CLIENT OVERVIEW
- ORGANISATION Essential Energy
- OPERATIONS Electricity distribution across regional & remote NSW
- RELATIONSHIP SINCE 2018
THE CHALLENGE
Essential Energy’s linesmen and field crews work across one of Australia’s largest electricity distribution networks. Servicing regional, rural and remote communities throughout NSW. In the course of routine maintenance and emergency repairs, crews regularly encounter wasp nests established inside power boxes, substations, pole-mounted switchgear and other electrical enclosures.
Wasp attacks in these environments present a serious WH&S risk — a sting reaction while working at height or near live electrical equipment can have severe consequences.
Essential Energy required a wasp control solution that met three critical requirements: it had to be safe to use around live electrical infrastructure, it needed sufficient spray range to keep operators at a safe distance from nests, and it had to perform reliably in outdoor conditions including wind.
Commercially available consumer-grade aerosols fell short on all three counts — lacking dielectric ratings, offering limited spray distance, and using flammable propellants unsuitable for use around electrical assets.
OUR SOLUTION
After evaluating available products, Essential Energy selected Chemron’s Wasp Eliminator Insecticide as their standard wasp control product across the network. The product was purpose-built for exactly this type of professional, high-risk application.
Wasp Eliminator’s formulation delivers a dielectric strength of 46 kV, making it suitable for use in close proximity to energised electrical equipment — a non-negotiable requirement for utility field crews. The use of a non flammable propellant eliminates the ignition risk associated with conventional aerosol products.
The proprietary Vortex nozzle produces a focused, directional jet reaching up to 7 metres, allowing operators to treat nests from a safe standoff distance without ladders or elevated work platforms. The product kills adult wasps on contact and destroys eggs to prevent reinfestation — delivering complete nest neutralisation in a single application.
Wasp Eliminator is APVMA-registered (Product No. 60519), packaged in a professional 500g aerosol can, and classified as non-flammable — simplifying procurement, WHS documentation and site storage across Essential Energy’s depot network.
RESULTS & OUTCOMES
- 20+ Essential Energy depots now supplied with Wasp Eliminator
- 46 kV Dielectric strength — safe for use around energised electrical assets
- 7 m Jet reach — keeping operators at a safe distance from nests
Since adopting Wasp Eliminator as their standard wasp control product, Essential Energy has rolled the solution out across more than 20 depots throughout regional NSW — from Grafton and the North Coast through to Wagga Wagga in the Riverina. The product has become a regular reorder item, with depots placing consistent monthly orders that have grown in volume over time as additional sites have been onboarded.
Field crews report improved confidence when approaching wasp-affected electrical enclosures, with the 7-metre spray distance and non-flammable formulation directly addressing the two highest-risk factors in their previous wasp control procedures.
The APVMA registration and non-flammable classification have simplified Essential Energy’s WHS documentation, procurement approvals and site storage requirements — a meaningful operational benefit across a network of this scale.
The success of the Essential Energy deployment has become a reference point for Chemron’s engagement with other utility providers, energy companies and infrastructure operators across Australia, demonstrating Wasp Eliminator’s suitability for safety-critical, electrically sensitive work environments.
CLIENT TESTIMONIAL
"Our linesmen regularly come across wasps that have set up home in power boxes. Wasp Eliminator gives them a way to deal with nests safely — the dielectric strength means it's suitable around our electrical assets, and the 7-metre jet keeps our crews at a safe distance. It's become standard kit across our depots."
Field Operations
Essential Energy, Regional NSW
