PESTCRAFT. Shrews or rats?

Transcription

1 PESTCRAFT Newsletter of the Singapore Pest Management Association January - March 2017 Issue No. Pip 53 Shrews or rats? Due to its resemblance of rats, shrews are frequently mistaken for rats and killed. To many untrained eyes, a shrew look very much like a rat or a mouse due to its small size and furry appearance. However, shrews are not rodents and are more related to moles. Shrew (left) VS Rat (right) Shrews and rodents are from different order and family. Shrews belong to the family Soricidae in the order Eulipotyphla while rodents belong to the family Muridae in the order Rodentia. Shrews are beneficial creatures because its main diet consist of harmful insects. They also forage for seeds and a variety of other foods in leaf litter and vegetation. Shrews have long pointed noses while rats and mice have much shorter noses. Unlike rodents which have gnawing front incisors, shrews have sharp and spike-like teeth. They have tiny eyes almost cover beneath their fur, short tail and short legs. The presence of shrews can almost be confirmed by a musky odour produced by the shrew s glands. Unlike rats or mice which live in colonies, Shrews are territorial creature and prefer to live alone. The common species of shrews in Singapore are the house shrew (urban) and Malayan shrew (forest). To be continued

2 Comparison between Shrews and Rats / Mice SHREW RAT/MOUSE ORDER / FAMILY Order: Eulipotyphla Family: Soricidae Order: Rodentia Family: Muridae APPEARANCE Long pointed nose Sharp, spike-like teeth that will wear down throughout life Tiny eyes almost cover beneath their fur Nose not as pointed Gnawing front incisors that grow throughout life Bigger eyes DIET Main diet consist of insects, worms, etc. Eat practically anything HABITS Strongly territorial and live alone Basically active day and night due to their high metabolic rate Live in colonies Primarily nocturnal Article contributed by : Dr. Jo Man FAOPMA - Pest Summit 2017 Announcement The theme of the convention is: New Perspectives of IPM in Urban and Public Health in Asia and Oceania. Venue: The Empress Chiang Mai Hotel, Chiang Mai, Thailand November 2017 The FAOPMA - Pest Summit 2017 is the first convention after the merger between the FAOPMA (Federation of Asian and Oceania Pest Manager Association) and the Pest Summit Conventions. FAOPMA will be organizing the event in Thailand and the Organizing Committee has planned to invite some of the world most distinguished speakers in the field of urban pest management professionals, personnel of pesticide industries and some regional academics. Save this date! More information to come. 2

3 PEST SUMMIT 2016 SPONSORS APPRECIATION DINNER SPMA hosted a dinner at Majesty Bay Restaurant on 6 January 2017 at the scenic Gardens by The Bay to thank our Sponsors for their various sponsorships in making the Pest Summit 2016 Singapore a resounding success. Main Sponsor: Agro Technic Private Limted Co Sponsors: Bayer (South East Asia) Private Limited Fuji Flavor Company Limited Sumitomo Chemical (Asia Pacific) Private Limited Gala Dinner Sponsor: Anticimex Private Limited Event gift Sponsors: Asiatic Agricultural Industries Private Limited Bentz Jaz Singapore Private Limited 3

4 PEST SUMMIT SPONSORS APPRECIATION DINNER 4

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6 WSH FORUM FOR LANDSCAPE SECTOR : GREEN THUMBS 2016 Dr Jo Man representing SPMA was invited to share her expertise on landscape pest in Singapore and the different aspects of chemical handling on 24 September 2016 Saturday at the Green Room, Deli in the Park Bishan Park 2. The seminar was organized by the WSH forum for Landscape Sector Green Thumbs Several landscape companies and their affiliates attended the forum to showcase their strengths and exchange views. The seminar brought in more than 80 professionals of different fields listening to the 3 topics presented. Safe Use of MEWPs and WAH Regulations Mr Raymond Wat, IPAF South East Aisa * Design for Safety Regulations Mr Abdul Rahman Md Yatim, Policy, Info & Corporate Services, OSHD, Ministry of Manpower * Landscape Pest and Best Practices in Chemical Handling. Dr Jo Man, Singapore Pest Management Association (SPMA) Presentation slides on the topics can be accessed via WSH Website under events. 6

7 Sharing session with Quebec Pest Management Association On 15 October 2016, SPMA hosted a welcome lunch for the president of Quebec Pest Management Association Mr. Stephan McDonald and his wife at Majestic Bay Restaurant, Gardens by The Bay. Several council members played host to this lunch and shared their experience of local pest management. Despite the vast geographical distance of Singapore and Quebec, both pest management industry faced the same challenges in areas of manpower shortage, legislative challenges in an increasing challenging economic environment. 7

8 Dialogue session with National Termite Control Center of China SPMA played host to a delegate of 5 senior officials from National Termite Control Center of China 20 October The objective of this session is for a meaningful understanding on termite control and sharing of practical experiences from both countries. This event was initiated by the Singapore China Business and Cultural Development Centre. We would like to thank the representatives from Bentz Jaz Singapore Pte Ltd who helped in presenting on the various methodology in termite control. For more information, please contact: Singapore Pest Management Association Jurong Point Post Office P.O. Box 115 Singapore Tel: Fax: contactus@spma.org.sg 8