The Pest Guru

Martin Payne owns Payneless Pest Control and has an encyclopaedic knowledge of pests and their behaviour! Termites are sure fire little buggers - eating our homes and constructions in the name of their food. They will even eat through the concrete if they need to. Martin says that Black Ants are the worst - they are the hardest to exterminate. This is because ants can predict the weather weeks before hand and can strategically 'pre-plan', move to sheltered spots, and unsuspectingly return again when the conditions are favourable.

There is no guarantee that pests, especially ants, will be removed, but pest control experts like Martin try their best. This is largely due to the fact that the chemicals today are not as strong/toxic (out of health, safety and environmental reasons)

So how to become a pest controller? Martin was apprenticed to a friend, Kevin Joys, who took him under his wing and was his mentor for 4 years. Martin studied pest control for a a year at the Ryde campus of Northern Sydney Institute of TAFE in order to get his Pest Control Licence. After training, the first 160 hours is spent under direct supervision, and after three years, Martin had to do another 6 months of TAFE training. After 7 years, Martin decided to start his own business, 'Payneless Pest Control', which has proven a great success.