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  News - Industry News
 
Killgerm Apprentice Scheme
Following the success of the apprentice scheme in 2007 Killgerm is delighted to announce the launch of the Killgerm Apprentice Scheme 2008.

The Apprentice Scheme is a Working Initiative, aimed at supporting pest controllers setting up their business or those that would like to grow their business. The winner of the scheme is entitled to a prize worth up to £3000, including the equipment, training and clothing necessary to help set up as a pest controller.

Jeff Clarke, Clarkes 4 Pest Control, winner of the 2007 Apprentice Scheme said “the scheme has allowed me to recruit a second member of staff and the Killgerm team has supported me throughout the year, providing expertise and assistance that has been invaluable.”

Throughout the year the apprentice will attend a wide variety of Killgerm training courses and industry events, whilst also having a member of the Killgerm team as his own personal point of contact to help mentor them. The Apprentice Scheme will culminate in the participation and completion of the Royal Society for the Promotion of Health, Level 2 in Pest Control.

To enter this years scheme simply send your contact details to APPRENTICE@KILLGERM.COM with an explanation in no more than 100 words as to why the nominee deserves to win this prize. All entries must be received by the end of February 2008.

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Keeping You Informed: Killgerm Grey Squirrel Bait
Due to the inclusion of Warfarin in Annex 1 of the Plant Protection Products Directive, all baits that include this active ingredient, which are not in the form of pre-prepared bait will be removed from the market. As a result of this Killgerm’s Grey Squirrel Liquid Concentrate can not be sold after the end of 2006. All stocks must be used within the period of one year after this date.

In an effort to ensure our customers are not affected by this product being removed, Killgerm has formulated a replacement product, Grey Squirrel Bait. Grey Squirrel Bait is a ready to use bait which is as effective as the 0.02% Warfarin bait made from the concentrate.  

Regulations and Forestry Commission Codes of Practice relating to tree protection require that the product must only be used outdoors and, in addition, specific restrictions apply to certain counties. It can only be used between 15th March and 15th August for tree protection, whilst the timing for uses besides tree protection is unrestricted.

Grey Squirrel Bait is an extremely effective and efficient bait, which must be used in specially constructed hoppers, for tree protection, where a maximum of 4kg of bait per hopper must not be exceeded.  

The bait is also approved for use by pest control technicians to control grey squirrels, invading premises and dwellings, at any time of year.

For further information on this product or to place an order please contact Killgerm on 01924 268400.
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Killgerm's New Practical Courses
Killgerm pledges to support its customers in every way and highly values their feedback. Having received customer feedback regarding a need for courses involving a practical element, Killgerm launched several such courses in 2007. These included a series of three Advanced Pest Control Workshops. Workshop One focuses on bedbugs, Workshop Two is on Ants, Wasps and Bees and Workshop Three is on Fleas. These workshops are highly informative, focusing on inspection techniques, harbourage identification, how to use and service equipment, baiting strategies and treatment methods.

2008 sees a continuation of these Advanced Pest Control Workshops after achieving huge success in 2007. Killgerm are also adding to their list of practical courses with the introduction of the Advanced Workshops in Rodent Control and Insect Control, which are one-day intensive courses focusing more on the practical elements of control methods.

As a result of customer feedback, Killgerm are also holding a wide range of courses in the London and Bristol areas, as well as throughout Scotland. Please check the Training pages of this website for full details of these courses or contact Killgerm on the number below.

Moray Anderson, Killgerm’s Technical Director stated 'Killgerm has always had a superb range of training courses and these new practical additions provide pest controllers with the ability to put the valuable skills gained in the classroom into practical environments.'

For further information about Killgerm’s 2008 Training Courses please contact the Technical Department on 01924 268445.
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Developing Your Business Through Sales and Marketing
Whatever your New Year’s resolution, developing and increasing your business must be a priority. In this competitive market it has become increasingly important actively to promote your business rather than simply waiting for customers to come to you. This requires sales and marketing skills and Killgerm’s course ‘Developing Your Business Through Sales and Marketing’ clearly addresses this. This course recognises the different needs of various different sectors of the industry and will be running twice in 2008; once targeted at the private pest control companies and secondly targeted at the pest control sections of local authorities.

The two courses will identify and address the difficulties that private pest control companies often face when trying to attract new business and how the pest control sections within local authorities can increase business in the face of the pressure to become income – generating.

The courses will aim to develop the necessary skills to promote pest control through the fundamental sales and marketing techniques, which are required to make the most of sales opportunities in the field.

Moray Anderson, Killgerm’s Technical Director said ‘Pest Control plays a vital part in ensuring high standards of public health. It is important to realise that pest control companies and now many local authorities must generate income and people often need their sales and marketing skills refined. I believe that these new courses will introduce the delegates to the necessary techniques to help them develop the income-generating potential of their business or pest control sections’.

To find out further details about this course, or to book a place, please contact Lisa Wales on 01924 268445.
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The draft recommendations for rodenticide active ingredients published so far by the European Chemicals Bureau under the Biocidal Products Directive make interesting reading
These show the possible trends that the rodent control industry will have to follow and highlight the apparent difference in approach to rodenticide approvals between north and south European regulators. Scandinavian regulators have always been more restrictive in their requirements than their more southern European colleagues.

If finally implemented, the industry may face some significant changes in future.

One major requirement is the move to require pest control companies to visit treatment sites regularly to remove dead rodent bodies, thereby lessening the danger of secondary poisoning of wildlife.

These additional visits will have to be costed into a contract and could make the contract prohibitively expensive. Finland, for example, is recommending daily visits.

This trend has already been seen in the UK. As is reported in this issue of PCN, two prosecutions have taken place where failure to remove dead bodies has been cited as being illegal. The first resulted in a fine of £2,000 plus £400 costs.

The second case involving a gamekeeper is to be heard later this year.

Draft recommendations from Finland, Norway and Denmark have also included the requirement that rodenticides are restricted to professional users only.

Whilst this will please many pest controllers, it will hardly please manufacturers who will rely on amateur use sales at premium prices to recover a significant part of the cost of providing the new data packages necessary under the BPD. Without amateur sales, will the price of professional products have to rise to cover these costs?

It is interesting to note that neither the draft recommendations for difethialone nor brodifacoum have contained a requirement that these more potent products be for indoor use only. At the moment, only the UK has imposed this requirement on brodifacoum and flocoumafen in an attempt to safeguard wildlife.

Another casualty of the BPD may be rodenticide concentrates. The UK is primarily a ready-to-use market but in Germany and France many pest controllers buy concentrates and manufacture their own bait. For health and safety reasons and the protection of operators, this may well change.

Finally, the use of the more potent rodenticides, such as brodifacoum, difethialone and flocoumafen may be restricted to treatments where the less potent products based on difenacoum and bromadiolone have not been successful, for whatever reason.

Many UK pest controllers have preferred to keep the more potent weapons in their armoury for difficult treatments. Many have felt that to lead with brodifacoum-based products was wrong and may welcome a legal restriction.

We shall all wait to see the outcome of the consultative process which will be taking place over the coming months.
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Strength in the South
Killgerm is proud to announce the appointment of Richard Nowell, the Area Sales Manager in London and the South East. Richard joins Killgerm’s experienced Southern based team, which includes David Jones and Pat Marks, fully supported by Duncan Bosomworth as Technical manager and John Charlton as a Consultant and course tutor on the Killgerm led RSPH Level 2 in Pest Control courses in the South. This increased strength in the South illustrates Killgerm’s dedication to customers throughout the region, ensuring they have all the support they need.

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