Laguna Pest Control was born in Noosa back in November 2009, which originally started out as a husband and wife team. Jay and Nicky Turner moved their three young children to Noosa to create a better life for their family and to start the business. With Jay’s background in entomology, his qualifications (including a Bachelor of Biological Sciences), his passion for all things creepy and crawly, and his teaching experience of Pest Control at Northern Melbourne Institute of Tafe, it was only a matter of time before he went out on his own.
Unlike most pest controllers who start in this industry, Jay and Nicky’s career ironically started out in breeding insects. Jay and Nicky started the very successful Minibeast Enterprises, which bred and supplied crickets, cockroaches, spiders, scorpions, leaf insects, maggots, mealworms and even snails to the pet trade.
It was a chance meeting with a local pest controller many years ago, combined with the existing knowledge of insect biology, that lured Jay into the pest control industry. Jay not only completed his Certificate III in Urban Pest Management but completed it with the highest score ever and subsequently commissioned to pass on his knowledge through seasonal teaching at Tafe. After several years working for a few very well respected and large pest control firms, and completing several trade qualifications (including accreditations for installing physical and chemical termite management systems and Vertebrate Pest Management), that Jay felt these companies lacked the personal service and consistency that he could offer clients on his own.
Over the last 10+ years, Jay and Nicky have won several awards for Laguna Pest Control, including Pest Manager of the Year in 2017. They have built Laguna Pest Control into a very successful business, that promotes a professional and quality service. Whilst they are always looking to improve their business, in the last few years, they have really focused their abilities on improving the pest industry. Nicky is the Founder, CEO and President of the PWAPM (Professional Women in Australian Pest Management). As association that aims to represent professional women and create opportunities for them in the pest industry. Jay continues to train in pest management courses in hopes of improving the quality of pest control in the upcoming generation in our industry. He is also the creator and host of the Pestie Profiles Podcast, with each episode focusing on interviewing well known individuals in our industry.
With Nicky taking a step back from Laguna Pest Control, and Jay wanting to spend more time on his other endeavours, their daughter, Wilara, has taken a massive step up. As the Office and Accounts Manager, she has taken on a great load of responsibility. She’s grateful for this opportunity that her parents have provided her and she’s eager to start implementing some new ideas and goals into the business. She say’s this role wouldn’t be possible without the amazing support of not only her parents, but the whole team at Laguna Pest Control.
Whilst Laguna Pest Control has been operating for over 10 years, we’re excited to keep growing as a business!
