing 200ml water, 10ml alcohol (gin or vodka), five drops of eucalyptus oil and five drops of lavender oil, then shake and spray. It will merely intoxicate spiders.
