Independent LawnMowing Contractors Of Australia Forum

Thread: Things that make HAPPY ''''''

  1. #376

    Default Re: Things that make HAPPY ''''''

    Quote Originally Posted by Mrs HMS View Post
    Warning, gratuitous blow my own trumpet post to follow.....you have been warned!

    Got this email at work today:




    My final exam is tomorrow and then after nearly 4 years I am done! Unless I decide to go for the post grad studies.
    Congrats Jo. Well done and I hope you get all the rewards for your efforts!

  2. #377
    Junior Member gsimpson58's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2012
    Location
    Horseshoe Bay Qld
    Posts
    41

    Default Re: Things that make HAPPY ''''''

    Quote Originally Posted by courty View Post
    Just done a removal on a big Bougainvillea, whilst the cuts and scratches are nothing to be happy about the Kaching of the good coin at the end is
    I know the feeling. Just spent a full day cutting back a garden here on the island and it was packed with green ants. Seemed to spend more time getting the little critters out from under my shirt than I spent on the gardening but that's life in the tropics for you.

    Simmo

  3. #378
    Senior Member PaulG's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2010
    Posts
    4,991

    Default Re: Things that make HAPPY ''''''

    Greg try to upsell them a green-ant eradication program.

    Product called Amdro from your local ag supplies for about $90 but it will make you at least 5 to 10 times that in return as you only need a small amount around each nest.

  4. #379
    Member of Forum Stripes's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2008
    Location
    Baulkham Hills
    Posts
    1,544

    Default Re: Things that make HAPPY ''''''

    Well done Joanne!

  5. #380
    Senior Member gcsmow's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2008
    Location
    Tolga N.Q.
    Posts
    1,391

    Default Re: Things that make HAPPY ''''''

    Or you can just say no !! I find that works much better than pole saw, gloves and pitch fork.

    Quote Originally Posted by Fred's mowing View Post
    Pole chainsaws, welding gloves &a long handled pitch fork r the tools required, but it;ll still get ya!
    Cheers Fred.
    Everybody is entitled to MY opinion

  6. #381
    Senior Member gcsmow's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2008
    Location
    Tolga N.Q.
    Posts
    1,391

    Default Re: Things that make HAPPY ''''''

    The best thing about the wet season is going to look at new jobs then if I get them, I go through my jobs list and get rid of the PITA's or the 5h!t jobs and replace them with better ones, or put the price up on the afore mentioned jobs and listen to them whinge and complain then tell them to get someone else, or just not turn up and let the grass get waist high to the nasty b@$t@rd$ and tight so and so's who don't pay. (I don't do this to my good customers but). I might be getting a big regular job soon so if I do I'll cull about 5 crappy jobs. That's the best thing about the wet season by far. Us lawnies can get our own back sometimes.
    Everybody is entitled to MY opinion

  7. #382
    Senior Member happymowin's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2011
    Posts
    1,417

    Default Re: Things that make HAPPY ''''''

    lol, gcs, the BEST time to drop a pita is just BEFORE you have to mow, then they have to get someone QUICK and the new guy can see the property in the state they let it get into.

    love the scabs who make you go 6 weeks even tho you rang them up every week from the 2nd week trying to get an appointment,

    then i say, nope top dollar, or go somewhere else,. i been ringing YOU for 4 weeks, and NOW you want me to rush over and do it for the regular fee?

    aint happening

  8. #383
    Senior Member gcsmow's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2008
    Location
    Tolga N.Q.
    Posts
    1,391

    Default Re: Things that make HAPPY ''''''

    Absolutely !! I think we understand each other perfectly on that one. When you have a bit of experience under you're belt you soon learn how to deal with this type of scum. Hit them where it hurts.

    Quote Originally Posted by happymowin View Post
    lol, gcs, the BEST time to drop a pita is just BEFORE you have to mow, then they have to get someone QUICK and the new guy can see the property in the state they let it get into.

    love the scabs who make you go 6 weeks even tho you rang them up every week from the 2nd week trying to get an appointment,

    then i say, nope top dollar, or go somewhere else,. i been ringing YOU for 4 weeks, and NOW you want me to rush over and do it for the regular fee?

    aint happening
    Everybody is entitled to MY opinion

  9. #384
    Junior Member gsimpson58's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2012
    Location
    Horseshoe Bay Qld
    Posts
    41

    Default Re: Things that make HAPPY ''''''

    Quote Originally Posted by PaulG View Post
    Greg try to upsell them a green-ant eradication program.

    Product called Amdro from your local ag supplies for about $90 but it will make you at least 5 to 10 times that in return as you only need a small amount around each nest.
    PaulG,
    Thanks for that. How do you work out a charge for it? Do you do it as a stand alone job i.e. ant spraying or do you do it as part of the mowing job and charge extra for the spraying?

    Simmo

  10. #385
    Senior Member Bluey's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2008
    Location
    Adelaide
    Posts
    5,863

    Default Re: Things that make HAPPY ''''''

    Quote Originally Posted by PaulG View Post
    Greg try to upsell them a green-ant eradication program.

    Product called Amdro from your local ag supplies for about $90 but it will make you at least 5 to 10 times that in return as you only need a small amount around each nest.
    What a brilliant idea Paul. Hate the buggers. They used to get in our boats when we were hunting poachers up mangrove creeks. Made for interesting times.
    Cheers

    Bluey
    Adelaide Home & Garden Solutions
    http://www.ahgs.com.au


    "Success occurs when no one is looking, failure occurs when everyone is watching."

  11. #386
    Senior Member PaulG's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2010
    Posts
    4,991

    Default Re: Things that make HAPPY ''''''

    I've been able to buy it direct from the supplier in Brisbane so it works out way better than what you could buy from bunnings etc.

    Lawns need to be mowed a couple of days prior to application to help find as many nests as possible; and yep charge for mow then charge for ant treatment separately.

    This is where you need the customer's help as they will likely know where the problem areas are in the lawn, ie where they most often are when getting bitten.

    You only need a small sprinkle covering about 50cm diameter around each nest.

    The ants actually pick up the granules and take them back into the nest where the insecticide does it's job.

    Even if you see an ant but haven't found a nest put down a few granules and the ant/s will grab it and head straight back to the nest, showing you where it is.

    The pest company who first did this here at my place are who I've based my price on. $99 for a visit which covers about 4 or 5 nest sites in the yard. Any more and the price goes up accordingly. Get the customer to keep an eye on things and if they see any more ants (there won't be many) I go back and put down a few more granules for free.

    Seems to work for quite long periods of time. I have a few green-ants just starting to re-appear in my yard after about 2 years.

    I've got a topic here in teh forum somewhere with a bit more info. If you just search 'AMDRO' pretty sure it will be there somewhere.

  12. #387
    Junior Member gsimpson58's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2012
    Location
    Horseshoe Bay Qld
    Posts
    41

    Default Re: Things that make HAPPY ''''''

    PaulG,
    Thanks for the info. I'll be giving it a go.

    Simmo

  13. #388
    Senior Member Kathryn's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2011
    Location
    chinchilla qld
    Posts
    983

    Default Re: Things that make HAPPY ''''''

    green ants in the tropics are a totally different ant to the green ant in SE QLD paul. dont ask me their species cos i wouldnt have a clue. not sure if granules would work
    the tropical version are the ones with the citrus tasting nectar /sap /gunk on the back of them. they make nest from sapping together leaves in trees not in the ground. personally i used to think that they used to use some form of ant sonar to comunicate befor biting " is someone in the arm pit, whos covering the back of the neck, anyone made it to the groin yet? ok in position bite!"
    when i was tree lopping i found the only thing you could was cut the nests off and remove it from your work area ( quickly) to keep numbers down. and they are crankier when it rains. only thing that kills them is cyclones and the big termites.and the mulcher. oh and occasionally ive known paperwasps to take over a green ant nest so take care.

    we used to have a understanding that if someone on the crew run funnily around the corner ,passibly with hands inside clothing dont follow, they need to extract a green ant. if they sprint past you instead, follow, the wasps are coming.

    and who ever came up with the theory that paperwasps wont sting if you stand still! pah! i recommend not trying that

  14. #389
    Junior Member gsimpson58's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2012
    Location
    Horseshoe Bay Qld
    Posts
    41

    Default Re: Things that make HAPPY ''''''

    Quote Originally Posted by Kathryn View Post
    green ants in the tropics are a totally different ant to the green ant in SE QLD paul. dont ask me their species cos i wouldnt have a clue. not sure if granules would work
    the tropical version are the ones with the citrus tasting nectar /sap /gunk on the back of them. they make nest from sapping together leaves in trees not in the ground. personally i used to think that they used to use some form of ant sonar to comunicate befor biting " is someone in the arm pit, whos covering the back of the neck, anyone made it to the groin yet? ok in position bite!"
    when i was tree lopping i found the only thing you could was cut the nests off and remove it from your work area ( quickly) to keep numbers down. and they are crankier when it rains. only thing that kills them is cyclones and the big termites.and the mulcher. oh and occasionally ive known paperwasps to take over a green ant nest so take care.

    we used to have a understanding that if someone on the crew run funnily around the corner ,passibly with hands inside clothing dont follow, they need to extract a green ant. if they sprint past you instead, follow, the wasps are coming.

    and who ever came up with the theory that paperwasps wont sting if you stand still! pah! i recommend not trying that
    Thanks for that Kathryn. The other nasty I have found is a caterpillar that likes to hang out in the golden canes. It gives you an extremely itchy rash. I have been bitten a few times but still haven’t managed to get a glimpse of the culprit!
    Simmo

  15. #390
    Senior Member PaulG's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2010
    Posts
    4,991

    Default Re: Things that make HAPPY ''''''

    I was wondering about that. Up there it's the green-tree ant. Here it is the green-head ant. When Greg mentioned them being in the garden I thought it might have been the green-head ants.

Page 26 of 144 FirstFirst 123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930313233343536373839404142434445464748495051525354555657585960616263646566676869707172737475767778798081828384858687888990919293949596979899100101102103104105106107108109110111112113114115116117118119120121122123124125126127128129130131132133134135136137138139140141142143144 LastLast

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •