PEST PULSE: WHAT’S YOUR FAVOURITE PIECE OF PEST CONTROL EQUIPMENT?

Our Pest Pulse survey invited readers to tell us which pieces of equipment they felt were most valuable, either for their effectiveness or purely for enjoyment factor!

 

Whilst many pest managers often focus on products and their performance, application equipment is also vital to deliver an efficacious, efficient and safe pest control treatment. In addition, there is auxiliary equipment that pest managers use: in preparation of a treatment (eg. in preparation of a termite soil treatment or termite bait installation), equipment used during inspections and of course the obvious – ute, mobile phone and the humble ladder.

So what are the favourite pieces of equipment used by pest managers? We asked pest managers to nominate their favourites in three categories: general pest, termite management, and equipment that just puts a smile on your face (or makes your job easy). This is what they said…

When it comes to general pest control, it is perhaps not surprising that spray equipment gets the most mentions, with some form of spray equipment being specified as their favourite piece of kit by over 60% of pest managers.

The size and type of spray equipment preferred was obviously influenced by the type of work a particular pest manager carries out. Some preferred the precision. and super portability of a small spray unit such as Accuspray, whilst others still loved the full spray rig for outdoor treatments.

However, although a range of brands were highlighted, the most common type of spray equipment mentioned was the backpack sprayer, which seemed to hit the sweet spot, providing the best combination of portability and volume for use on a wide variety of jobs. The electric versions having the added advantage of avoiding the need to pump to pressurise.

The next most commonly mentioned type of equipment were dusters, with around 15% of pest managers saying it was their favourite, most often due to their ease of use. It was good to see that around 10% of pest managers mentioned their trusty torch as their favourite piece of general pest equipment, placing the importance on the need for a good inspection before starting a treatment – “Most pests are easy enough to manage if you know where they are.”

When it came to termite management, there was less of a focus on application equipment. Just over 50% of pest managers mentioned inspection related equipment as their favourite piece of kit – dongers, torches and detection devices – with Termatrac being given the nod by nearly a quarter of pest managers, due to its ease of use and ability to deliver results. One pest manager also mentioned a termite dog because it is “accurate and somebody else owns it”. Application equipment that received mentions included slab injection equipment, spray rigs, baits and related kit, and foaming equipment.

When given the opportunity to mention “any other equipment that just brings a smile to your face when using it or makes your job easier”, not surprisingly there were a wide range of responses. Pieces of kit that were not previously mentioned in the other categories included their ladder, mobile phone and EFTPOS machine.

Three pest managers also mentioned their work vehicle. Referring to his beloved Ford Ranger, one pest manager commented, “It’s beautiful, never fails me and is always waiting for me when I return.” One also mentioned their lift off canopy to allow the ute to be used for other purposes.

Interestingly, only three mentioned safety gear as their favourite piece of kit; one noted their battery operated respirator because “there’s no chance of getting any spray drift, no fogging up and it blows fresh air inside the mask.” Another mentioned their mask and googles, and one mentioned gloves, because “they work”. The common themes coming through in the comments was the need for reliability, quality and ease of use. Not surprising, as any equipment should make the job easier. Perhaps a bit unexpected, was that not once in all the comments was price or low cost mentioned.

The best set of answers went to the pest manager that said his favourite pieces of equipment were a beer at the end of the day (because “customers are stressful”), his helper, as he was getting too old, and cash (see reason number one – “customers are stressful”).

Back to pest control equipment.

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