A University of Chicago experiment to discover how much empathy rats have for each other had some surprising results, which were to be published yesterday in the journal Science.

In laboratory studies, a rat was restrained in a small cage that could be opened only from the outside. A second rat, seeing the predicament of the trapped rat, immediately began looking for a way to free its fellow animal.

After about six days, the free rat would accidentally open the door. It quickly learnt how to deliberately open it, leading to what strongly resembled a triumphal celebration between the two rats.

Even when exposed to chocolate chips, the free rat would not be deterred from its mission.

As simple as it sounds, the experiment is being hailed as a new paradigm that will help scientists trace the evolution of emotion in mammals.

”This study shows the roots of human empathy didn’t just appear but evolved,” said Jeffrey Mogil, a researcher at McGill University in Canada, who has done similar studies on mice but was not involved with this one.

The research team first paired rats of the same gender for three weeks. Then they put one in a small, Plexiglas cage, locked by a door that could only be opened from the outside.

By means the researchers are not sure of, the caged rat seemed to communicate its distress to the freed rat, and the freed rat sprang into action.

”The free rat jumps on the restraining cage immediately, pushing it, biting at it, touching its nose and whiskers through the openings in the restraining cage with those of the trapped rat,” Peggy Mason, a professor of neurobiology who worked on the project, said.

”Clearly it wants to help out the trapped rat,” she said.

Source: The Chicago Tribune

FLYING insects could soon be used in search and rescue missions to help locate survivors of earthquakes and other disasters, scientists say.

POISONOUS Australian spiders could soon be helping Australian cotton, wheat and fruit farmers reduce their reliance on harmful chemical sprays.

Researchers at the University of Queensland’s Institute for Molecular Bioscience have identified hundreds of small natural proteins in the venom of funnel-web, tarantula and orb spiders that could help kill insect pests on food crops.

There is also potential for these same substances — found only in the fangs of deadly spiders — to offer an even greater global benefit, if they can be utilised to wipe out mosquito colonies that carry the tropical malaria and dengue fever viruses.

Spider venom contains tiny molecules that are some of the most potent naturally occurring insecticides yet found.

Glenn King, head of the institute’s spider research team, said the most deadly insecticides were found in primitive spider species that kill their prey by jumping on them and sinking in their fangs, without first entangling or trapping them in a web. His research team has discovered that the poisonous venom of just one species of Australian funnel-web spider contains as many as 500 different insecticidal proteins, each with potency and target species.

Every tiny protein could, in theory, be “manufactured’ by scientists using bacteria to produce commercial quantities of it converted into a natural biodegradable insecticide, each effective against different insects or grubs such as aphids, thrips, locusts and caterpillars.

Professor King believes that within five to seven years, the first sprays based on spider venom could be used by Australian farmers to kill pests such as locusts on wheat and barley crops, aphids on vegetables and a multitude of other bugs that attack cotton, canola, sorghum and fruit crops.

“This is a really exciting development; the best thing is that because these compounds occur naturally, they are both very eco-friendly and very effective in targeting just one type of insect pest, without killing beneficial bugs such as ladybirds that many farmers use now in integrated pest-management systems,” he said yesterday. “The unique thing is that because they are all natural products specially developed through natural selection of the spider species only to kill insects, we have far fewer concerns using them about harming unintended animal species such as dogs, sheep or even the farmer.”

The research is backed by the Grains Research and Development Corporation.

GRDC manager for commercial farm technologies, Paul Meibusch, said the venom library being developed at the IMB could be of enormous long-term benefit to farmers.

Source: The Australian

There is nothing worse than putting your home on the market, only to find that when a prospective buyer conducts their Pest Inspection that your home is infested with termites.

Putting your home on the market can be a time of mixed emotions. Ensure the balance of emotions is tipped to the positive, by arranging for your home to be inspected for termites before you put your house on the market. Competitive periodically receives calls from clients that have not taken this essential step when selling their home, and they are then placed in a situation of a reduced sale, or potential buyers running scared. We have currently found that it is not only pest control companies, but also real estate agents now recommending their clients to conduct a termite inspection prior to listing.

The benefit of conducting a termite inspection before listing ensures that if there is a termite issue on your property, you can then arrange to treat the termites and postpone the sale. Whilst not ideal, it is a preferred option over halting the sales process.

Competitive Pest Control has highly trained and experienced inspectors in Sydney and Brisbane/Gold Coast to conduct your inspection.  Your eight-page report will then be completed on the day to Australian Standard 3660.  A termite inspection on an average sized home is approximately $250, and we believe, a small cost to consider.

To discuss any information in this article, please do not hesitate to conduct one of our Customer Care Executives on 1300 766 614.

Competitive Pest Control specializes in domestic and commercial pest control. Competitive Pest Control has highly trained staff who personally assess pest infestations and advise on safe and effective forms of treatment.

Innovative Sydney-based pest control company Competitive Pest Control has just released the Spider Bite app, a smartphone app to assist clients in identifying household and backyard pests as summer reaches its peak. The brand new Spider Bite app is available free of charge and is useful for parents, teachers, home owners, gardeners, and those travelling around Australia – basically, anyone who spends time outdoors.

Company director Gary Journeaux says the app was developed primarily as a safety tool. “The beauty of the Australian climate is that our backyards become an extension of our living space in that we tend to live outdoors in the warmer months,” he says. “However, since spiders love our gardens as much as we do, it’s important to be aware of them to keep the family safe.”

Journeaux says the app includes images and descriptions of spiders, insects and other pests that allow users to quickly identify potential threats in and around the home. Better yet, if an incident occurs, the app quickly dispenses first aid advice so users can immediately take action, which is of crucial importance when children are involved. “Once downloaded, the app ensures parents are armed with information, so if their child does encounter a creepy-crawly, the threat can be easily assessed, without having to consult Google or search frantically for that long-lost spider chart,” says Journeaux.

Cleverly, the app allows you to call 000 directly, so precious seconds aren’t wasted in the event of an emergency. It also links directly to your smartphone’s camera, so you can instantly snap a photo of the spider to assist hospital staff in identification, while allowing the treatment to be tailored to the species of spider.

Additionally, if you’re concerned about pests in and around your home, you can also call Competitive Pest Control directly from the app, making it a cinch to arrange a consultation. Competitive Pest Control offers its customers a 200% money-back guarantee, so if a client is not satisfied with its services, the company won’t just give their money back, they’ll pay for the pest problem to be solved by the competition. “Customer satisfaction is enormously important to us, and we’re confident our clients will be completely happy with what we do, or they will receive their money back twofold. Either way, they win.”

Fast Facts: Competitive Pest Control’s Spider Bite app

• The Competitive Pest Control Spider Bite app is the only one of its kind in the world – and can be downloaded free of charge.
• Images and detailed descriptions of common Australian garden spiders allow users to quickly and accurately identify and address potential threats to their family’s safety before an incident occurs.
• Detailed descriptions of bite signs and symptoms allow a spider bite to be identified and rapidly treated.
• The app links directly to emergency services and Competitive Pest Control customer service phone numbers, dramatically reducing response times in the event of an emergency.
• The app connects to your phone camera to allow instant photo capture of spiders or household pests.

We were the first pest control company in Australia to offer a 200% money-back guarantee. That’s a fact. It was this guarantee that assured us Finalist status in the Telstra Business Awards. We made a decision five years ago to be the very best pest control company on the planet, and that is where our 100% money-back guarantee began. We decided to employ not just the smartest, but also the friendliest technicians in the industry (we didn’t always get it right in the past, but we believe we now have our recruitment process down to a fine art!). We made a decision to use the best products in the industry, and offer the best guarantees and warranties. We made a decision to offer the best possible working environment for our team. And we made a decision to offer the most competitive prices in the industry.

If you ever get a chance to visit our offices, you will notice big gold letters along one wall stating “The Best Company on the Planet“. We want to have the best company on the planet for our team, and our customers. Whether you experience our pest control service in Sydney, Brisbane, or the Gold Coast, all of us share the ethos of exceptional customer service.

However, now we are looking at a day of rain today, and the possibility of temperatures at twenty degrees. The Sydney weather is really a mystery at the moment, and we wonder if we will get to experience a glorious Sydney summer this year.

It looks like this month’s weather looks set to be a usual October weather pattern. Days of rain, humidity, and sunshine. A month of Spring. This would explain the high number of calls regarding bees and wasps that we experienced last week.

In Spring, bees are looking for a reliable food source, and a suitable nest site. This is an important time for bees, and ecology as a whole, as bees provide essential pollination in our gardens. This pollination occurs as bees gather food, unintentionally transferring pollen from one flower to the next.

Spring time is when bees will be most noticed.  You may find a high number of bees around your house during this time. They are usually on the lookout for a new home. However, they will usually surround your home for 1-3 days, and then move on to a new location.  Competitive Pest Control recommend to only provide pest control for bees when it is an immediate concern for your family’s welfare. There is a current shortage of bees in the world, which we will discuss in another blog.

Congratulations Gold Coast!

Competitive Pest Control would like to congratulate Gold Coast for winning the bid for the 2018 Commonwealth Games.

Our pest control technicians have lived on the beautiful Gold Coast for over twenty years, and we are passionate about the city we live in. We love the lifestyle. Over time there has been many changes and developments. Gold Coast is now entering a new phase of redevelopment, and this will be assisted by the path to 2018.

The Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games Bid message was ‘We’re behind the Bid’. Whilst there have been questions raised concerning funding to host this major sporting event, it will no doubt have a significant positive impact on Gold Coast infrastructure and residents.

Anna Bligh MP, Premier of Queensland states “With a new light rail network due to open in 2014, the Gold Coast is well positioned to create games infrastructure that complements existing facilities and caters for future growth”. The Gold Coast is one of Australia’s fastest growing cities, and the path to 2018 is sure to promote the Gold Coast area.

What does the bid mean for the pest control industry? Or Competitive Pest Control specifically. The growth of the Gold Coast will be growth for Competitive Pest Control, that we are sure. As more people discover our unique service standards, we find that we become the number one choice for pest control.  More customers discover that we so committed to giving exceptional service that we offer our 200% money-back guarantee. The only company in Australia to do so.

Competitive Pest Control welcomes the growth and change. And we welcome any promotion for the Gold Coast. Its our playground, and we are proud of it.

After having our coldest December in fifty years, the heat has finally arrived, reaching 31 degrees this week in Sydney!  Temperatures of this sort brings out bugs, which usually means a pest control service for most Australians.

When its cold, pests such as cockroaches, spiders, silverfish and ants, are less active. This December it was so cold, that we were still having calls from customers advising that they had rodents in the roof void. Requests for rodents treatments peak between May and September. By December, as a result of the heat, rodents have usually moved out of customers homes, and started burrows in gardens. However, in December 2011, this was not the case.

For a lucky few Sydneysiders, this resulted in a pest free Christmas for many of our customers. They did not require their usual December pest control treatment. A pleasant relief in the current volatile economy. However, this also meant not much beach time for the rest of us.

Now, finally this week, the heat has arrived. Which also means that our technicians are busy performing Sydney pest control for many residents. When the heat arrives, Competitive Pest Control gets busy. Requests to deal with Cockroaches, Spiders, Ants and Termites are the most popular calls we have had this week.

Our Sydney office has kicked off 2012 with a busy start.

All reports seem to be that whilst it has been a belated start to the season, it is also going to last longer. April is now going to be the end of summer. However, our customers can take comfort in being protected all year round. Offering twelve month warranties for cockroach treatments ensures their peace of mind.