In This Issue

Missed out on one of NPMA's recent webinars? Don't worry - all of the webinars are recorded and available online for you to view at your leisure. Click here to access NPMA's webinar archive.

Please note, NPMA uses GoToWebinar to conduct these sessions. To view a webinar recorded in the GoToMeeting format, you must either have GoToMeeting installed, or download the GoToMeeting codec (G2M3 decoder) at https://www.gotomeeting.com/codec.

More households are being infested with bed bugs, said the Singapore Pest Management Association. The association said it has been getting one to two calls island-wide every week to get rid of the bugs. Five years ago, such calls only came once or twice a month. 

Ng Say Kiat, vice-president of the Singapore Pest Management Association, said: "It's become more common because I think there is an increase of international travelling... the increase of the use of recycled wood, like recycled furniture items and so on. So all this actually encourages the breeding of bed bugs, especially (so for) people who have poor hygiene and housekeeping habits."

A recent survey showed that pest control companies received close to 500 bed bug related jobs in 2011 - an increase of almost 60 percent compared to five years ago.

According to the National Environment Agency (NEA), the type of households most affected by bed bugs is one to three-bedroom HDB flats; four-and-five-room flats and executive flats ranked second and workers quarters ranked third.

MP of Tanjong Pagar GRC Dr Lily Neo said she is planning an extensive extermination project to help residents in the Kim Seng area, particularly those from Chin Swee Road, who have complained about the parasites.
Read more...

Khaleej Times, September 12, 2012

 

The Ajman Municipality has prepared a guidance brochure to warn residents of the fatal consequences of using random pesticides.

 

Engineer Khalid Moeen Al Hosani, Executive Director of the Public Health and Environment division at the municipality, said that the move comes in the wake of recent tragic accidents that claimed many lives, including those of children who inhaled toxic substances emitted from the pesticides. Read more... 

Police probing the death of two-year-old Habiba Hesham Abdul Rahman have arrested seven Indian men for running unlicensed pesticide companies. Blood test results, carried out on her sick brother Abdul Rahman, have this week confirmed Habiba died from pesticide poisoning. The men were arrested for the use of aluminium phosphide, a highly poisonous substance found in Abdul Rahman's blood, as well as running unlicensed pest control operations, Sharjah Police officials confirmed at a press conference. Read more... 

 

The recent deaths due to pesticide poisoning in the UAE have prompted civic departments in Dubai to issue warnings and conduct awareness campaigns against illegal pest control methods.

 

The Food Control and Pest Control Departments of the Dubai Municipality have warned the public against getting pest control done at homes by companies not approved by the municipality. Residents have been urged not to conduct pest control by themselves nor use chemicals sold by individuals. The improper use of pesticides, especially aluminium phosphide, illegally used for controlling bed bugs, is the focus of the campaigns launched by the departments. Read more...

 

In the context of several deaths throughout the country especially the last incident of an Egyptian child in Sharjah due to the improper use of pesticides, El Mahi El Tilib Gubran, Senior Pest Control Studies Officer at Dubai Municipality (DM) said that the public is not allowed to apply pesticides at their homes by themselves, but should hire the services of companies licensed by DM's Public Health Pest Control Section. Read more...

 

In a recent incident, residents of a newly developed residential community on the outskirts of Dubai saw a deadly desert snake in the parking lot during the daytime. 

 

Dr Reza Khan, Wildlife and Zoo Specialist and former Director of Dubai Zoo said that the snake appeared to be a Saw-Scaled Viper, which is a venomous snake. It is known for its venom so strong that it causes systematic symptoms including hemorrhage, acute renal failure and disseminated intravascular coagulation. Read more...

The Fiji Times Online, September 2, 2012

 

The pest control chemicals used to destroy rodents in Fiji supermarkets are not strong enough. This was the concern raised at a one-day workshop organized by the Nasinu Town Council and the National Vector Control Unit of the Ministry of Health. It was revealed at the workshop, attended by 25 participants, retailers engaged reputable companies to eradicate cockroaches, flies and rats. However, that did little to bring down the rodent population. Read more...  

Salisbury Journal, September 11, 2012

 

A new tougher breed of rodent is proving to be a problem in towns and cities including Salisbury, according to a pest control firm. Chris Turner, director of Ringwood company Rokill, says the increasing number of boarded up, empty shops in the economic downturn is contributing to a rise in environmental problems, including rats and mice. The problem is being compounded by council cuts, fortnightly rubbish collections and rodents becoming more and more resistant to pesticides - so called 'super rats'. Read more... 

 Deadline News, August 23, 2012

 

Pest control experts have been called into one of Scotland's most luxurious department stores - after mice were spotted scurrying along the shop corridors.

 

One disgusted employee at Jenners, on Princes Street in Edinburgh, claimed workers were left "screaming" in the corridors after the nuisance vermin were seen running throughout the 174-year-old store. Read more...  

"The number of bedbugs and roaches is rapidly rising," says pest control technician Janne Mettälä, adding that many are souvenirs of foreign travel in and outside of the continent.

Bedbugs are sneaky culprits, according to Mettälä. The parasitic insects go into stealth mode, surviving without moving and eating for up to eight months at a time. Luckily, even the hardy bedbugs have trouble enduring the Finnish winter. Read more... 

Germany is being invaded by what is estimated to be over a million raccoons. Worried residents have been driven to take extreme measures to deter or eradicate the furry pests, but experts fear the nocturnal marauders are here to stay. Read more...

A surge in molehills has created a mountain of work for one Nantwich business. Family-run pest control firm Suddenstrike has been flooded with calls from householders plagued by moles. One of the wettest summers on record has seen a big rise in the creatures in gardens across Cheshire. Now the firm, based on Welshman's Lane, has recruited a new mole-catcher to help tackle the garden pest. Read more...

Upcoming Events