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If it matters to the customer, it matters to us

by | Oct 26, 2022 | Values

What’s in a value?

Exploring the philosophies and beliefs that make Allstate who it is today.

At Allstate we have always been proud of punching above our weight. In a market dominated by multinationals, we’ve led the way in industry innovations, chaired international pest management coalitions, and have accelerated our growth to become the largest family-owned pest business in Australia. 

However what we’re most proud of is the engaged and inclusive culture that we have created during our pursuit of excellence.

In this series we explore the values that have driven our success, through the eyes of the team who make us who we are.

If it matters to the customer, it matters to us

“For me it’s about following through – keeping at the problem until it’s sorted,” says Allstate pest technician Murray <surname>. “At the end of the day, you’re dealing with someone’s home which is their biggest asset, so you want to make sure you get the job done properly.”

At Allstate, one of our keys to success is always keeping the customer front of mind, and that means that whatever they care about, we need to care about too. As <role> Shane <surname> explains, “customer satisfaction is what we always aim for, and it’s the most important thing we can do to help the business grow.”

It comes back to honesty

“I believe the best thing we can do for our customers is to be honest and always do the right thing by them,” says <position> Dave <surname>. “When we’re honest in our communication, we can make sure we always meet or exceed expectations.” 

As <position> Mikaela <surname> explains, “Being customer focused means always doing what we say we’re going to do, and this is from the top of the organisation all the way down.”

When the ‘extra mile’ doesn’t feel so ‘extra’

Many companies talk about going the extra mile, but for us it’s just what we do. 

“The bar is set high, but we’re always pushing to meet and go above the standards we’ve given ourselves,” says <position> Adam <surname>. “I feel we do excellence in our service really well.”

One of the ways in which we deliver extra value for our customers is educating them on why they’ve experienced a pest problem and how they can prevent it in future. As Dave points out: “People appreciate us taking the time to explain things to them.”

Taking on feedback

If there’s something we’ve learned over the last 35+ years, it’s that we should never assume what matters to our customers, and instead actually ask them what they want. 

For many years, our customers provided anecdotal feedback and ideas, but we had no formal way of capturing this. In 2021 we developed a quality management system that enabled our team to capture this feedback in real time, and make it easy for them to use this data to put forward ideas of their own. 

This has enabled our team, who care so much about the customer experience, to design and pitch improvements to our service that our customers genuinely care about.

Happy customers begin with a happy team

While it may sound like an overused platitude, positivity plays a crucial role in making sure our customers are happy. It’s an attitude we also cultivate in our interactions with each other and suppliers, ultimately means that customers receive a warm experience. 

“I believe that one of our team’s strongest attributes is our positive mentality,” says Construction Manager Aaron Thompson. “It’s just not part of our culture to degrade or be disparaging. Our positivity is what makes us a close-knit team who genuinely have each others’ – and our customers’ – best interests at heart.”

Caring about the same thing as our customers hasn’t just been about our reputation, but has created a stronger and happier team. And it’s a value we have prioritised since our humble beginnings in the 1980s.

Allstate’s second-generation CEO Vasili Tsoutouras sums it up best: “I can’t remember a time where my dad would say, ‘Ah, stuff the customer, it’s about the money.’ It’s never been just about the money. At the end of the day, it comes back to the people. I wouldn’t be able to go home and put my head to my pillow each night unless I was confident we had satisfied the needs of our customers.”

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Supporting sustainability with the Forktree Project

Supporting sustainability with the Forktree Project

by | Oct 26, 2022 | news

Supporting sustainability with the Forktree Project

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Supporting sustainability with the Forktree Project

Supporting sustainability with the Forktree Project

As a company who believes in keeping things close to home, Allstate is excited to contribute to the rewilding project on the Fleurieu Peninsula. 

At Allstate we have always believed in practical, local solutions for even the most complex of challenges. We’re committed to playing our part in creating a sustainable environment, and so when we heard about the Forktree Project we knew we wanted to get involved.

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What is the Forktree Project?

Established in April 2019, the Forktree Project is a charity setup to combat the twin threats of climate change and biodiversity loss. 

Their goal? To re-wild a degraded 133-acre former pastoral property in South Australia’s Fleurieu Peninsula back to nature. This involves planting native trees and shrubs on the property to attract native animals, insects and birds, while sequestering tens of thousands of tonnes of carbon.

Tim Jarvis AM, the Forktree Project lead, says “Australia has the highest rate of native species loss in OECD nations and is the most climate-exposed developed country in the world, so it is in our interest to do more. South Australia is already doing a lot of good in renewable energy, but all the renewable energy in the world won’t make up for the habitat lost – we need to do more to restore habitat.”

How Allstate is getting involved

Allstate CEO, Vasili Tsoutouras, values the Forktree Project for their active commitment to restoring local habitats. “We chose Forktree because it is a South Australian organisation. As a proud South Australian family business, everything comes back to where we are, and we ask people to buy from us because we support locals. We want to be as sustainable as we can and have a lot of belief in the Forktree Project because of its direct action through re-wilding and putting things back into the ground.”

Allstate Pest Control has provided the Forktree Project with a number of hand tools, as well as an electric post hole digger which enables the charity to drill holes before planting or putting in posts. 

This has enabled Forktree to both plant trees more easily and install protective shelters in their seed orchard to protect seeds from the wind.

Tim recalls that “In my conversations with Vasili, he has a very sustainability-focused outlook on the world, which you wouldn’t necessarily expect from people in his industry.”

forktree project

How businesses can contribute

To make their vision a reality, the Forktree Project relies on the support of small and medium businesses. Its partners provide everything from technical advice to funds, and Forktree also runs corporate tree planting days where organisations can assist with tree planting. The support that Forktree receives from small and medium-sized businesses is critical for the organisation’s success.

Tim explains – “For organisations whose core business doesn’t involve sustainability-focused activities, being involved with the Forktree project has two aspects. Firstly, it gives them the opportunity to start the conversation about sustainability in their organisation. Secondly, regardless of who you are as an organisation, you can offset carbon by helping plant trees and replace habitat.” 

Learn more about Forktree’s work here.

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Ultimate Guide to Bee Prevention

Ultimate Guide to Bee Prevention

by | Oct 26, 2022 | Blog, Pests

THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO BEE PREVENTION

As your garden starts to bloom again after a long, cold winter, you can give thanks to bees for helping out. With a key role in pollinating and assisting plants to grow and survive, bees are an important part of our food production cycle.

While they have a positive impact on the ecosystem, having a swarm of bees buzzing around your yard can also be a nuisance. Not only are they notoriously noisy, their painful stings can also trigger allergies and even cause anaphylaxis.

If you’re concerned about a bee problem, our Hivemind article will help you learn more about the tell-tale signs of an outbreak, how manage it, as well as how to know if you’ve got bees or wasps.

What questions will this article answer?

Why are bees attracted to my garden?

Bees are more active in the warmer months, from October to December, and hibernate in winter. If you have plants and flowers in your garden, it’s likely that you’ll be visited by bees at some point.

This is because they play an important role in nature and food production by helping plants to reproduce and improving survival through pollination and preventing inbreeding.

A bee’s main job is to transport pollen between different plants, and sometimes within the same plant, to assist with fertilisation. 

Types of bees

It’s thought that there are 1650 species of Australian native bees, with at least 200 of them found in the Adelaide Hills alone. Here are the common species that may visit your garden:

Australian native bees

Being unable to store nectar, native bees only produce minimal amounts of honey. They range from 2mm to 2.5cm long. 

  • Carpenter bees (green, yellow and black coloured) are known to burrow into soft timber
  • Teddy bear bees are excellent pollinators due to their ability to trigger the release of pollen through a specific vibration pattern in their wings and body

European honey bees

Not native to Australia, European bees were introduced here about 200 years ago with a specific mission to produce honey. They are usually around 0.5 inches long.

What is the difference between European bees and wasps?

It’s handy to know the difference between bees and wasps so that you can act fast to protect your family if you’re confronted with a swarm. There are several features you can look for:

Appearance

Bees and wasps can often look similar, but wasps have a longer abdomen, distinct yellow and black stripes, some have hair and are designed for hunting. Most bees are covered in fine hairs which assist with collecting pollen, though some bees have no hair at all.

Flying pattern

Wasps tend to fly in a zig-zag path and move directly from one location to another.

Bees retract their legs in flight, whereas wasps don’t.

Nesting material

Wasp nests are large and elaborate and made of mud and chewed wood to form a grey, paper-like nesting material. Beehive honeycombs are made of yellow wax, which is secreted by their wax-producing glands.

Stinging behaviour

Bees can only sting once, and some may not even sting at all. Wasps are more aggressive and easily provoked, and can sting multiple times, particularly if they are protecting their Queen.

Bees and wasps release a pheromone to attract other members of their colony when they feel threatened, so it doesn’t take long for a bee problem to escalate.

Wasp stings often feel more painful than beestings due to stronger chemicals being secreted into the skin.

Feeding behaviour

While bees eat mostly honey and pollen, they are also drawn to overripe fruit and substances high in sugar. Wasps’ diet includes the above, but they also feed on other small insects and plants i when necessary.

Signs of a bee outbreak

Call pest control if you notice any of the following signs of a bee infestation in and around your home:

A larger number of bees than usual

This is the most common sign that there is an active infestation.

Constant buzzing sounds

Bees can flap their wings at a rate of 200 beats per second and create a loud distraction.

Drawn to lights at night

As bees are naturally drawn to sources of light, you may notice many them swarming around lights in and around your home when it’s dark.

Holes appearing in wooden structures

Check for odd openings appearing in unusual spots in trees or walls around your home. This could be the work of carpenter bees, who are known to burrow into wood.

Dark stains on walls or ceilings

If there is a beehive located within your home, honey can spill out and accumulate on walls and ceilings, leaving behind discoloured patches.

You notice active beehives

Locate the hive by following their flying pattern towards a particular location. It may be tucked away inside tree cavities, wall and roof cavities, your garage, shed or even underneath floorboards. 

Problems caused by bees

Although they are small, bees can cause damage to your home by leaving unattractive honey stains on your walls and ceilings.

Many people dread bee stings, and it’s no wonder why. Not only are they painful, but they can also trigger allergies and in some cases, anaphylactic shock, which requires emergency treatment.

With noisy buzzing sounds emitted by their rapidly flapping wings, you and your family will find a bee swarm to be distracting, disruptive and not to mention, very irritating.

As foragers by nature, bees visit many places, and easily collect bacteria and other germs with their fine hairs. This can result in the spread of disease and lead to poor hygiene.

Queen bees can lay 2000 eggs a day, with adults taking around three weeks to develop. With such a quick reproductive cycle, there’s no doubt that outbreaks can get out of control in a very short time.

Worried about bees? Our expert team is ready to help you now

or

8371 1277

How to prevent bees outside

There are many simple ways to deter bees from your home and yard. You can start by making your home less welcoming to bees by removing attractants such as fallen fruit from your yard. Where possible, it’s best to choose natural bee repellents as they don’t cause physical harm to bees.

In general, using deterrents with a strong scent are highly effective as bee antennae are excellent chemical detectors of smells. Here are some ways for you to remove bees without killing them: 

Keep food covered

In summer when dining outdoors, avoid leaving food and drinks exposed if they are high in sugar or contain meat or dairy products.

Electronic bug repellent

Available from hardware stores, these devices emit ultrasonic sound waves that deter bees from entering your home.

Sprays

Fill a pump bottle with water and mix in a few drops of citronella, lavender, peppermint, lemongrass, lemon myrtle essential oils. You can also use cinnamon, lemon, lime, cayenne pepper, liquid soap, vinegar.

We recommend spraying your preparation around entry points including windows, doorways and around pots and plants.

Strongly scented products

You can burn scented candles and hang mothballs around your yard and deck.

Cucumber slices laid along aluminium paper or trays

A chemical reaction between the cucumber and aluminium gives off an odour that is highly repulsive to bees.

Bee repelling plants

Filling your garden with geranium, marigold, mint, eucalyptus, neem and citronella can reduce the number of busy bees around your home.

Professional bee extermination

In order to remove bees safely, it’s essential that the handler understands bee behaviour and has the right protection and equipment. 

At Allstate, our team is aware that bees play key role in the ecosystem and should only be prevented if they pose a health risk, or their hive cannot be relocated to a safer place.

If needed, we’ll work with local professional beekeeping groups to ensure that as many hives can be relocated as possible, to cause minimal harm to bees.

We’ll first advise you to avoid disturbing a beehive, making sudden movements and provoking bees. 

We’ll also try to identify the species of bee to assess the level of danger to you and your family.

To treat an outbreak, we’ll apply a control dust to prevente the colony and stop bees from returning. Depending on its severity, we may recommend a review to monitor the effectiveness of the treatment.

We’ll also prepare a report so you’ll have a record of how we treated the problem for future reference. 

For all urgent bee outbreaks, we have an emergency bee removal service available.

You can learn more about our bee treatments here.

Get expert bee removal today

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8371 1277

Choose Allstate for fast and reliable bee prevention

There’s no doubt that having a large swarm of bees buzzing around your home and garden is both a stressful and potentially dangerous situation.

Luckily at Allstate, our team understands the need to quickly act to remove a bee outbreak. That’s why we’re fully equipped and highly trained to understand bee behaviour and handle them safely and humanely.

Whether you’re in a residential, commercial or industrial property, we use innovative and targeted treatments to prevente bees in accordance with Australian standards and laws. If needed, we will take extra precautions and call in beekeeping specialists for assistance. Where possible, we prioritise using treatments which are nontoxic to children, pets and the environment.

With Allstate’s interest-free payment plans, your bee prevention can start as soon as possible. All of our services are covered with a 100% money-back satisfaction guarantee.

Contact Allstate today to find out how our friendly and experienced team can help you with Adelaide bee swarm removal.

Our expert team is ready to help you now

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8371 1277

9 signs of termites you need to know about

9 signs of termites you need to know about

by | Oct 26, 2022 | Termites

What questions will this article answer?

For many people who have experienced a termite outbreak, any obvious indication of a problem simply came far too late. Unfortunately, it’s all too common to find termites have already caused significant and costly damage to homes and businesses before being detected. With one in five Adelaide homes thought to have experienced termite attacks , it’s useful to know what to look out for in case your home is at risk.

If you’re concerned about having termites, here’s our top 9 tips on potential termite problems to look out for around your home.

Sign 1. Hard to open doors and windows

If you’re noticing that your windows and doors have become tight-fitting and difficult to open, this could be the work of termites.

When you have an outbreak, the amount of termite activity increases inside window frames, doors and door frames. This leads to more heat and moisture being produced. While warmth and humidity are ideal conditions for termite survival, this can eventually cause major problems in your home or business.

Depending on where the moisture accumulates, you may find parts of your doors and windows absorb the moisture more than others, causing them to swell in certain areas.

Sometimes, termites may leave behind dried mud inside door and window joints which creates more friction when you’re trying to open the doors and windows.

Don’t leave your annual termite inspection too late!
Make an appointment today

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8371 1277

Sign 2. Clicking in your walls

Though they are generally quiet, a heavy termite infestation can result in constant clicking sounds coming from your walls as they chew nonstop through the wood.

In some cases, the clicking is deliberately caused by soldier termites knocking their heads and tapping their mandibles against wood to warn the colony of imminent danger.

You may notice your pets are more sensitive to subtle sounds within the walls, so pay attention to any changes to their behaviour.

Sign 3. Termite wings

During spring and summer, every 3 to 5 years, you will find that winged termites or swarmers pair off and fly away to expand the termite colony. They’ll start a new colony elsewhere and usually choose to nest in woodpiles and tree stumps in your yard, so we recommend removing these if possible.

Once they have mated, swarmers lose their wings. So if you notice piles of scattered wings or flying insects particularly around windows, windowsills and doors, you may have a termite outbreak on your hands. 

Not to be confused with flying ants which are smaller and darker coloured, you’ll tend to see flying termites swarming more often at night.

Sign 4. Hollow sounding timber

If you knock your walls and hear a hollow, echoing sound, this may indicate that termites have tunnelled through the insulation to eat away the wood.

A classic sign of serious termite destruction, continuous tunnelling within the walls and timber structures of your home can result in a hollow, echoing sound when you knock on it. Pay particular attention to skirting boards as these make the most obvious hollow sounds during a severe infestation.

If you’re noticing any hollow sounds when knocking on the walls of your home, we recommend contacting Allstate to arrange an urgent termite inspection.

Worried about termites? Speak to an expert today

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8371 1277

Sign 5. Mud tubes (Subterranean termites)

Termites build tunnels encased with a sturdy mixture of dirt, wood, debris, saliva and droppings to protect them when they forage for food away from their underground nests.

We recommend keeping the perimeter of your house clear of moist soil and dirt to discourage mud tube formation.

When subterranean termites leave their nest underground to forage for food, they will build mud tubes to travel safely between their food source and nest. These tubes also assist with retaining moisture and warmth, which are ideal survival conditions for termites.

While they can be seen inside and outside your home in different formations, mud tubes are commonly noticed around entry points and the house foundation.

Sign 6. Sawdust-like droppings (Drywood termites)

If you’re noticing a regular accumulation of a fine, dark powdery substance on your floors, it could well be a sign of a termite problem, particularly drywood termites.

Also known as frass, termites often create small openings in wood to push out their waste as they continue tunnelling through.

Frass can appear in cone shaped piles or circular patterns on the surface of termite-affected wooden structures.

Sign 7. Tiny holes in wood

With a diameter that is less than 1/8 inches, termite holes are generally left behind by drywood termites and can be hard to spot.

A sign of a serious outbreak, termite holes are an entry and exit point for termites tunnelling through wood, walls and mud. Once created, they are usually quickly sealed off by the remains of undigested wood and droppings. 

Usually formed just before mating season, these holes are an important way for termite swarmers to exit the colony to reproduce and start a new colony elsewhere.

Don’t put off your termite inspection. Call us now

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8371 1277

Sign 8. Unexplainable damage to the floor, walls or ceiling

Termites feed off the cellulose fibres within wood, making tunnels through the insides while leaving the outer shell intact for protection.

They are particularly drawn to timber that holds moisture – for example, damp timber from water damage or underneath floors.

Over time, this causes the wood to crumble away slowly from the inside and lose its structural integrity. You may find that this causes the following problems around your home:

  • Cracks and splinters in your walls and skirting boards
  • A bubbling, or honeycomb-like texture in the paint or water-stained appearance
  • Cracking, blistering, sagging and warping of laminated floors, ceiling beams and skirting boards

Sign 9. Damage to trees and outdoor wooden structures

Several termite species can be found living in nests above the ground in and around trees and tree stumps as well as landscaping sleepers.

Even if there are no visible signs of damage on the outside of a tree, the insides could be slowly getting destroyed. Over time, the tree will become increasingly rotten.

Once the tree has been damaged significantly, you may find the branches weaken and fall off, causing damage to your home and endangering people.

If you notice mud tubes appearing on tree bark, you can check how fragile your tree has become.

For a reliable and experienced termite inspection service,
contact us today

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8371 1277

How to check for termites before it’s too late

At Allstate, we understand the importance of detecting and treating a termite outbreak as soon as possible. 

As the early signs of termites can be hard to spot, the best way to know for sure if they’re a cause for concern is to have a termite inspection. You can learn more about Allstate’s professional termite inspections here .

Depending on your level of risk, government guidelines recommend a termite inspection for every home at least once a year.

Fortunately, our highly trained termite inspection team is fully equipped with all the latest technology to conduct comprehensive termite assessments in compliance with Australian standards. We have specialised equipment to detect even the most subtle signs of an outbreak.

Since 1986, we have carried out and treated termite outbreaks in residential, commercial and industrial settings all around Adelaide. All our termite services are covered by extensive warranties and backed by insurance, so there’s no reason to delay an inspection. It could potentially save you thousands of dollars in repairs that aren’t covered by insurance, as well as stress and disruption.

Contact Allstate today to speak to our friendly team about staying ahead of termites .

Our expert team is ready to help you now

or

8371 1277