RoadBlock – How to keep spider webs away from your external mirrors. From Porsche to pest control pioneer. How one woman’s pursuit of a problem led her down a surprising path
At first glance, it seems a slightly odd choice that entrepreneur Amanda Lintott should enter the fray against the plague of Red Imported Fire Ants (RIFA) that could devastate up to 99 per cent of mainland Australia if left unchecked.
After all, here is an experienced businessperson with a long history of senior roles in the automotive industry. One of those roles was Dealer Principal of Porsche Centre Sydney South, which she helped build from scratch to become one of best performing Porsche dealerships in the Southern Hemisphere before selling it to the Porsche factory.
Like her well-respected industry legend father, Ray Lintott, Amanda wasn’t one to let the grass grow under her feet. After negotiating the sale of Porsche Centre Sydney South, she launched a specialist automotive recruitment agency, Career Driven, supplying staff to staff to the likes of Volkswagen, Audi, BMW, Toyota and many independent and factory-owned dealerships. She later successfully sold this business as well.
In 2022, Amanda launched another new automotive based business – this time leading her into the unlikely world of pest control. She developed a product called RoadBlock – Spider and Ant Automotive Treatment designed to treat and prevent spiders, ants and cockroaches in vehicles including cars, caravans, campers, trucks, machinery and more.
Red Imported Fire Ants
“The idea for RoadBlock came from a very small frustration I had as a driver. I didn’t like cobwebs in my side mirrors! I got sick of trying to wipe or wash them out, only for them to come back again. Then, I started noticing the countless cars on the street with the same problem, did a small survey, and RoadBlock developed from there.
My research identified what is now an obvious gap… there was no effective household pest control treatment for vehicles. After months of testing and approvals, the product hit the market in 2023 and, despite a tiny marketing budget, was immediately popular.
Not long afterwards, I started noticing several news reports about the dangerous spread of Imported Red Fire Ants in Australia – often via vehicles – and it occurred to me that RoadBlock could help to manage this problem as well. That led me to make a successful application to the Australian Pest and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) to extend the product claims to Fire Ants.
So long story short, I now have the only product of its kind in Australia that provides a lasting barrier treatment against spiders, ants (including Fire Ants) and cockroaches in vehicles.
RoadBlock – tips for building a business
So here are my top tips for anyone hoping to bring a unique product or business idea to life.
- Firstly, start with a small problem and see where it leads. Invariably the better you understand and tackle a small problem, the bigger the opportunities that emerge.
- Secondly, filter feedback from people who don’t see what you see. That is crucial.
- Don’t be afraid of change and don’t attach your professional value to someone else’s brand. Of course, I loved being part of the Porsche network and all the glamour associated with that, but ultimately there is no greater freedom that building your own brand and own opportunities. Yes, it requires you to step off a cliff and risk being judged professionally but you have to look beyond that.
- Be realistic. Building a new business or product alone takes money and time. So much more than you think. Do your budgets and brace yourself for a long, hard, lonely slog. There is absolutely no way to get around that I’m afraid.
It’s still very early days for RoadBlock but I am genuinely excited to have brought something new to the market that can possibly help in the front-line fight against Fire Ants in Australia but also keep cobwebs out of my side mirrors!
“The better you understand a small problem, the bigger the opportunities that emerge,” Amanda Lintott.
RoadBlock delivers at-risk municipalities a front-line weapon in the war against invasive Red Imported Fire Ants
Australian formulation helps prevent spread of hitchhiking pests on council vehicle and machinery fleets
Municipalities with public facilities at risk from the invasive spread of Red Imported Fire Ants have a new pest control weapon approved for automotive use on council vehicle and mobile machinery fleets.
RoadBlock Spider and Ant Automotive Treatment has been approved by the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority, APVMA, for use on vehicles, machinery and loads that may unwittingly carry the aggressive insects from one infestation to place new locations at risk.
Effective upon the hitch-hiking pests within minutes of contact, the all-Australian formulation is particularly relevant to councils in Queensland and Northern NSW in areas and electorates such Gold Coast, Brisbane, Coomera, Bundamba, Jordan, Logan, Hill, Woodridge, Gympie, Nanango, Murrumba, Maryborough and the Northern Rivers of NSW.
“These pests are the ultimate hitchhikers which can quickly spread on council vehicles, machinery and loads to infest public facilities such as sports grounds, camping grounds, swimming pool surrounds, golf courses, barbecue areas, gardens and council recreational and family facilities,” says Amanda Lintott, owner of RoadBlock Spider and Ant Automotive Treatment.
“They are fiercely territorial and can painfully injure children, pets, parents and native fauna if they are inadvertently picked up and spread, which recent headlines tell us is happening in many urban and rural areas where councils have a duty of care to protect residents, visitors and staff exposed to the pest.
Colonies everywhere – RoadBlock
The tiny (6mm long) but enormously destructive RIFA pest is capable of forming colonies in 99 per cent of mainland Australia and 80 per cent of Tasmania if left unchecked, or carried unwittingly, to new areas by vehicles and machinery that passes through contaminated areas.
To date, multiple colonies have been found in Queensland and Northern NSW, but RIFA are quickly heading further south towards Victoria.
RoadBlock is a commercial grade aerosol product specifically designed to treat and prevent ants in vehicles including cars, trucks, recreational vehicles, campers, 4WDs, fleets and heavy vehicles and agricultural machinery that can spread the pest.
“RoadBlock is the only ready-to-use pest control product in Australia specifically approved for vehicles, and the latest approval will allow us to join the fight against the dangerous spread of fire ants. We can now assist drivers, travellers, and fleet owners who live or work in high risk areas, to reduce the chances of further spreading beyond Queensland and Northern NSW,” says Amanda.
“With this new approval, RoadBlock users gain the extra comfort of knowing that a simple spray of their vehicle will not only be effective over a broad spectrum of pests but will specifically also kill and repel invasive fire ants in line with the requirements of the Biosecurity Act.”
“RoadBlock is proven to kill RIFA within minutes of contact. It then gives lasting barrier protection to ensure these ultimate unwanted hitchhikers don’t form new colonies as they are spread Interstate from thousands of existing infestation sites”
National Fire Ant Eradication Programme
The National Fire Ant Eradication Programme notes that – in addition to travelling within and upon vehicles – fire ants can also spread when people move:
- Materials commonly transported by council vehicles and machinery, such as soil, hay, mulch, manure, quarry products, turf, and potted plants.
- Containers that have been used with organic materials, such potted plants and fertiliser used on council amenities.
- Dirty machinery that has been used to move restricted material (or material in which RIFA have established themselves undetected, including grass crops and other ground-covering crops).
All of which can be sprayed to help neutralise the latent threat.
RoadBlock differentiates itself from standard insect sprays as it has been tested and is safe to use on all typical automotive surfaces. It also features a commercial grade formulation, a precisely directable straw nozzle and is also Australian owned and Australian made.
The long nozzle applicator ensures the spray is directed precisely to problem areas – including mirrors, wheel arches and grilles, weather covers, water storages, battery bays, and any warm restful hollow spaces that appeal to insects.
“Another major benefit of this type of application, is that you don’t have to fumigate the entire vehicle – you can just use small amounts in the key areas, to protect against new infestations.”
“The specialised Australian formulation of RoadBlock Spider and Ant Automotive Treatment is stronger for longer than standard sprays. It is suitable for use on a wide range of vehicles, from cars, utes, and vans, right up to heavy machinery, trucks, and commercial vehicles that may come into contact with contaminated soils or are being used and stored outdoors in Australia’s harsh environments,” says Amanda, adding that RoadBlock has been rigorously formulated and tested for use under Australian conditions.
Prevention better than cure
“Left unchecked to travel our highways and byways, these little nasties can cause huge and painful damage to people, children, pets, stock, native fauna and fauna and, ultimately, the Australian economy. The Australia Institute research body estimates that RIFA will cost Australians more than $22bn by the 2040s if unchecked,” says Amanda.
By comparison, the estimated cost of containing, then eradicating, the problem now is $3bn, which just serves to highlight the need to take prompt action.**
Under the Biosecurity Act 2014, everyone – including individuals and organisations – has a general biosecurity obligation (GBO) to take all reasonable steps to prevent the spread of fire ants.
Queenslanders are legally required to report suspected sightings of fire ants within 24 hours of their discovery, and, depending on the nest’s location, take action to treat the pest. Once reported, property or business owners may also be required to cease operations for a decontamination period.
The National Fire Ant Eradication Program 10-year elimination plan involves an intensive and targeted eradication effort over Southeast Queensland, spanning from the Lockyer Valley in the west to Redlands in the east, Moreton Bay to the north and the Gold Coast to the south.
Notes RoadBlock
*The APVMA is the Government statutory agency responsible for the management and regulation of all agricultural and veterinary chemical products in Australia. Before an agricultural or veterinary chemical product can be legally supplied, sold, or used in Australia it must be registered by the APVMA.
**The Australia Institute identifies areas where thousands of people will need medical attention and suffer anaphylactic reactions each year as including the electorates of Coomera, Bundamba, Jordan, Logan, Hill, Woodridge, Gympie, Nanango, Murrumba, and Maryborough. The National Allergy Centre of Excellence and Allergy and Anaphylaxis Australia predicts that if fire ants were to become endemic, a quarter of the 8.6 million Australians who would be stung by fire ants each year would develop an allergic reaction, with 174,000 of those requiring medical attention. Up to 652,000 people a year would seek medical consultation because of RIFA stings, they said. The Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy said, “anaphylaxis is almost three times more common with RIFA stings than with other stinging insects.”
(**Source: A submission to the Federal Senate Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport References Committee.)
About Autonomy
Autonomy is an Australian brand of products for cars, caravans and campers.
Founded by Amanda Lintott, Autonomy launched in 2022. Amanda has a long history in the automotive industry in Australia and is based in Sydney. RoadBlock is available online at www.autonomyco.com.au, on Amazon, and at select retailers.
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